BURTON CUMMINGS AND THE GUESS WHO

Canadian Burton Cummings has one of the best voices in all of rock music. He and his band, The Guess Who, had chart success with These Eyes, Laughing, Undun, American Woman & No Time. Everyone knows Burton Cummings' voice when they hear it. Randy Bachman played guitar for The Guess Who and went on to lead Bachman Turner Overdrive. They recorded the classic Taking Care Of Business. Cummings did a series of solo albums in the late 1970s and early 80s that are superb. Stand Tall, Never Had A Lady Before & Charlemagne stand up to anything. The Guess Who's output was voluminous. Why, then, is Burton Cummings and his group so disregarded? It may have to do with the negativism of their lyrics. Their only #1, American Woman, is not only a put down of American women but a put down of America itself. Sure, the song came as Richard Nixon was indiscriminately bombing women and children in Vietnam, but that does not seem to matter. Canadian Cummings is seen as condemning his southern neighbor. Another problem is the name of the band. "The Guess Who" does not tell us anything. You end up thinking they should have chosen a better name. It is too easily confused with the "Who," another band with a bad name. Lastly, Burton Cummings may have never become a superstar because of his personality. He drinks heavily and is known for his massive ego. I talked to one of Cummings' best friends in Nashville who called him an "asshole." Pretty bad coming from a best friend. Nonetheless, Burton Cummings is a great talent.