Guitarist Randy Bachman was born and raised in Winnipeg and in the 1950's with Chad Allan And The Silvertones in the late 1950's. They played Top-40 material by American rock and roll acts and also featured Garry Peterson and Jim Kale.
In 1962 they changed their name to Chad Allan And The Reflections and later as Chad Allan And The Expressions. It was this incarnation that landed a recording contract with Quality Records.
However, getting Canadian music played on the bulging American influenced Canadian radio stations was tough so Quality issued the single with a white label and the words Guess Who? written on it.
The record was released in 1965 and went on to sell 2 million copies. Eventually Bob Ashley and Chad Allan left the group and by 1966 a new hot-shot
keyboardist joined by the name of Burton Cummings. The Guess Who began
experimenting with psychedelic and garage sounds filtered north from Minneapolis. They soon began recording there. Eventually, one of the their Minneapolis songs "His Girl" reached England which resulted in interest from Tony Hiller at Mills Music who negotiated a contract with King Records in the U.K.
The song, a minor hit in Canada, was remixed and made the Top 20 in England. The band immediately cancelled 6 months worth of gigs and went to England for a tour. King had their course set out for them including where the money went, royalties and retainers and as a result were broke before they began. After one album the Guess Who walked out on King Records.
Not coincidentally, Canadian radio stations had by then discovered that the Guess Who were not English; their ardor for the Winnipeg group's records paled considerably. After four poor selling albums for Quality Records, they sold the Guess Who's contract to Jack Richardson's newly formed Nimbus 9 label for $1,000!
In early 1968, after recording 2 singles and half of a special Coca-Cola promotional LP (with The Staccatos on the flipside) called 'A Wild Pair', Nimbus 9 decided to release a full length album containing 8 Bachman/Cummings originals called 'Wheatfield Soul'.
Nimbus signed a deal with RCA records for $3,000 and this association has been heralded by RCA as the beginning of the Canadian Invasion. "These Eyes" would be the first single, but radio stations were already indicating that they would not support any inferior Canadian music, especially the new Guess Who record, so Richardson hired promotional people in 4 key American cities to launch the single.
This tenacity by both Nimbus and RCA paid off as the song broke new ground in the US eventually reaching No.3 on the charts and selling 1,000,000 copies. Embarrassed Canadian broadcasters, who had followed American music trends to the letter, were soon forced to playlist the song. The doors were now open for a string of hits including the double-A sided "Laughing/Undun" and their biggest selling record of all time - "American Woman".
Bachman had been slugging it out for 10 years by the time the band struck gold with #1 hits like "These Eyes", "Laughing" and "American Woman" and decided to leave the group while they were on top.
Upon leaving the band, he released a solo album called 'Axe' for RCA in 1970. The album did little and Bachman found himself yearning for the creativity of a collaborative atmosphere. He called his old Guess Who cohort Chad Allen and they decided to put a new band together. Allen would supply vocals, keyboard and rhythm guitar while Bachman's younger brother, Robin, would handle drums.
The trio became Brave Belt and headed into the studio to record their debut album with Bachman doing double duty on bass guitar. As fate would have it, they landed Fred Turner as bassist just as 'Brave Belt' was completed (Turner doesn't appear on the album despite his picture appearing on the jacket). The album was released Brave Belt in 1971 on Reprise Records.
By 1972's 'Brave Belt II', the band was starting to show its heavier side particularly with the new addition of C.F. Turner's songwriting and gritty truck driver vocals which appeared to conflict with Chad Allen's vision of the band. Allen contributions to the record were minimal and he quit before the record was released. ('Brave Belt II' would eventually be re-issued following the success of B.T.O under the auspicious handle of 'Bachman-Turner-Bachman As Brave Belt')
With the limited success of the first two albums Randy Bachman began hunting for a better record deal which he found with Mercury/Polydor. By then, Chad Allen had been replaced by another Bachman brother, Tim, on guitar and the direction of the band slid into an even heavier mode. By this time, 'Brave Belt III', was the intended next record but with a new label and band direction the group changed gears, literally, and became 'Bachman Turner Overdrive' or B.T.O. for short.
'Bachman Turner Overdrive' was released in 1973 on Mercury Records and stayed in the charts for 68 weeks. After four tries, the only successful single from the record was "Blue Collar" which managed a reasonable position of #68 on Billboard's Hot 100..
By year end they managed to pull out another album from their creative rebirth with 'Bachman Tuner Overdrive II. The album was pushed all the way to Top-10 by the driving force of the bubbling under "Let It Ride" and the monster hit "Takin' Care of Business".
With the departure of Tim Bachman and addition of Blair Thornton on guitar, BTO's 1974 album 'Not Fragile' gave the band the type of success that Randy Bachman had not scene since the Guess Who's' 'American Woman' in 1969. The album rode the charts at #1 from the success of the worldwide number one single "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and its seminal follow-up "Roll On Down The Highway". Subsequently, the world took a backward glance at BTO and their first
two albums became certified gold in 1974.
By the fourth album, 'Four Wheel Drive' BTO were international superstars and this album too proved to be a monster, peaking at #5 on Billboard, becoming certified platinum, and providing another catchy radio anthem in "Hey You".
Tired of the same old chugging rhythms, BTO diversified for their 5th album and revisited their jazzy blues roots a la "Blue Collar" on 'Head On' in December 1975. The album produced the mellow and intricate "Looking Out For #1" and other tunes on the record flexed BTO's stylistic muscle like the Little Richard assisted piano rocker "Take It Like A Man".
It became apparent that now the band was in the spotlight a power struggle over song representation was bubbling to the surface. While nagging personal conflicts plagued the ranks, Mercury rush released 'The Best Of BTO (So Far)' during the summer of 1976 in anticipation of a new studio album.
When the smoke cleared, Randy Bachman had wrestled controlling interest in the song writing duties from C.F. Turner on 1977's 'Freeways'. The internal conflicts showed as the first single, "My Wheels Won't Turn", died at radio.
Mercury panicked while the album sank and rebounded with 1977's 'BTO Japan Tour - Live' but the bloom was off the rose -- Randy Bachman left BTO due to the typical 'musical differences' ploy and recorded his second solo album, 'Survivor' (1978)
Internal upheavals at the record label caused Bachman to beg out of his deal and he instead approached friends of his, the Scotti Brothers, who had just formed their own label. They were interested more in rock bands than solo performers and Bachman made one to order.
He brought in guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tom Sparks from Washington state and added Chris Leighton on drums. They released two singles from their debut album ,including "Sweet Lui Louise", before the band saw the departure of Sparks and the addition of former Trooper keyboardist, vocalist Frank Ludwig.
With the change in direction and failure of the 1980 follow-up album 'Everything Is Grey', the band parted ways with Scotti Brothers. Bachman would call on his old buddy from B.T.O. Fred Turner and the band carried on as Union.
After two albums on Scotti Brothers as Ironhorse, Randy Bachman called up his old BTO and Bravebelt buddy Fred Turner to augment the existing three piece of Bachman, Leighton and Ludwig.
The band release an album, 'On Strike', that spawned two singles for he US-based Portrait label (Heart, Burton Cummings). The album sank like a stone and the band dissolved.
By 1983 the original line up of BTO met to discuss a reunion. Randy Bachman wanted to include Tim Bachman as part of the reformation, while other brother Robbie had pushed for Thornton who was considered a better musician. Randy Bachman made the final choice of brother Tim and Robbie bowed out of the reunion citing irreconcilable differences. Instead Gary Peterson from the Guess Who joined BTO as their new drummer.
In between these antics the Guess Who also reunited for a live outing and album.
But, BTO would never rest as the classic version of the band reunited yet again as CF Turner, Randy Bachman, Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman made a comeback in 1988. They were able to hold the band together to tour for three years before Randy Bachman decided he'd finally had enough and bailed out in 1991.
Bachman returned to running his own label (where he has released material by the original GUESS WHO, Lenny Breau and other guitarists in the Guitarchives series) and enjoying his family with wife Denise McCann and has managed two solo discs and some touring since then.
Singles
with CHAD ALLAN AND THE REFLECTIONS
with CHAD ALLAN AND THE REFLECTIONS
1962 Tribute To Buddy Holly/Back And Forth (Canadian-American) CA-802
1963 I Just Didn't Have The Heart/Back And Forth (Canadian-American) CA-802
1963 Shy Guy/Baby's Got A Brand New Beau (Quality) 1559
1964 Stop Teasing Me/A Shot of Rhythm 'N' Blues (Quality) 1644
with THE GUESS WHO (aka CHAD ALLAN AND THE EXPRESSIONS)
1965 Shakin All Over/'Till We Kissed (Quality) 1691
1965 Tossin' and Turnin'/I Want You To Love Me (Quality) 1724
1965 Hey Ho, What You Do To Me/Goodnight, Goodnight (Quality) 1752
1965 Hurtin' Each Other/Baby's Birthday (Quality) 1778
1966 Believe Me/Baby Feeling (Quality) 1797
1966 Clock On The Wall/One Day (Quality) 1815
1966 And She's Mine/All Right (Quality) 1832
with THE GUESS WHO
1967 His Girl/It's My Pride (Quality)
1967 Pretty Blue Eyes/Pretty Blue Eyes (Quality)
1967 This Time Long Ago/There's No Getting Away (Quality)
1967 Flying On The Ground/If You Don't Want Me (Quality)
1967 This Time Long Ago/Flying On The Ground (Quality)
1967 Miss Felicity Grey/Flying On The Ground (Fontana - UK)
1968 Hurting Each Other/I'll Keep Coming Back (Quality)
1968 When Friends Fall Out/Guess Who Blues (Nimbus 9)
1968 Of A Dropping Pin/Mr Nothin' (Nimbus 9)
1969 These Eyes/Lightfoot (Nimbus 9)
1969 Maple Fudge/Of A Dropping Pin (Nimbus 9)
1969 Laughing/Undun (RCA)
1969 No Time/Proper Stranger (RCA)
1970 American Woman/No Sugar Tonight (RCA)
1970 Hand Me Down World/Runnin Down The Street (RCA)
1970 Share The Land/Bus Rider (RCA)
with BRAVE BELT
1971 Rock And Roll Band/Anyday Means Tomorrow (Reprise) REP-1023
1971 Crazy Arms, Crazy Eyes/ (Reprise) REP-1039
1972 Never Comin' Home/Can You Feel It (Reprise) REP-1061
1972 Dunrobin's Gone/Another Way Out (Reprise) REP-1083
1972 Another Way Out/Can You Feel It (Reprise - US) 3659
2001 Shakin' All Over [CD single] (Bullseye) BEP-012
with BTO
1973 Gimme Your Money Please (Mercury)
1973 Little Candy Dancer (Mercury)
1973 Hold Back The Water (Mercury)
1973 Blue Collar (Mercury)
1974 Let It Ride (Mercury)
1974 Takin' Care Of Business (Mercury)
1975 Roll On Down The Highway/Quick Change Artist (Mercury)
1975 Hey You (Mercury)
1976 Down The Line (Mercury)
1976 Gimme Your Money Please (Mercury)
1976 Lookin' Out For #1 (Mercury)
1977 My Wheels Won't Turn (Mercury)
1977 Life Goes On (I'm Lonely) (Mercury)
1977 Shotgun Rider (Mercury)
1984 For The Weekend (Curb)
1986 Mississippi Queen (Curb)
with IRONHORSE
1979 Sweet Lui-Louise (Scotti Bros.)
1979 He's A Joker (Scotti Bros.)
1980 What's The Hurry Darlin'? (Scotti Bros.)
1980 Symphony (Scotti Bros.)
with UNION
1981 Mainstream USA (Portrait/CBS)
1981 Next Stop London (Portrait/CBS)
LPs/CDs
1970 Axe (RCA)
1978 Survivor (Mercury/Polygram)
1994 Any Road (BMG)
1996 Bachman (BMG)
with THE GUESS WHO (aka CHAD ALLAN AND THE EXPRESSIONS)
1965 Shakin' All Over (Quality) 1756
1965 Hey Ho (What You Do To Me) (Quality) 1764
1966 It's Time (Quality) 1788
with THE GUESS WHO
1968 The Guess Who (Quality)
1968 A Wild Pair (Capitol)
[split album w/The Staccatos]
1968 Canned Wheat (Nimbus 9)
1968 Wheatfield Soul (Nimbus 9)
1969 Born In Canada (Nimbus 9)
1969 The Guess Who? Super Golden Goodies
1970 Share the Land (Nimbus 9)
1970 American Woman (Nimbus 9)
1971 The Best Of The Guess Who (RCA)
1973 The Best Of The Guess Who [re-issue] (RCA)
1973 The Best Of The Guess Who Vol. II (RCA)
1984 Together Again
1985 K-Tel Presents the Guess Who - 20 Original Hits
1986 The Best Of The Guess Who Live
1988 Track Record: The Guess Who Collection (BMG)
1997 The Guess Who: The Ultimate Collection (BMG)
with BRAVE BELT
1971 Brave Belt (Reprise) RS-6447
1972 Brave Belt II (Reprise/Kinney/Warner) MS-2057
2001 Brave Belt I & II [CD re-issue] (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4054
with BTO
1973 Bachman Turner Overdrive (Mercury)
1973 Bachman Turner Overdrive II (Mercury)
1974 Not Fragile (Mercury)
1975 Four Wheel Drive (Mercury)
1976 Head On (Mercury)
1977 Freeways (Mercury)
1977 BTO Japan Tour Live (Mercury)
1984 BTO (CEC)
1986 Live - Live - Live!!! (Curb)
1990 Live - Live - Live!!! [CD re-issue] (Curb)
1994 Best of Bachman Turner Overdrive Live (Curb)
with IRONHORSE
1979 Ironhorse (Scotti Bros.)
1980 Everything Is Grey (Scotti Bros.)
with UNION
1981 On Strike (Portrait/CBS)
Bachman Info
CanconRox Bio
Burton Cummings Fan Site
Guess Who Official Site
Randy Bachman Official Site
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