Guess Who founders Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings haven’t always seen eye to eye. However, that hasn’t stopped them from reclaiming the band’s name from former bassist Jim Kale and saddling up together for another ride.
“Let me just say this,” Bachman tells Guitar Player with a laugh. “It’s not unusual, it’s not abnormal, and it’s not the first time.”
What makes this reunion different is that the duo has a legacy to reclaim. After a series of legal battles, Bachman and Cummings have regained ownership of the Guess Who name following decades of watching what Bachman calls “clones” tour under the banner, performing songs the pair wrote and made famous. Those include monster hits like “American Woman,” “Laughing,” “These Eyes” and “Undun.”
“We get to take a very tarnished name and reputation, polish it back up, and make it bright, shiny gold again,” Bachman says of the new Guess Who’s Takin’ It Back tour. “And it’s gonna take us all year. We’re covering the first three albums, and then we’ll do a couple of BTO songs and a couple of Burton solo songs.”
There are people who have been trying to see us for decades but ended up seeing the clones.”
— Randy Bachman
Bachman has covered a lot of ground in his six decades as a working musician. He grew up with Neil Young and Lenny Breau, and had a chance meeting with the legendary Les Paul when Bachman was just 15. His electric guitars have become as famous as his songs — that includes his 1957 Gretsch 6120, which was stolen in 1976 and found in 2020.
As for why the Guess Who still matters in 2026, Bachman says the answer is simple.
“There are people who have been trying to see us for decades but ended up seeing the clones,” he says. “It’s about experiencing all the good times of their lives. These songs remind them of camping trips, making out in the back seat, their first dance at prom. It’s about good times — rolling down the highway, driving in your car, singing along.”
How did Jim Kale, who played bass in the Guess Who and was fired in the early ’70s, end up controlling the name in the late ’70s?
Well, the phone rings one Saturday morning, and it’s Jim Kale. He tells me and Burton, “I’m calling to say goodbye. I’m going to jail. We just got audited by the IRS, and our accountant didn’t pay our back taxes.” He owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jim says, ‘If you’ll let me use the Guess Who name, they’ll put me on the road and I can pay back half the money.’ We told him he could use it.”
— Randy Bachman
Jim says, “If you’ll let me use the Guess Who name, they’ll put me on the road and I can pay back half the money.”
We told him he could use it. But we didn’t know he was going to trademark it, patent it and keep using it for decades. At the time we didn’t oppose it, but we also didn’t know he’d registered a trademark. Nobody told us.
Considering you and Burton are essentially the public faces of the Guess Who, that must have been difficult.
Obviously you feel burned, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Legal is legal, and he had it done legally. So we didn’t challenge that part. What our lawyers eventually challenged was them being onstage saying they were us.
Kale once referred to the musicians in his version of the band as “a band of trained monkeys.” But claiming to actually be you and Burton is another matter.
Exactly. Burton and I wrote the songs. Some of these guys weren’t even born when the songs came out! [laughs] So it became false advertising, misrepresentation, fraud — that whole thing. Eventually they got shut down.
What led to you and Burton finally reclaiming the name?
We started getting emails from fans saying, “We drove 300 miles to see you in Florida with our family of six, spent $1,200, thinking you’d be onstage — and you weren’t even there.” Fans were sending iPhone videos of it happening, and those went straight to the lawyers in L.A. They proved fraud in court, and that shut it down.
My parents would go out to see the Jimmy Dorsey or Glenn Miller band. I’d say, ‘But those guys are dead.’ And they’d say, ‘Yeah, but their band is still playing.’”
Have you spoken with Jim Kale since?
No. I haven’t seen that guy in years. Burton just called me out of the blue and said, “Hey, I’m going to do this. Do you want to join me?” I said, “Sure. We’ve got to stop them.” So I joined him to stop it — and here we are.
Why do you think fans tolerated a fraudulent version of the Guess Who for so long?
A lot of people didn’t realize what was going on. When I was a kid — maybe eight or nine — my parents would go out to see the Jimmy Dorsey or Glenn Miller band. I’d say, “But those guys are dead.” And they’d say, “Yeah, but their band is still playing.”
People want to hear the music they grew up with. They want to dance to those songs and relive their teenage years. Even if the people onstage are strangers, for a couple of hours everyone shares that same collective memory.
You and Burton wrote a lot of songs that still resonate, like “American Woman” and “These Eyes.” Why do you think they’ve endured?
I wish I knew the answer — I’d have done it many more times. [laughs] The best way to write a hit song is to write a hundred songs.
When Burton and I wrote, we were trying to write something people would remember — something that would be a hit.”
— Randy Bachman
When Burton and I wrote, we weren’t trying to write something people would forget. We were trying to write something people would remember — something that would be a hit. In your mind, you’re writing a hit. Then one person says they like it and believe in it, and suddenly your dream becomes real. The more people who join in, the more real it becomes — until somehow it becomes a hit around the world.
You nearly auctioned off the Les Paul you used to record “American Woman,” but the bidding didn’t reach your reserve. Are you glad you still have it?
Yeah, I’ve still got it. The price was too low, so my manager went and got it back. Now it’s in a museum in Calgary. It’s insured for $1.2 million.
Next to Brian May’s Red Special, that’s one of the most famous guitars in the world — the “American Woman” guitar. But I probably won’t play it onstage again. It weighs 14 pounds with the Bigsby, which is incredibly heavy.
Gibson made me a chambered replica based on a ’57 goldtop and a ’59 ’Burst. Those weigh under eight pounds, and those are what I play live.
What amps will you use on tour?
I usually play a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe — kind of like the old Fender Deluxe with the silver face. But nowadays you can’t really take your own amps on the road because flying them around costs too much. So there are backline companies everywhere.
You show up and there’s a backline of Marshalls, or Fenders, or Vox if you’re in England. [laughs] You just learn to work with whatever’s there. Otherwise airports become a nightmare.
It’s like any friend you had in high school. Maybe you both liked the same girl and ended up fighting over her. Then years later you run into each other and laugh about it.”
— Randy Bachman
You and Burton have had your ups and downs over the years, but things seem good now.
It’s like any friend you had in high school. Maybe you both liked the same girl and ended up fighting over her. Then years later you run into each other and laugh about it.
That’s how it is with me and Burton. It’s hot and cold, on and off — but we’re great together. We like the same jokes, the same music, we grew up in the same neighborhood and listened to the same records on the radio. We’ve had amazing adventures together.
What does the future hold for the Guess Who?
We’re taking it one step at a time. We’ll be playing shows through the summer. I also got the Bachman-Turner Overdrive name back, which is fantastic, so in the fall I’ll focus on that. It’s a busy year — Guess Who through August, then BTO into next year.
