Peter Cetera of Chicago fame plays in Oregon

Peter Cetera has had two big-time music careers.

For nearly two decades, Cetera was singer, songwriter and bass player for the band Chicago. He sang lead vocals on the band’s first hit single, “25 or 6 to 4,” and “Where Do We Go from Here?” Cetera wrote such hits as “Wishing You Were Here,” “If You Leave Me Now” (Chicago’s first No. 1 single) and “Baby What a Big Surprise.”

For the past three decades, Cetera has forged his own identity through a solo career that included a pair of No. 1 singles — “Glory of Love” and “The Next Time I Fall,” a duet with Amy Grant — and has kept him relevant through all these years.

Cetera, 70, will bring his band The Bad Daddies to Chinook Winds Casino and Resort in Lincoln City (chinookwinds casino.com) for a pair of concerts Feb. 12 and 13. The Portland Tribune caught up to the Chicago native at his home in Ketchum, Idaho:

Tribune: You’re living in God’s country. Do you still partake in outdoor activities there?

Cetera: I first came to Ketchum in 1978 and moved up here for good in 1986. I just got back from cross country skiing. Don’t say I live in Sun Valley — we say all the rich people live there. I love it here. I moved here to get away from the maddening crowd. They just canceled our weekly scheduled basketball game. My knee is bad, but I still play with the same group of guys I’ve played with forever.

Tribune: Congratulations on Chicago’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony for the class of 2016 is in April in New York City. There have been mixed reports as to whether or not you’ll join the members of the old band to play at the show. What’s the word?

Cetera: Thank you. I’ll be there to accept the award. I might and I might not (play with the group). It’s a matter of if we can come to an agreement as to how it comes down.

Tribune: How do you feel about the band’s induction?

Cetera: It’s 20 to 25 years too late. That’s what I feel about it. It’s not making me jump up and down. I want to thank the people who voted for us. That was great. But I’m neither here nor there about it. I couldn’t care less, to be honest. Part of it is they want you to perform. I haven’t played with those guys in years. I don’t care to play with their band. We’ll have to come to some sort of agreement as to how it can be worked out. It’s kind of like being asked to jump into bed with your ex-wife.

Tribune: What is the source of the name of your current band?

Cetera: We came up with that years ago, when I first put the band together. A bunch of us had our young children in the rehearsal studio, eating donuts and running around like children do. And I said, “We are really bad daddies.” It just fit.

Tribune: You still play bass as well as sing?

Cetera: I do. I play guitar and sing. I love singing. I have the best band in the country right now since I got my second guitar player about nine months ago. I’m having the time of my life. I’ve never sounded better. It’s a fun show. Most people who hear us, they go away saying, “Oh my God, I had no idea. That was so good.”

Tribune: You recently played a show at the Saban Theater in Beverley Hills, Calif., that got rave reviews.

Cetera: That was like the highlight of my life. My oldest daughter, Claire, who is in a band called City City, played with us. They were great. The crowd was great. But we’ve had a run of unbelievable shows lately. The people who go to the (Chinook Winds) shows are going to be blown away.

Tribune: You come from a blue-collar family growing up as the second of six children on the south side of Chicago. Your father worked as a

machinist?

Cetera: He operated the lathe, making machine parts. My mom was the singer in the family. That’s how we started out, singing around the house.

Tribune: Is it true your music interest began at age 11 when your parents bought you an accordion instead of the guitar you wanted?

Cetera: Yes. I wanted a guitar, and they didn’t. I must have been the last kid on the south side to play accordion.

Tribune: During your solo career, you’ve recorded duets with such female artists as Amy Grant, Madonna, Cher and Chaka Khan. What is it about them that you like?

Cetera: Duets are fun. You get to meet somebody you didn’t know before. In some cases, they were songs I turned into duets from a regular song. And they’re always great to sing.

Tribune: Are you allowed to play Chicago band songs during your concerts?

Cetera: I play whatever I’ve written. I wrote a lot of the hits with Chicago in my time, and those are the ones I do. The only song I didn’t write for Chicago is “25 or 6 to 4.” It’s a Robert Lamm song, but I did sing it. I do that in our shows. I do whatever I want. (The current Chicago group) is playing my songs, after all.

Tribune: So what kind of

music will the fans at Chinook Winds get to hear from you?

Cetera: Let’s just say I play all the No. 1 hits I’ve had with Chicago and from my solo

career.

Tribune: How much longer do you want to continue to play music?

Cetera: I have no idea. This past year, I’ve gotten renewed interest, because this band is so damn good and the crowd response is so much better. If you just keep going and people still want to hear you, go as long as you want. I hate the travel, but I still enjoy it. The gigs make up for it.

keggers@portlandtribune.com

Twitter: @kerryeggers