Robbie Bachman, founding drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at the age of 69.
The rocker’s death was confirmed by his brother and former bandmate, Randy Bachmann.
“Another sad ending,” the former tweeted. “Behind the BTO, my younger brother Robbie joined Mum, Dad and brother Gerry on the other side. Maybe Jeff Beck needed a drummer! He was an essential cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and together we The world shook.
The Bachmann brothers played together in Winnipeg, Canada and became natural collaborators. It was Randy who gave Robbie his first job, recruiting drummer and bassist Fred Turner to join him in the Brave Belt band in 1971. A third Bachmann, guitarist Tim, joined the Brave Belt a year later.
After two unsuccessful albums, Brave Ballet was dropped by their label. Undeterred, Bond went looking for a new home. At the suggestion of management, they began calling themselves Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The same band but with a new name, Bachmann-Turner Overdrive released their self-titled album in 1973. Commercial success continued to elude the group, but later that year they released a second LP, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II. The album featured BTO’s first Top 40 single, “Let’s Go” at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The hits came as BTO’s third album, 1974 Not delicate, reached No. 1 in the U.S. “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” topped the charts widely, while follow-up single “Roll On The Highway” continued the band’s success. The latter track was co-written by Ruby, one of the few classic songs he helped pen.
“We weren’t telling anybody they were wrong or something bad or don’t do it. It was basically, good time, fun music,” Robbie recalled, during a 2014 interview with The Band’s success. looking back Toronto Star. “Just coming out of the ’70s with the Vietnam War and all the political stuff going on — with Trudeau and Richard Nixon in Canada and things like that — we basically had enough of that stuff.”
As the 70s began, BTO’s popularity slowly waned. The band members began arguing about their musical direction and in 1977, Randy Bachman left the group.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive continued without its lead singer, hiring Jim Clinch to fill Randy’s shoes. The band released two albums with their new single, 1978 Street action and 1979 Rock and Roll NightsNone of them moved the needle.
BTO disbanded in 1980, but reformed in 1983 with Randy back as lead manager. Robbie chose not to partake in the reunion due to differences over business and business matters. Thus, Bachman-Turner Overdrivereleased in 1984, would be the band’s only studio album not to feature Ruby.
The drummer eventually returned to Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1988 and stayed with the group until they disbanded once again in 2005. After a hiatus, Randy and Turner rekindled BTO in 2009, but due to ongoing legal battles Robbie declined the chance to reunite. The group finally took the stage with the classic lineup again in 2014, when the Bachmann–Turner Overdrive was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In memory: 2022 deaths
A look at those we have lost.
