Bachman Cummings performing “American Woman” in Winnipeg, Aug. 28, 2021.
Randy Bachman has revealed that he and longtime bandmate, Burton Cummings, are discussing reuniting for a tour as the Guess Who. Each have been busy in 2025 touring separately: Bachman as Bachman-Turner Overdrive (with his musician son, Tal) and Cummings with his own band. [In September 2024, the pair announced that they had reached an agreement to reacquire the rights to the Guess Who name and trademark after a long dispute with a former member.]
In an interview with American Songwriter, the 81-year-old Bachman revealed, “[Burton is] finishing up his stuff this year, I’m finishing up my BTO stuff. And we have a plan for 2026 to be The Guess Who, where … we do a set list of about 30 hit songs, and it’s probably gonna be a two- or three-hour Springsteen kind of marathonic show. And we’re all geared to do that in 2026. It’ll be the unveiling of ‘The Guess Who are back.’”
Both have also been busy in the studio recently. On March 28, Bachman released a biographical song, “60 Years Ago,” under the name Bachman-Turner Overdrive, that includes vocals from founding member Fred Turner, who is retired from road work, as well as Neil Young on guitar.
BTO’s extensive 2025 tour begins April 1. Tickets are available here and here.
For his part, in late 2024, Cummings, 77, released A Few Good Moments, his first all-new studio album since 2008. Tickets to see Cummings and his rocking band in 2025 are available here.
Related: Our November 2024 interview with Cummings
Bachman and Cummings have actually performed together in recent years, but were unable to do so under the Guess Who banner due to the legal issues. To get you up to speed: the pair had announced a “Together Again” 2020 tour of the U.S. and Canada all the way back on Feb. 24, 2020, for that summer. U.S. dates had previously been pushed to 2021; as of July 21, 2022, none were scheduled in the States. The Canadian shows were also planned for 2021 but postponed to 2022 due to the COVID restrictions.
The Guess Who mainstays were finally able to perform one concert in 2021. On Saturday night, August 28, the pair played a 19-song set in their hometown of Winnipeg, featuring tracks from the Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Cummings’ solo career. For the most part, they replicated that at their 2022 shows.
Among the classic rock favorites were “American Woman,” “Takin’ Care of Business,” “These Eyes,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “Stand Tall,” “Share the Land” and “Roll On Down the Highway.” [Their 2021 performance was part of a free outdoor concert, Manitoba Unite 150.]
At the August 28, 2021, concert, Cummings said to the audience, “To come back and play all those songs, most of which we wrote here in our hometown… you’ve been wonderful.” The entire performance was filmed, though he didn’t indicate when or where it would be shown.
Watch them perform several favorites in July 2022
Things went so well at several reunion performances over the summer of 2019 that Guess Who fans were eager to see the legends finally share the stage again. The 2020 tour was another victim of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pair issued a statement on August 5, 2021. “It is with regret Bachman Cummings announce the cancellation of the US leg of their highly anticipated tour ‘Together Again – Live In Concert,’ scheduled to occur this September.
“While Randy and Burton have been looking forward to reuniting for their fans throughout the United States, they extend their love and appreciation to all of the fans that were planning to come to these shows, and they cannot wait to see you all again when things are more predictable in terms of travel in and out of Canada.”
Watch them perform BTO’s “Takin’ Care of Business” in Toronto in July 2022
Lots more below…
Bachman Cummings, Toronto, Budweiser Stage July 19, 2022 Setlist
No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
Clap For the Wolfman
Laughing
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Albert Flasher
Hand Me Down World
Hey You
Undun
My Own Way to Rock
Roll On Down the Highway
These Eyes
Let It Ride
Lookin’ Out For #1
Sour Suite
Stand Tall
Break It to Them Gently
American Woman
No Time
Encores
Share the Land
Takin’ Care of Business
“We’re the two guys who wrote and sang these songs and I think people know that and want to hear the real thing. Bachman Cummings are out there delivering that,” said Cummings, in a statement in February 2020. “Not all artists are lucky enough to have this kind of staying power. Randy and I are able to touch Guess Who, BTO and Cummings solo stuff. We still have an audience that wants to hear those songs done by the original guys.”
Though there are no announced plans to record new music, the pair organized a 7-disc box set, The Bachman Cummings Collection in 2021 via Sony Music Canada, which gathers albums from the Guess Who, plus material from Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Cummings’ solo career. Order it on CDs or LPs in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
As far back as Jan. 12, 2020, Cummings made a series of posts on his Facebook page. The first teased: “YIKES!!! This guy’s lookin’ awfully happy about somethin’… almost TOO happy, if there’s such a thing…” Moments later, he wrote, “Watch for these guys comin’ to your area in 2020…” The post was accompanied by a photo of him and Bachman performing.
Several more posts followed, included a photo of the two of them captioned, “THESE GUYS…,” a reference to the Guess Who’s 1969 hit, “These Eyes.”
On Feb. 4, 2020, Cummings wrote, “Currently mulling over what our set list is going to look like for the Bachman Cummings dates…tell ya this much…a lotta hit records that people have heard on the radio for years…should be a pretty solid couple of hours…”
Cummings initially fueled the rumor on Dec. 8, 2019, when he wrote on his Facebook page, “‘Rumour has it’ that this might be a sight many people will see in 2020…” The comment accompanied a photo of the classic rock pair celebrating onstage with their arms around each other.
Photo of Bachman and Cummings via the latter’s Facebook page
On Dec. 17, Cummings wrote, “Looking MORE and MORE likely now that this will occur in 2020. I’m already mentally formulating a set list in my head, and it surely does look impressive. A two hour show composed of MANY familiar radio songs. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours, I must say.”
As the new year began, Cummings continued to provide hope that the reunion would take place. On Jan. 4, he wrote: “Looks more and more every day like this will happen in 2020.”
The next day, he added, “Seems that ‘both parties’ want this, so now it’s just a matter of timing and logistics. No one lives forever, and methinks ‘it’s time.'”
The pair performed at a Toronto charity event on July 18, 2019, to support Canada’s Walk of Fame. But before that, it had been a decade – 2009 – since the two Canadian born musicians had last performed together.
On August 16, 2019, at Cummings’ concert at the CNE Bandshell in Toronto, his longtime bandmate surprised the audience when he showed up onstage to perform three songs.
“I found out that an old friend of mine would be in the neighborhood,” said Cummings to the audience towards the end of his set. “So I asked him would he like to come down and join in.”
Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings at the CNE Bandshell in Toronto, August 16, 2019.
And with that, the guitarist joined Cummings on stage, first for a fist pump, then an embrace. “What are we going to do,” teased Bachman. After a brief conference among the musicians, Bachman joked: “I’m trying to learn this song. Does it go like this?” And then came the unmistakable guitar riff that introduces the Guess Who’s 1970 classic rock smash, “American Woman.”
The audience roared its approval. “Seeing as how he’s up here,” said Cummings, “there’s a song he did that has become an anthem in arenas. The song is in the DNA of everyone in the free world.”
Bachman then led Cummings’ band on a electrifying version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s 1974 hit, “Takin’ Care of Business,” singing lead with Cummings switching over to keys.
Related: Our interview with Bachman on the Guess Who and BTO
That wouldn’t be all. The pair then shared vocals on the Guess Who’s 1969 hit, “No Time.”
Related: It’s actually Cummings’ fault that we started Best Classic Bands
“This is the one that changed everything for us,” Cummings said, before they performed “These Eyes” at the Aug. 28, 2021, Winnipeg concert.
When Bachman and Cummings announce their tour, tickets will be available here.
Related: Listings for 100s of classic rock tours
13 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationAn easy task for Burton Cummings band to follow along. Known as The Carpet Frogs, the group supported Burton and Randy between 2005 and 2009 when they toured as the Bachman Cummings Band.
From 2000-2003, Randy and Burton participated in a Guess Who reunion that featured fellow ‘classic era’ member Garry Peterson (drums) and post-Bachman ‘70s alum Bill Wallace (bass) and Donnie McDougall (second guitar).
Bachman Cummings Band recorded an album of cover songs called Jukebox that included a rearranged version of the Guess Who’s greatest hit American Woman.
Carpet Frogs play the Guess Who material as well as the original band.
Would love to see the guess who !!!
The guitar riff of American Woman,just Wow !
Would like to see them in Texas one of the first Concerts I saw was the Guess Who in Sam Houston Coliseum in the very early seventies
There is also another great DVD: “Bachman – Cummings first time around” as seen on Public TV. Super sound, both performers are in fantastic condition!
How can Guess Who not be in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame???
Because they’re a Canadian Band..
So is Rush, and individuals like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and most of the Band. Guess Who definitely deserves induction though.