The Guess Who formed in Winnipeg,
Canada with Chad Allan (guitar, vocals), Randy Bachman (guitar), Jim Kale (bass),
Bob Ashley (piano) and Garry Peterson (drums). They had previously called themselves
"Chad Allan and the Expressions".
The band got their new name "The Guess Who"
when their record company put "The Guess Who"
on the jacket, to get listeners to buy an album that might be from a famous British
group.
The band released their debut album, "Shakin' All Over" in 1965. By
this time, Ashley had left the band and Burton Cummings had joined on keyboards
and vocals. When Chad Allan left the Guess Who in 1966, Cummings took over on
lead vocals.
Chad went on to host the Canadian show "Where It's At". In 1970, he
co-founded the band Brave Belt with Robbie and Randy Bachman and then left that
band to pursue a career in Christian rock music. The Guess Who released their break
through album "Wheatfield Soul" in 1969, which contained their first
Top 10 hit single "These Eyes". Later that year, they released their
next album, "Canned Wheat Packed by the Guess
Who", which produced three more hit singles, with "Laughing",
"Undun" and "No Time".
In March of 1970, The Guess Who
released "American Woman" their only US number 1 single and Top 10 album.
Another popular song from this album was "No Sugar Tonight".
Randy Bachman left the band shortly after the release of American Woman because
he felt the bands lifestyle did not fit well with his newfound Mormon religion.
He got together with Chad Allan, formed the new band, "Brave Belt",
and then disbanded Brave Belt to form Bachman Turner Overdrive.
Kurt Winter and Greg Leski took Bachman's place, and the band produced several
more hit singles and albums, including: "Share the Land", "Albert
Flasher", "Rain Dance", and "Clap for the Wolfman", the
group's final hit.
