The Guess Who—The Early Days
Journey of Canada’s First Major Rock Band
Aug 14, 2009 Greg Gildersleeve
The Guess Who were Canada’s first leading rock ‘n’ roll export, and a band that racked up 14 Top 40 hits in the United States, including a Number One, “American Woman.” These achievements were made all the more impressive by the band’s rise from obscurity and ability to endure significant changes.
Chad Allan & The Reflections
During the rock ‘n’ roll craze of the 1950s, cities all over the world saw teenagers forming their own bands, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, was no exception. One local band was Allan’s Silvertones, launched in 1959 by 16-year-old rhythm guitarist and singer Allan Kobel. Two original members of this band were pianist Bob Ashley and bassist Jim Kale.
By 1961, the group had become Chad Allan & The Reflections, with Kobel taking the stage name Chad Allan and two new members being recruited: Randy Bachman on lead guitar and Garry Peterson on drums. In 1962, they released their first single, “Tribute to Buddy Holly.” Several more singles would follow over the next three years.
According to John Einarson’s book, American Woman: The Story of The Guess Who, the band modelled its sound after a British group then little known in North America, The Beatles. When The Beatles exploded in America in 1964, Chad Allan & The Reflections should have been posed to follow suit. There was one slight problem: U.S. radio stations, with few exceptions, refused to play foreign records other than those launched by "The British Invasion."
The Beatles or Not?
When the group, now calling itself Chad Allan & The Expressions (to avoid association with the similarly named U.S. band, The Reflections) recorded “Shakin’ All Over” in 1965, its record company, Quality Records, employed a unique marketing strategy. They released the single with the artist billed as “Guess Who?" to instigate a rumor that the band was secretly the Beatles or another British group.
The strategy apparently worked, as “Shakin’ All Over” reached the Top Thirty in the United States—a first for a Canadian band.
Subsequent records were billed as “Guess Who? Chad Allan & The Expressions,” but the final name change to The Guess Who was insisted upon by the record company. Although the band members disliked the name, they weren't about to quibble with success.
Enter: Burton Cummings
Success, however, proved too much for Bob Ashley, who left the band following its first U.S. tour. His replacement, 18-year-old Burton Cummings, had been the leader of a Winnepeg band, The Deverons. Initially brought in to play piano, Cummings proved popular with young fans and began to alternate on lead vocals with Allan. Before long, Allan deciding that his future lay in attending university, left the band he had founded. The Guess Who continued with rhythm guitarist Bruce Decker, but, after a few months, they settled down to a four-piece:
- Randy Bachman, lead guitar
- Burton Cummings, lead vocals, piano, guitar
- Jim Kale, bass
- Garry Peterson, drums
Thus, The Guess Who's classic lineup was finally realized.
The Guess Who emerged from obscurity to achieve something no Canadian band had previously accomplished: an international hit. However, success brought changes in the group’s name and lineup that would prepare the band to take its musical legacy even further.
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