When Burton Cummings takes the stage in Westbury on March 15, it’ll be with the knowledge that he and former bandmate Randy Bachman own the rights to the Guess Who’s name and legacy lock, stock and barrel.
After a protracted court battle that found Cummings and Bachman lining up numerous times in court across from the band’s former rhythm section of Jim Kale (bass) and Garry Peterson (drums) for the rights to the Guess Who name, Cummings and Bachman emerged victorious last year via an out-of-court settlement announced last September.
Not coincidentally, Cummings embarked on a significant solo tour to support his latest studio effort, last year’s “A Few Good Moments.” To say the Winnipeg native is pleased is an understatement.
“We’re loving the ‘Welcome Back’ feeling now that the fake Guess Who cover band is over with,” he said with a laugh. “Thankfully, those days are over. Those guys can do whatever they want, but they’re not going to make a living pretending to be who they are not. I have a tremendous band and we started touring again in September in South Dakota and have been in the States ever since. I’m looking forward to seeing all of our American friends.”
Cummings, who fronted The Guess Who after joining them in 1966 through the band’s first break-up in 1975, has also enjoyed a vibrant solo career.
Along the way, he’s become a Canadian icon, having been inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and been named both an officer of the Order of Canada and Order of Manitoba.
And while it would be easy for him to ease back and become an oldies performer, the 77-year-old vocalist/pianist/flautist went back to the studio for “A Few Good Moments,” his first album of all-new material in 15 years.
For someone who got his start releasing a pair of singles while playing in a local Winnipeg band called The Deverons back in 1964, the lifelong rock and roll fan hasn’t lost any passion for making and playing music.
“People ask me why so long between albums?” he said. “I’ve done 32 albums and it’s not like I have to do 20 more. I was just sitting back and watching the industry change. I’m always writing songs and had some of these for quite a while. I realized I had enough here for a pretty good album.
Four of the guys in my band have been with me for over 20 years and they love the songs. Being that they’re such players, when you present a bunch of solid songs to good musicians, they’re going to jump in and do their best.”
He added, “As for where I’m at, I have now lived into the Taylor Swift era and my new album comes in three different colors of vinyl. In all my years of recording, I’ve never had colored vinyl and now we have three. I’ve definitely lived into a new era.”
With new music and his legacy intact, playing live fuels Cummings’ creative engine. Given the multiple canons he has to draw from, fans can expect a jam-packed evening of musical memories.
“We’re doing all the big songs,” he excitedly shared. “It’s hard enough to get a hit record. Why in the world would you not play them? We do all the biggest stuff people want to hear from ‘These Eyes’ and ‘Laughing’ to my particular favorite ‘No Time,’ ‘American Woman,’ ‘No Sugar/New Mother Nature,’ ‘Share the Land,’ ‘Hand Me Down World,’ ‘Clap for the Wolfman,’ ‘Star Baby’—a lot of the songs that people are familiar with. And a couple of covers by other people—we do a Bob Dylan song from time to time. We delve into some of my solo stuff—‘My Own Way to Rock’ and ‘Stand Tall.’ Overall, it’s about two hours and about 90 percent of the songs people know already. They go home pretty happy.”
When asked how Cummings parlayed being a five-year-old classically trained pianist who fell prey to the subversive sounds of Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis into such admirable career longevity, it all comes back to the basics for this septuagenarian rocker.
“I think good songs will always last,” he said. “I think we wrote some good songs that have stood up well. I don’t know what it is. People tell me I still sound the same when I sing. Whatever that is, the music gods have smiled on me and I can’t break down why that is. I’m just very lucky and very thankful.”
Burton Cummings will be playing on March 15 at Flagstar at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road., Westbury. For more information, visit www.livenation.com or call 877-598-8497.
