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By Kent Larsen
Randy Bachman to Tour US with Guess Who
WINNIPEG, CANADA -- LDS rock star Randy Bachman's Guess Who collaborator
Burton Cummings told the Canadian Press that the group is planning a US tour
this year that will include shows in 50 cities. He also said that the group
is working on an album of new material, their first since 1970. The tour and
album come just months after the group finished a Canadian tour and a live
album, released last fall.
"Let's face it. We were pretty big," says Cummings of the group. "A lot of
people want to see us again." He indicated that he and Bachman have been
writing new songs, also their first collaboration since the Guess Who split
up. They are far enough along with the album that Cummings predicted, "We'll
have something out this year."
Last Sunday the Guess Who's place in Canadian Music was remembered in a CBC
special, "Tower of Song," along with the other members of the Canadian Music
Hall of Fame. The two-hour show looked at the lives of 30 diverse artists,
and reportedly showed Bachman silhouetted against Winnipeg's skyline.
The Guess Who was formed in the early 1960s by Bachman, who remained the
group's undisputed leader until they split up in 1970. They became very
popular based on the songs of Bachman and Cummings, sometimes referred to as
the Lennon and McCartney of Canada, including hits like "These Eyes" and
"American Woman."
But as the group became more successful, Cummings and other group members
began to indulge more and more in the rock and roll lifestyle, leading to
conflicts with Bachman both because it made leading the group more
difficult, and because it conflicted with Bachman's LDS beliefs (Bachman
joined the LDS Church in 1965, after falling in love with an LDS girl. They
have since divorced.) The group's breakup came at the height of their
popularity, in the middle of their "American Woman" tour.
Bachman went on to lead the successful group Bachman Turner Overdrive,
writing hit songs like "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" and "Takin' Care of
Business."
Sources:
Guess Who planning Winnipeg show, U.S. tour?
Jam! Showbiz (CP) 26Feb01 A2
Tuning in to our musical past
Ottawa Canada Citizen 22Feb01 A2
By Tony Atherton: The Ottawa Citizen
CBC looks at stories behind Canuck music
Jam! Showbiz (Edmonton Sun) 24Feb01 A2
By MIKE ROSS: Edmonton Sun
A homeless Paul Anka once slept in Dan Somerville's hotel room bathtub. True story.
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