MUSIC HISTORY 101 SEPTEMBER 27, 1943 - Born on this day in Winnipeg, Canada: Singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer RANDY BACHMAN Best known for co-founding the groups The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive, at age three, Randy Bachman won a singing contest on CKYs King of the Saddle radio program and age 5 he started studying the violin in the Royal Toronto Conservatory system. He studied violin until the age of 12 when he grew dissatisfied with the structured lessons. He found that while he couldnt read music, he could play anything if he heard it once; he referred to it as his phonographic memory. At age 15, Bachman saw Elvis Presley play on Tommy Dorseys television show and the sight of the guitar around Presleys neck inspired him. He learned three chords from his cousin, then started practicing on a modified Hawaiian dobro. At age 16, Bachman met up with Lenny Breau; over the next two years Breau taught Bachman finger picking and also introduced him to the music of Chet Atkins. In 1959 Bachman bought a ticket to see Les Paul in concert at a Winnipeg supper club but could not get in as he was too young. He instead helped Paul set up before the show and also helped him reload everything into the car after the show. Still a budding guitarist at this point, Bachman asked Paul if he could teach him a guitar lick; Paul ended up teaching his version of How High the Moon. He was initially a good student at school until he took up the guitar, when he focused on that instrument to the exclusion of his education. He passed Grade 9 at Edmund Partridge Junior High School, but repeated both the 10th and 11th grades, initially at West Kildonan Collegiate. In his second year of Grade 11, he was placed in a class of students who mostly either flunked or dropped out and came back, and was asked to be class president by the teacher, who thought he had discipline and determination because he had been playing violin since the age of five. He was expelled from West Kildonan in the middle of that year because of his lack of studiousness, and finished his schooling at Garden City Collegiate. He went on to study business administration at what is now Red River College, but did not graduate. In 1960, Bachman and Chad Allan co-founded Al and The Silvertones in Winnipeg. By 1962, the band changed their name to Chad Allan and the Expressions and later to The Guess Who. In 1965, the Guess Who had a #1 hit in Canada with their cover of Johnny Kidds Shakin All Over, which also climbed the U.S. Billboard chart to #22. In 1966, Chad Allan left the band and Burton Cummings became the primary vocalist. Starting in 1968, the group released three successful albums: Wheatfield Soul (1968), Canned Wheat (1969), and American Woman (1970), which brought them mainstream attention. Bachman wrote or cowrote (primarily with Cummings) most of the groups songs during this period. When the American Woman single hit #1 on the U.S. charts, it was a first for a band from Canada. A group composition, the song critiques the ghetto scenes and war machines of the U.S., reflecting the Guess Whos experiences of extensive touring in large American cities. With the Vietnam War at its peak, many American males went to Canada to escape US Military service. The Guess Who went on to virtually own the pop charts with an unprecedented run of 5 million-selling singles, a direct result of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings collaborative, surefire songwriting. By 1970, The Guess Who had sold more records than the entire Canadian recording industry during that time, even outselling the Beatles that year. Their hits included: These Eyes, Laughing, Undun, No Time, No Sugar Tonight, and American Woman. Bachman left the band at the height of its popularity, shortly after the release of American Woman. He has been quoted as leaving due to health concerns and because of the other band members lifestyle choices conflicting with his then-Mormon beliefs, but also because he wanted to spend more time with his brothers and other family members. His healthneeded to be under a doctors care, something that was difficult to do while on the road. While this move stunned the music world, Randy knew that he could never leave music behind. Before his departure from The Guess Who in May 1970, hed recorded a solo album for RCA Records, Axe, over three days in March 1970. That same year he formed Brave Belt, a country rock outfit, and experimented with a new musical style and lineup that eventually metamorphosized into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Unbelievably, Randys success with Bachman-Turner Overdrive would eclipse his earlier triumphs and give him yet a third run at the pop music charts. Monstrous hits for the band included, Let it Ride, Roll on Down the Highway, Takin Care of Business and You Aint Seen Nothin Yet which reached #1 in over 20 countries. His production/writing work with Canadian rock band Trooper also generated gold and platinum records in the 1970s. BTO stayed on the charts through the mid-1970s with their next two albums, Four Wheel Drive and Head On and charted more hits with Hey You, Take It Like a Man, and the jazz-oriented Lookin Out For #1. In late 1976, with the recording of the Freeways album, some disagreements surfaced within the band. Bachman wrote all but one song and sang on every song but two. Some of the other band members felt that they didnt have enough good material to record and wanted to delay the record. The album did manage to chart at #70 in the U.S., but had no hit singles. Bachman left the band in mid-March 1977. After his departure from BTO, Bachman recorded a solo album called Survivor, but it did not chart in the U.S. He then formed a band with bassist/singer Tom Sparks and drummer Chris Leighton, called Ironhorse, which released its debut album in 1979. It contained the single Sweet Lui-Louise, which charted at #36 in the U.S. and #26 in Canada, and did well in Europe, particularly Italy. After the tour for this album, Tom Sparks left the band and was replaced by Frank Ludwig. With Ludwig, Ironhorse released a second album, Everything Is Grey, in 1980. In comparison to the rock sound of the first album, the follow-up album had a more pop sound. In 1981, Fred Turner rejoined Bachman and the band released an album under the name Union. The Turner-led BTO had broken up in early 1980. Union released one album, titled On Strike. Bachman joined The Guess Who reunion in 1983 with Burton Cummings and other members of the American Woman era. They did a tour of Canada and released a live video performance of it. After The Guess Who reunion ended, Bachman rejoined a new BTO reunion, consisting also of Fred Turner, Tim Bachman, and Garry Peterson of The Guess Who on drums. Robbie Bachman and classic lineup guitarist Blair Thornton chose not to join the reunion. Bachman stayed with this version of the band until 1987, and they put out an album in 1984. The classic Not Fragile lineup reformed in 1988 and toured together until 1991, when Randy again left the group. It was the last time he played with BTO. The Guess Who reunited, including Bachman, on August 8, 1999. Bachman played on several tours with The Guess Who until July 31, 2003. Both he and Burton Cummings left the band and formed Bachman Cummings. In 2000, he made a guest appearance on The Simpsons as himself with his former Bachman–Turner Overdrive bandmates, C.F. Turner and Robin Bachman. Simpsons creator Matt Groening (whose father is originally from Winnipeg) is a well-known BTO fan. Homer Simpson yells at Bachman to get to the working overtime part while playing Takin Care of Business. In 2001, Bachman received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba, along with the other members of The Guess Who. In 2005 Bachman was awarded the Order of Manitoba, the highest award in the Province of Manitoba. Bachman, along with The Guess Who, was also the recipient of The Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Canadas foremost distinction for excellence in the performing arts, in 2002. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2005, following the phenomenal success of the much-heralded four-year Guess Who reunion, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings decided that the time was right to finally go out under their own names. Together as Bachman-Cummings, they starred and performed in the top-rated television concert special entitled, First Time Around, which aired throughout North America on CBC and PBS. Following its success, a DVD of the program was released, in addition to their platinum-selling album, Songbook and Jukebox. The critically-acclaimed pair toured extensively throughout North America, including two coast-to-coast Canadian tours that drew in sold-out audiences. Known for his unwavering passion to create music, Randy Bachman started to work on a solo album with collaborations with friends Neil Young, Burton Cummings, the late Jeff Healey and Fred Turner. The creative process took an unexpected turn. After many years of gentle prodding by music fans and industry aficionados, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner started working together again. After being apart for over 20 years, Bachman & Turner was born; the men at the heart of legendary band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive emerged as a full-throttle rock machine. Their studio album, which was released around the world in 2010, was stocked with great new tracks that seamlessly fit among their classic rock anthems. Bachman & Turner kicked off their world debut in Europe at Sweden Rock Festival and High Voltage Festival, alongside a slew of their contemporaries Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, ZZ Top, Styx, and Alice Cooper. Randy Bachmans love of guitar music and a desire to support some unsung and legendary guitar greats including his early mentor Lenny Breau, led him to found the jazz guitar record label Guitarchives Music, which rescues and releases otherwise lost archival guitar music. As well he founded Ranbach Music, a label which releases archival Guess Who recordings, and other material which never made it to CD. In between their cross-Atlantic jaunts, Bachman & Turner hit both the small and big screen, including the taping of Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC - shot in HD and 3D - at a legendary New York City music venue with special guest Paul Shaffer; and a feature musical appearance in Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis blockbuster movie The Campaign. His songs have been recorded by a diverse selection of artists including Lenny Kravitz (performing American Woman) and used for television and movie soundtracks including Seinfeld, The Simpsons, American Beauty, and Austin Powers 2. He has been animated on The Simpsons, sat in and performed with The Late Show with David Letterman band. Randy Bachmans already expansive career continues to diversify. Randy Bachmans Vinyl Tap, an award-winning radio program, which launched in 2005 on CBC, and airs on Sirius satellite radio, is heard by millions worldwide each week. Plus, March will see the release of Randy Bachmans second book Tales from Beyond the Tap, a follow-up to Randy Bachmans Vinyl Tap Stories, which became a top 10 best-selling book. Today, Bachman tours with his own band, the Randy Bachman Band and the Bachman-Cummings Band. He has also created a popular theater show called Every Song Tells A Story, featuring Bachman live and unplugged with his band, telling the stories behind the writing of his famous hits from the 1960s and 70s. Noted for his contributions as an iconic Canadian rock musician, and support for emerging artists through his production work, Randy Bachman has received many awards, including the Order of Canada, which is Canadas highest civilian honor for lifetime achievement, ASCAPs Global Impact honor, and he was most recently inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. This year will mark his second induction into the Canadian Musicians Hall of Fame when Bachman-Turner Overdrive are honored at the 2014 JUNO Awards; The Guess Who were previously inducted in 2001. Bachman has become a legendary figure in the rock n roll world through his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, performer and producer. He has earned over 120 gold and platinum album/singles awards around the world for performing and producing. His songwriting has garnered him the coveted #1 spot on radio playlists in over 20 countries and he has amassed over 40 million records sold. His songs have been recorded by numerous other artists and placed in dozens of television, movie and commercial soundtracks. His music has provided a veritable soundtrack of the last 30 years of popular music. He has also played an integral role in the evolution and growth of the Canadian music industry and continues to serve as both an inspiration and impetus for others to succeed. 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Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 19:00:34 +0000
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