Bachman-Turner Overdrive

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Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba that enjoyed a string of hit albums and singles in the 1970s.

1 History
2 Awards and Recognition
3 Recent Performances
4 Discography
5 See also
6 External Links

[edit] History

The precursor to BTO was the band Brave Belt, formed in 1970 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan (both of The Guess Who), Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner. An original plan included Keith Emerson of The Nice, though he was dropped due to illness. After two moderately successful Brave Belt albums, Allan was replaced by Tim Bachman, the third of the Bachman brothers, and the band changed its name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

BTO released their first album under that name in the spring of 1973. Their second album was Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, and it became a massive hit in the US and their native Canada. It also yielded their best-remembered single, "Takin' Care of Business" written by Randy Bachman. BTO were one of the early hard rock bands which opted for songs backed by catchy melodies and powerful riffing. The band also promoted a strait-laced lifestyle due to the Mormon religious beliefs of Randy Bachman.

Tim Bachman left because of limited performance skills and personal lifestyle issues, and was replaced by Blair Thornton. The first album with the modified lineup, 1974's Not Fragile became a hit, including the #1 single You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. The band continued to steadily produce successful albums through the mid-1970s including Four Wheel Drive and Head On (both 1975).

After the release of Freeways in 1977, Randy Bachman left the group for a solo career and another band, Ironhorse. Randy was replaced by Jim Clench, formerly of April Wine, and BTO released a pair of albums before breaking up. They reunited in the 1980s, leading to a lawsuit between the brothers, as one group, led by Randy, toured as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and another, led by Robbie, toured as BTO (Robbie Bachman, Fred Turner, Blair Thornton, and Randy Murray). BTO toured and performed until December of 2004. No further plans for the band to appear are currently known, so it would be a reasonable assumption that they have retired from live performances.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive's music lives on today, and continues to be featured in movies and in advertising campaigns. Randy Bachman recently published an autobiography, and "BTO" has been featured more than once in southern humorist Ed Williams' books. Bachman-Turner Overdrive has also been featured on an episode of The Simpsons titled "Saddlesore Galactica."

[edit] Awards and Recognition

1974: Juno Award winner, Most Promising Group of the Year
1975: Juno Award winner, Group of the Year
1976: Juno Award winner, Group of the Year
1978: Juno Award nomination, Group of the Year

[edit] Recent Performances

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings are currently touring together. Randy Bachman was on tour in 2005 with a group called Randy Bachman's Rock Thing. He has also released an album of original melodic jazz songs called Jazz Thing.