Monday, June 05, 2023
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Dialing through the static on Canadian radio in the late ‘60s, we absolutely ruled the whole country-folk-beardy-acoustic-guitar thing. Think Lightfoot, Ian & Sylvia Tyson and Joni Mitchell. Then, in January 1970, from Winnipe,g Manitoba came The Guess Who — singing "American Woman" — led by two colossal talents: Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman. The Guess Who were the first Canadian band to hit number one on Billboard. Their influence ran so deep that the late Philip Seymour Hoffman — playing the rock critic Lester Bangs in Almost Famous — wore their T-shirt.
Then, at the height of The Guess Who’s success Randy traded it all for three letters: B.T.O. More than 20 million records sold, their songs used in phony election campaigns (The Campaign the movie) and real ones too (Hillary Clinton). Even The King himself Elvis was said to be a fan.
Now the B.T.O. legacy is getting cemented with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards. Randy continues to host a show we love: Vinyl Tap on CBC Radio, which features tales about his time playing tunes and unpacking stories from an incredible life in music. Some of which are included in his new book, Tales From Beyond The Tap.
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