“We are survivors”: Randy Bachman still on the road at 81 years old

Randy Bachman and his group Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) will be passing on Monday at Place Bell, in Laval, on the occasion of the back in overdrive 2025 tour. At 81, the legend of Canadian rock-author of several megasucs of The Guess Who and BTO-claims to be a second youth on the road with his son Tal Bachman.

I saw Mick Jagger Last year, he was 81 years old. Keith Richards At 81 years old, Ringo Starr At 84, Pete Townshend et Roger Daltrey are both about 80 years oldtells Randy Bachman on the phone, a few days before his stopover in Laval, where are also expected April Wine et The Headpins.

We are survivors. None of us thought we would still be there to rock today. And we have all these hits.

American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, Takin’ Care Of Business, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Roll On Down The Highway… Since his beginnings in Winnipeg in 1965, the musician has actually laid several timeless titles, alone or with his accomplices Burton Cummingsof The Guess Whoet Fred Turnerof BTO.

We wrote these songs when we were young, we did not think they were going to mark as much people, and now, we realize what they mean for them – it is the soundtrack of their life. And in concert, everyone is going crazy, they love it.

The broken rope behind American Woman

For this large North American tour started in 2023, Randy Bachman offers a melting pot of his biggest songs with The Guess Who et BTO as well as special requests suggested by fans. We do Take It Like a Man, Gimme Your Money Please, Blue Collar, Stayed Awake All Nighthe explains.

Tal Bachmanwho accompanies his father on stage on the guitar, also interprets his song She’s So Highinternational success of 1999 that we could hear in films like Loser (2000) et She’s Out of My League (2010).

Randy Bachman says that between the songs, he takes great pleasure in telling the public the stories at the origin of the creation of certain classics as American Woman (1970), of which he found the iconic riff by chance by granting his guitar on stage, after having broken a rope in full performance.

In 1969, we often played in the United States and American women were running afterwards. There were no American men in the age group of 18 to 35 years, they were all enlisted for the war in Vietnamrecalls the musician. We recorded the song and boom!, A few weeks later, the title and the album were number one worldwide.

American Woman will be taken up 28 years later by Lenny Kravitzof which it will also be one of the biggest success.

Rock and roll, without drugs

Randy Bachman Affirms today that he feels 20 years younger, even after fighting cancer a few years ago during the Cavid-19 pandemic.

People ask me, ” What are you doing to stay young and in good shape? ” What changes the game is what I did not do. I did not drink alcohol, not drinking coffee, not made of drugs. I have never smoked a cigarette or marijuana. Nothing at allhe explains.

Coming from a musical culture tinged by excess of all kinds, Randy Bachman is almost an exception among its peers. He explains that it was partly due to his religious education, he who converted to Mormonism in 1966 by marrying his first wife Lorayne Stevenson.

His religious convictions also caused some friction with his colleagues The Guess Whowho were rather followers of the church of Sex, drugs and rock and roll. This is one of the reasons that will push the musician to leave the group in 1970, before training BTO in 1973, although he joined the Guess Who repeatedly in the following decades.

If he left Mormonism behind him several years ago, Randy Bachman claims to have inherited religion these lifestyle habits which allow him to shine at 81 years.

Each cigarette, each glass of alcohol, each coffee, is a line more somewhere on your body. Either on your face or inside – your lungs, your stomach, your kidneyshe explains. Me, I have almost no speed because I have never done anything of all this.

THE Bachmana musical family

Randy Bachman Mostly considers himself lucky to be always alive, he who survived his brothers Robbie and Tim Bachman, two co -founders of BTO Died in a blow in 2023 (her brother Gary died in 2020). And he takes advantage of it as much as it lasts.

I am very grateful to be able to play and live this with my son. He has a four -month -old baby, who is on tour with us. We are really a family, like Earth, Wind and Fire or Lynyrd Skynyrdhe explains.

Now, some members have died, but it is my nephews or my sons who take up the group and the sound remains the same. BTO is becoming the first family and family rock group.

With its seven children, its 26 grandchildren and four great grandchildren, let us bet that there are still musical talent in the family of Randy Bachman To take over.