His throat troubles are behind him, so Burton Cummings intends to "sing like a bird" when he stands front and centre at the theatre which bears his name tonight.

All last summer, Cummings was bothered by problems caused by a condition called leukoplakia, a buildup of plaque on his vocal cords. He sought treatment with a noted Los Angeles throat specialist and about 20 Guess Who shows were cancelled in July and August.

Now, however, Cummings says that rest and lifestyle changes have eased his throat and he's happy to report that he has spent the winter working on a new solo album, which he pronounces "half-complete."

"I'm calling it Double Nickle, because I'm 55 this year," Cummings says from his L.A. home. "It's new material that I have written over the past couple of years. The final vocals are finished, the piano parts are finished, so now I'm just looking to get real drums and bass and guitar on there. I'm looking at a number of different players to help out -- possibly even Randy Bachman or Donnie McDougall.

"I'm really pleased with the way it sounds. I'm singing like a bird. And the whole process has been less pressure and stress than I thought it would be. The songs themselves are sort of existential, in that I'm middle-aged now and these are the things I'm thinking about.

"If you stick to what your forte is, you'll find that your music comes in and out of fashion. Which is why I was so pleased to see Norah Jones do so well at the Grammys."

Though he doesn't have a recording contract at the moment, Cummings says he and manager Lorne Saifer will shop around for the best deal once his new project is finished.

Until then, there is a summer full of Guess Who shows to do -- as well as the small matter of playing tonight's fundraising gala at the old Walker Theatre, which has been renamed the Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts in his honour.

"I'm a little nervous about all this," he admits. "My mother will be there and I just found that she and my dad went to see a show at that very theatre before they were even married ... before I was even a thought.

"I'm just so pleased that there's a move afoot to save the theatre. The Capitol is gone now, the Gaiety is gone, the Lyceum is gone, the Met sits in mould ... those are places I used to go all the time. It's absolutely wonderful that they chose to name it after me."

To kids of Cummings' generation, the Walker will forever be the Odeon. That was its name, too, when the world premiere of his one and only movie, Melanie, was held in Winnipeg.

"That was hilarious. There were klieg lights outside and everything," he laughs.

For tonight's show, Cummings promises an hour of himself solo with piano, followed by a set with Toronto classic rock band The Carpet Frogs.

"They're guys I met a few years back who know just about every old song from the '60s and the '70s," he says.

"I jammed with them one night and I've since used them for several gigs I've done on my own. They know old Guess Who stuff, they know stuff I used to play with the Deverons. It'll be quite a night."

As usual, Cummings will be battling nerves before facing a hometown crowd.

"Every time I play in Winnipeg I get two times as nervous as anywhere else. I'll take a hotel room the night before the show to get away from the phone at home and to be with the guys, and I'll try to get 12 hours sleep so I can get up there and just let loose.

"Let the people know I'm feeling really good."