Randy Bachman

Born in Winnipeg, Randy 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. His first hit, "Shakin' All Over," came in 1965 with his band The Guess Who, and scored him his first taste of radio success atop the Billboard charts. It would be another few years before the glare of the spotlight would be cast upon these young Canadian boys again. Sticking it out through some misadventures paid off for the band, and they worked their way back up to the top of the charts in a spectacular way. 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." Due to health concerns and a lingering desire to change his lifestyle, Randy left The Guess Who at the height of their success. While this move stunned the music world, Randy knew that he could never leave music behind. In 1970, 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, Randy's 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 Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet which reached #1 in over 20 countries. Randy's career has been built upon his unstoppable drive to work at creating music. He has released numerous solo albums throughout his career, and has simultaneously worked at producing for other artists. His production/writing work with Canadian rock band Trooper generated gold and platinum records in the 1970's. 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 Bachman's 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 Bachman's already expansive career continues to diversify. Randy Bachman's 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 Bachman's second book Tales from Beyond the Tap, a follow-up to Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories, which became a top 10 best-selling book. 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 Canada's highest civilian honour for lifetime achievement, ASCAP's Global Impact honour, and he was most recently inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. This year will mark his second induction into the Canadian Musician's Hall of Fame when Bachman-Turner Overdrive are honoured at the 2014 JUNO Awards; The Guess Who were previously inducted in 2001. He has 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. Music is the thread that ties us all together. Here we can share how it has affected our lives, brought joy and let us rock out together. Please keep comments positive and profanity free. Musicians rely on fans. Every one of you is appreciated.