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Friday, 21 August, 2009 12:31 PM
Randy Bachman
to perform at Rockin' on the Riverfront on Sept. 4
Photo
credit: www.awmusic.ca
Randy
Bachman
DETROIT
-- Summer in the Motor City continues
to heat up with Randy Bachman, when the iconic veteran singer-songwriter
will be "Rockin on the Riverfront" on September 4.
For those not familiar, here's some history for you: Bachman
is responsible for several of the biggest songs ever in music.
Tracks like "American Woman" with The Guess Who, along
with "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Takin'
Care of Business" with supergroup Bachman-Turner Overdrive
(BTO, not confuse with Electric Light Orchestra, aka ELO) have
been staples for legions of fans over the last three decades.
"American Woman" was an anti-Vietnam statement, and
according to Bachman, it is still relevant now as it was when
the single went to #1 back in 1970. "America is still fighting"
the Canadian-born Bachman states. "It's the big business
of war machine. There's so many wars, it's hard to keep track
of them. Everybody wants peace, and I don't even know what they're
fighting about." Thirty years later, in 2000, the song
was a hit again and won a Grammy, thanks to a "cool"
cover from Lenny Kravitz for Austin Powers: The Spy Who
Shagged Me.
After The Guess Who came the train known as BTO, as rock music
was back and live once more thanks to them, The Doobie Brothers,
The Eagles, and other acts in the 1970s despite popularity of
glam rock artists such as the ever-evolving David Bowie. "We
made pop music heavy, and we call it heavy rock" Bachman
explains. "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" was another
smash for Bachman -- and the devil didn't made him do it. "I
did it to tease my brother" he speaks of its origins. "The
record company liked it so much, and it went to number one in
20 countries." The song was recently heard in "The
Magnificent Seven", the third season premiere of CW's
Supernatural, where the character Dean Winchester (Jensen
Ackles) is a fan of 70s rock.
But it wasn't until "Takin' Care of Business" that
gave Bachman his eternal status in pop culture. W hen said he
heard it when a radio DJ said it on the radio one time, wrote
the song in just one night during an concert, and record it
two weeks later. It was also named after the 1990 movie starring
Jim Belushi, and the song was played 20 times during the course
of the film.
However, by the mid-late 1970s, disco was on the beat, followed
by new wave and punk, and BTO split. Throughout the 1980s and
1990s, the group got back together for several reunion concerts,
but the music business was changing, with MTV and acts like
Twisted Sister and Dead or Alive arriving on the scene. Though
Bachman continued making music, the band was losing their audience.
"We were guys, the kids next door" he said of BTO's
appeal. "We didn't want to dress like women. We were the
next door neighbors who grew up listening to rock and roll."
Now, in the 21st century, with YouTube, MP3 players, American
Idol, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, the
Jonas Brothers, and so on, Randy Bachman is still in Overdrive,
as he prepares for the Motor City. "I know why people come
to see me", he said, "so I'll be performing these
songs.
"Now, everything's back to 60s and 70s rock. I'm coming
to play the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. There's
nothing like going live; it's like watching football or hockey.
So, playing live is where it's at. I'm playing better than ever."
Click
here to visit Randy Bachman's official website.
