Randy Bachman

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Musical talent often flowers at an early age. In Randy Bachman's case, it was at the tender age of three when he won a Winnipeg radio talent show contest.

Though he began his musical journey on the violin, he became interested in guitar as a young teenager. At age 13, in his hometown of Winnipeg, he met one of the biggest musical influences of his life, fellow teenager and brilliant jazz guitarist Lenny Breau. Following this enriching formative period, Randy saw Elvis on TV and was bitten by the rock and roll bug. In his late teens, he began his career as a pop musician, hooking up with Chad Allan in the early 1960s to form Chad Allan and The Expressions.which would later become The Guess Who.

The band name came by fluke, courtesy of a clever promotional gimmick for the release of their first hit in 1965, Shakin All Over. Back then, Canadian musicians had spotty luck in gaining airplay with their music. So, a plain album cover went out, containing the words, Guess Who? Some people thought they had a new British band on their hands. The hook worked - disc jockeys played the music and the name stuck.

When Burton Cummings joined the group, Randy met his match and the two young lads became a highly potent songwriting duo. The gold and platinum hits came: These Eyes, Laughing, No Time, and the granddaddy of them all, American Woman. The song was the first No. 1 Billboard chart hit for any Canadian band and remained in the top spot for three weeks.

By 1970, The Guess Who had sold more records than the entire Canadian recording industry, even outselling The Beatles that year. But 1970 was also the year that Bachman decided to leave the band to pursue his own ambitions. He linked up with his younger brother, Rob, Chad Allan, and eventually Fred Turner to form a country-rock outfit called Brave Belt.

After two mildly successful album releases, Brave Belt almost packed it in. But an 11th-hour offer from a record label injected new life into the boys. They changed their name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive and decided to give it one last try. Incredibly, Randy enjoyed a ride at the top of the charts all over again, cranking out several monster radio hits, beginning with Takin' Care of Business and followed by You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet, which reached Number 1 in more than 20 countries. Other Bachman-penned hits included the jazz-influenced Lookin' out for #1, Let it Ride, and Hey You.