Randy Bachman is ready, willing -- and most importantly, able -- to take care of business again.

The Canadian rock legend is finally returning to active duty after surgery and therapy to repair his badly damaged right shoulder.

"I'm back up to speed now," says the Guess Who and BTO guitarist. "I was out of commission for five or six months."

But the 65-year-old Winnipeg native says it could have been far worse -- his playing days could have been ended permanently by his condition, which had been worsening for several years.

"I'd go to hit a note and I would miss the string," he says.

"My picking just wasn't accurate anymore. So I went to the doctor and they found that out of the four tendons in my shoulder, I had one left. The rest were shredded.

"They said they had no idea how I was still playing guitar -- and that if that last tendon had broken, my arm would have hung at my side for the rest of my life."

Interestingly enough, it was longtime collaborator Burton Cummings who sent him to the doctor -- albeit inadvertently.

"We were shooting the arm-wrestling cover picture for our Jukebox album," he recalls.

"We had to look like we were really arm wrestling, not holding hands. So we were there for three or four hours. When we were done, I ached from my right ankle to my right ear and I was eating Tylenol like it was popcorn. But I'm actually kind of glad it happened."

After surgery to re-attach half a dozen muscles, Bachman spent months sleeping in a chair with his arm Velcroed to his chest. Fortunately, fingerpicking a guitar was part of his physical therapy.

"I couldn't do any Pete Townshend windmills, but I was able to play," he laughs.

Now, Bachman is making up for all that lost time.

He and Cummings are heading out on another Canadian tour, including

August 5 at Centre Square in Kitchener.

He's reissuing his 2007 Jazz Thing II CD.

He just renewed his CBC radio show Vinyl Tap for three more years.

He's putting together a rock album featuring guest spots from the late Jeff Healey and old Winnipeg pals such as Fred Turner and Neil Young.

With all that on the go, it's a wonder he had time to make it to Ottawa to be awarded the Order of Canada last month.

"I felt like a cartoon character there," he says humbly. "Like I didn't belong.

"There are people there working on cures for AIDS and cancer, and setting up hospitals in Third World countries. They're people I normally wouldn't meet in a day and who normally wouldn't meet me."

But they got along better than he might have expected.

Following the ceremony at Rideau Hall, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean loaned Bachman her guitar -- and he rocked the afterparty.

"I led them through No Sugar Tonight, and they all sang American Woman -- very loudly," he laughs. "It was a lot of fun."

Now he just has one more item on his to-do list.

"I'm looking at getting my left shoulder done. I just have to find another five or six months in my schedule."

Good luck with that.

Don't worry, business will be takin' care of on tour

Guess Who fans won't have much trouble guessing what songs Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman will be playing on tour.

"We know why they're coming," admits 61-year-old singer-pianist Cummings.

"People come to see Bachman-Cummings to hear You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet, Takin' Care of Business, American Woman, Albert Flasher, Share the Land and all those songs.

"And that's exactly what we're going to do.

"There might be a few new things sprinkled in there. I'll probably do a couple of things from (Cummings' 2008 CD) Above the Ground, and Randy might do something, but we're not stupid enough to push a bunch of new stuff down people's throats."

Besides, he says, they don't have time.

"Two hours isn't enough time for us to play all our big songs. That's a very pleasant problem; a problem that very many artists wish they had. After all, many people don't even have careers left at this point. We're still able to go out and draw people."

Another benefit of their many years together: They don't have to spend too much time rehearsing.

"We've played Takin' Care of Business and American Woman enough times, believe you me," laughs Cummings.

"But we do have to tighten up the vocals. There will be seven guys singing onstage, and I'm a real stickler for the vocals. I want them to kick ass. So somebody's gotta be a dictator about that. And it might as well be me."