Burton Cummings likely won't be runnin' back to Winnipeg to sing for the Queen.

The provincial government was hoping to treat Queen Elizabeth to a Cummings performance next month, but that idea was all but tubed yesterday when officials learned the singer is apparently having health problems, the Winnipeg Sun has learned.

SEARCHING FOR SUBSTITUTE

Now the province is scrambling to find another Manitoba-bred headliner for the Oct. 8 concert on the legislature grounds, and officials are tight-lipped about possible substitutes for Cummings.

"We have talked to Mr. Cummings' management team and we have also talked to other very prominent entertainers about the possibility of headlining at the Royal visit," said Dwight MacAulay, the province's chief of protocol.

"I can't give you any names because it wouldn't be fair to the other people involved," he said.

Until yesterday, provincial officials believed the Cummings performance was a done deal, but the concert had not been officially announced.

Details of Cummings health problems were not being released and his manager, Lorne Saifer, did not return phone calls yesterday. The Guess Who singer has recently had throat problems.

The province's plan still calls for a giant concert on the front grounds of the legislature to mark Queen Elizabeth's visit to the city.

Upwards of 20,000 people are expected to take in the free event -- which includes performances by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, as well as local musicians McMaster and James.