Jul 152015
My latest cover story for SOCAN Words and Music is an interview with legendary musician and songwriter Randy Bachman.
As a founding member and creative driving force behind two iconic bands – The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive – he had some interesting things to say about his songwriting process and about songwriting in general.
You don’t want to write for yourself, or you’re gonna sell one record. You’re not trying to appeal to other musicians, who are just as broke as you; you’re trying to sell to people, the masses.
But why would the writer or co-writer of such classic hit songs as “Takin’ Care of Business,” “These Eyes,” “American Woman,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “Let it Ride,” “Undun” and “Looking Out for No. 1.” say that he’s a “failure as a songwriter”? Read the story, and all will be revealed.
The host of Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap on CBC Radio One also had some interesting stories to tell:
- How he used modern recording wizardry and songwriting craftiness to get the late Jeff Healey to contribute a guitar solo to a song on his new album, Heavy Blues.
- How Pete Townshend’s stamp of approval led to Bachman’s choice of drummers for his new, all-female power trio.
- How he and Burton Cummings wrote all those hit songs.
Stay tuned to this space, and I may share some of those stories in excerpts that didn’t make it into the article.
