Bachman-Turner Bickering

The four fat guys who powered the Bachman-Turner Overdrive hit machine didn’t smoke, drink, use drugs or chase groupies. Still, their oh-so-clean lifestyles didn’t mean that the boys always got along. Just as with Creedence Clearwater Revival, BTO’s road to stardom ended with squabbling and lawsuits.

Guitarist/songwriter Randy Bachman was a veteran of The Guess Who, one of Canada’s best-known bands. Not approving of the group’s lifestyle, he left in 1970 and formed Brave Belt with his brothers Tim and Robbie, as well as bassist Fred Turner. After two largely unsuccessful albums, they changed their name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive after seeing the masthead of a truckers’ magazine. After some 25 other record companies refused them, Mercury (who also booked the New York Dolls) signed with BTO, and their first album with the new label was hugely successful, thanks partially to the group’s extensive touring. Their first hit, “Taking Care of Business” was actually penned by Bachman during his Guess Who days, with the title “White Collar Worker,” but never went anywhere. But now it was almost an anthem. The public loved BTO’s hard-driving sound, humorous lyrics and catchy melodies. During a turbulent time, these guys were actually a clean, but serious, rock and roll band - not some bubble gum act. Tim Bachman left after the first album, and was replaced by guitarist Blair Thornton.

Behind the scenes, however, things were starting to get nasty. Do a web search on the band or its members and you’ll encounter many different stories about who did what to whom, with bitter feelings on both sides, but it appears that the major conflict emerged over Randy Bachman’s increasing role in writing and producing their material. Turner became so angry that on one album cover he insisted that his picture be shown in profile – since he believed he wasn’t fully involved in its production. Randy finally quit in 1979. Lawsuits followed over who had the right to use the BTO logo, and there were even arguments as to who sang on what records. The remaining members still tour under the name “BTO,” while Randy currently has a show on CBC radio and plays with Guess Who vocalist Burton Cummings.