The Guess Who started out as a local Winnipeg band in 1962 called Chad Allen and the Reflections (later changed to Chad Allen and the Expressions). Each of the members of the band were born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Burton Cummings replaced Chad Allen as singer and keyboarder, and leader of the band in 1965. The band signed with Quality Records, and had first hit with “Shakin’ All Over", which reached #1 in Canada and #22 in the U.S. Strangely the name The Guess Who came when on the album for the record “Shakin’ All Over”, when radio stations refused to play their music because they were Canadian. The record company then pulled a stunt, putting a plain white cover with the words “Guess Who?” on it, trying to capitalize on curiosity. The plan worked and the album sold over 2 million copies, and after that the group got its name, The Guess Who. As the group's lineup changed, so did their sound. 1969's "These Eyes" was the group's first Top Ten hit under new group leader Burton Cummings . By the beginning of the 1970s, the group moved towards an edgier hard-rock sound with the album '' American Woman '', whose title track, " American Woman " was their only #1 hit in the U.S., and the Top Ten hit "No Time".
Group differences led Randy Bachman to leave the group, return to Winnipeg, and form Brave Belt, which eventually evolved into the Supergroup Bachman Turner Overdrive . Bachman was replaced by two guitarists, fellow Winnipeggers, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. Kurt Winter was then to become the main songwriting collaborator with Burton Cummings . The Guess Who continued with more hit singles such as "Share The Land" and "Clap For The Wolfman" (a homage to disc jockey Wolfman Jack , who incidentally, lent his own voice to the recording). In 1972 they recorded their highly acclaimed album "Live at the Paramount" which was recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. This was followed by an overseas tour in Nov/Dec 1972 to Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
The Guess Who broke up in 1975 (see 1975 In Music ). Burton Cummings then went on to forge a successful solo career. A new incarnation has since been formed and continues to tour in the tradition of the group and sound Cummings made famous.
Jim Kale , while on tour in Kenora, Ontario found out from Cummings and Bachman that the name of the band had never been registered and drove back to Winnipeg to register it. This is the reason Cummings and Bachman can't use the name unless they hire Kale, which they refuse to do because of his unreliable nature on tour.
In 2001, a year after the Guess Who went on a cross-Canada national tour, the band received honorary doctorates at Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba . For lead vocalist Cummings, it was a privilege to receive the doctorate, since he did not graduate from high school.
In 2004, Jim Kale started touring with his version of the Guess Who (known as the "Klones" by Cummings). Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings were planning on touring as Bachman & Cummings in the summer of 2005 with Toronto's The Carpet Frogs.
Randy Bachman has been touring in 2005 with a group called Randy Bachman's Rock Thing .
On April 25, 2006 Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings re-united and performed hits from The Guess Who, and solo careers at Club 279 in the Hard Rock Cafe in Toronto, Ontario in front of a small crowd of about 150 - 200 people.
They are also scheduled to perform at Greynold's Love-In (Greynold's Park) on May 21, 2006 in North Miami Beach, FL.
Currently, there is an entire "Bachman Cummings" tour planned for the summer of 2006.
- " Shakin' All Over " - 1960; original by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, 1965; covered by The Guess Who, 1970; performed live by The Who
- "Laughing"
- "These Eyes"
- " American Woman " - The first Canadian rock song to hit #1 in the American Music Charts which in turn put The Guess Who on the Canadian Charts
- "Clap For the Wolfman"
- "No Sugar Tonight"
- "Hand Me Down World"
- "Share The Land"
- "Undun"
- "No Time"
- 1960 Chad Allen (Allen Cobell), Bob Ashley, Brian Donald, Johnny Glowa, Jim Kale, Larry Wah
- 1961 Chad Allen, Bob Ashley, Randy Bachman , Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Carol West
- 1962 Chad Allen, Bob Ashley, Randy Bachman, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson
- 1964 Chad Allen (Allen Cobell), Randy Bachman, Jim Kale, Bob Ashley, Garry Peterson
- 1965 Chad Allen, Randy Bachman, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Burton Cummings
- 1966 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Bruce Decker, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson
- 1966 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson
- 1970 Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Greg Leskiw, Garry Peterson, Kurt Winter
- 1972 Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Donnie McDougall , Garry Peterson, Kurt Winter
- 1972 Burton Cummings, Donnie McDougall, Garry Peterson, Bill Wallace , Kurt Winter
- 1974 Burton Cummings, Garry Peterson, Domenic Troiano , Bill Wallace
- 1979 Bobby Bilan , Jim Kale, Vance Masters, Donnie McDougall, (''Guess Who's Back'' LP)
- 1979 David Inglis, Jim Kale, Vance Masters, Donnie McDougall, Kurt Winter
- 1979 David Inglis, Jim Kale, Vance Masters, Donnie McDougall, Bobby Bilan
- 1980 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Garry Peterson, Bill Wallace
- 1982 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson
- 1990 Terry Hatty , Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Dale Russell, Leonard Shaw (Klones)
- 1997 Carl Dixon , Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Dale Russell, Leonard Shaw (Klones)
- 1998 Carl Dixon, Garry Peterson, Dale Russell, Ken Sinnaeve, Leonard Shaw (Klones)
- 1999 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson
- 2000 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Donnie McDougall, Garry Peterson
- 2000 Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Donnie McDougall, Garry Peterson, Bill Wallace
- 2004 Bobby Bilan, Carl Dixon, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Leonard Shaw (Klones)
- 2006 Carl Dixon, Jim Kale, Laurie MacKenzie , Garry Peterson, Leonard Shaw (Klones)
- 1965 ''Shakin' All Over''
- 1965 ''Hey Ho (What You Do To Me)''
- 1966 ''It's Time''
- 1968 ''The Guess Who''
- 1968 ''A Wild Pair'' (half Guess Who / half Staccatos ( Five Man Electrical Band ))
- 1968 ''Canned Wheat''
- 1968 ''Wheatfield Soul''
- 1969 ''Sown and Grown In Canada''
- 1970 '' American Woman ''
- 1970 ''Share the Land''
- 1971 ''Guess Who Play The Guess Who''
- 1971 ''The Best Of The Guess Who''
- 1971 ''So Long, Bannatyne''
- 1972 ''Shakin' All Over'' (re-issue)
- 1972 ''The Guess Who Live At The Paramount''
- 1972 ''The History Of The Guess Who''
- 1972 ''Rockin'''
- 1972 ''Wild One''
- 1973 ''The Best Of The Guess Who'' (re-issue)
- 1973 ''The Best Of The Guess Who Volume 2''
- 1973 ''Artificial Paradise''
- 1973 ''#10''
- 1974 ''Road Food''
- 1974 ''Flavours''
- 1975 ''Power In The Music''
- 1976 ''The Way They Were''
- 1977 ''The Greatest Hits Of The Guess Who ''
- 1978 ''Guess Who's Back?''
- 1979 ''All This For a Song''
- 1984 ''Together Again''
- 1986 ''The Best Of The Guess Who Live''
- 1988 ''Track Record: The Guess Who Collection''
- 1995 ''Liberty''
- 1995 ''Lonely One''
- 1997 ''The Guess Who: The Ultimate Collection''
- 1997 ''Razor's Edge''
- 1998 ''The Spirit Lives On'' (Live)
- 1999 ''Down The Road'' (Live)
- 1999 ''The Guess Who: Greatest Hits''
- 2000 ''American Woman'' (Remastered)
- 2000 ''Live At The Paramount'' (Remastered with bonus tracks)
- 2000 ''Share the Land'' (Remastered)
- 2000 ''Running Back Thru Canada'' (Live)
- 2001 ''This Time Long Ago''
- 2003 ''Platinum & Gold Collection: The Guess Who''
- 2003 ''''
- 2004 ''Wheatfield Soul'' / ''Artificial Paradise'' (Remastered, The Guess Who x2)
- 2004 ''So Long Bannatyne'' / ''#10'' (Remastered, The Guess Who x2)
- 2004 ''Rockin''' / ''Flavours'' (Remastered, The Guess Who x2)
- 2004 ''Road Food'' / ''Power in the Music'' (Remastered, The Guess Who x2)
- 2004 ''The Best of Running Back Thru Canada''
- 2006 ''The Hits
- 2002 ''Running Back Thru Canada'' (Live with bonus tracks)
- 2003 ''Toronto Rocks'' - Two tracks only - with the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush and others.
- 1995 ''American Woman - The Story of The Guess Who'' by John Einarson - Quarry Press, Ontario, Canada
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