Burton Cummings is mad as hell … and he’s not gonna take it anymore!
In a bold (and financially risky) move, Cummings has pulled the performance rights to any songs he had a hand in writing … which consists of the bulk of The Guess Who Hit Catalog.
The idea is to shut down the “fake” Guess Who “cover band” who’ve been touring for years now, once and for all. (If they’re not allowed to play Guess Who songs, what are they going to play? And who would come and see them?!?!)
And they’re being watched, too … if at any time they decide to perform a song anyway both they and the venue that booked them will be hit with heavy, financial charges.
Cummings has simply had enough. Earlier this year, he and his former Guess Who songwriting partner Randy Bachman filed a joint suit to stop the band from booking themselves as The Guess Who … but this takes things another huge step further. If they simply cannot play ANYTHING by The Guess Who, what are they going to play?!?
Cummings is taking a huge royalty cut here … if he blocks all of his music from being heard, he’ll lose untold thousands of dollars by not collecting those performance rights. But he says he doesn’t care … stopping these “fakes” has taken a priority over his own financial wealth.
I say shut ‘em down once and for all. Who knows, if they get desperate enough, they may try and sell the rights to the Guess Who name back to you!!!
(Honestly, why would he stop radio from playing his music? He could simply not penalize them and concentrate his efforts solely to shutting down the other band.) kk
Contrary to what has been reported (erroneously) elsewhere in the press, Burton Cummings is NOT an original founding member of The Guess Who. He joined the band in 1967, two years after their breakthrough hit “Shakin’ All Over,” which featured original lead singer Chad Allan on lead vocals.
It was the songs of Burton Cummings, however, the put … and kept … the band on the musical map.
Check out this Guess Who Hit List:
THE GUESS WHO HIT LIST
BBC
(Before Burton Cummings)
The group was actually known as Chad Allan and the Expressions at the time of
their first release back in 1965 ... this was still the era of The British
Invasion … and no band out of Canada had ever hit it big before … so in a
clever marketing ploy, their record company put "Guess Who" on the
label, thinking that curious disc jockeys and program directors might play it
just to see what it was ... or think it was perhaps another British band ready
to make their mark here in The States. (Their first chart hit, in fact,
was a remake of the 1960, #1 British Pop Hit "Shakin' All Over"
originally done by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.) The name stuck ... and they've been The Guess
Who ever since.
(By the way, Great Britain ignored their Johnny Kidd and the Pirates cover ... as they did ALL of The Guess Who singles, with the exception of two!!!)
1965 - Shakin' All Over (US - #13 /
Chicago - #10 / Canada - #4)
1965 - Tossin' And Turnin' (only charted in Canada - #35)
1965 - Hey Ho, What You Do To Me (US - #125 / Chicago - #39 / Canada -
#33)
1966 - And She's Mine (only charted in Canada - #33)
In 1967, Burton Cummings joined the band and the group scored its first British
Hit. Incredibly, they would only chart in Great Britain one more
time. ("American Woman" hit #19 in 1970) Perhaps even
MORE incredible is the fact that this GREAT, little known gem didn't chart
ANYWHERE else ... not even back home in Canada!
Reminiscent of The Dave Clark Five's ballad "Come Home" (especially
the intro), the group was heavily influenced by what was coming out of England
at the time. Nearly fifty years later Burton Cummings would resurrect the
old Cliff Richard hit "Don't Talk To Him" for his "Jukebox"
reunion album with Randy Bachman ... another FINE example of early, pre-Beatles
British pop music.
THE GUESS WHO:
1967 - His Girl (UK - #45 ... this record did not chart in the US, Canada
or Chicago)
1969 - These Eyes (US - #3 / Chicago - #2 / Canada - #1)
This is the record that broke things thru in a very big way for the band ...
things were never the same after this!
1969 - Laughing (US - #5 / Chicago - #10 / Canada - #9)
1969 - Undun (US - #22 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #3)
1970 - No Time (US - #3 / Chicago - #1 / Canada - #9)
1970 - American Woman (US - #1 / Chicago - #1 / Canada - #1 / Great
Britain - #19 ... their ONLY other chart hit in the UK
1970 - No Sugar Tonight (US - #1 as a tag-along B-Side / Chicago - #1 as
a tag-along B-Side / Canada - #1 as a tag-along B-Side) Also charted at
#39 on its own in Cash Box Magazine here in The States
1970 - Hand Me Down World (US - #13 / Chicago - #7 / Canada - #3)
1970 - Share The Land (US - #5 / Chicago - #3 / Canada - #3)
(They played the heck out of the B-Side of this record ... "Bus
Rider" ... here in Chicago ... but it never officially charted)
1971 - Hang On To Your Life (US - #22 / Chicago - #4 / Canada - xx)
1971 - Broken (US - #51 / did not chart in Chicago or Canada)
1971 - Albert Flasher (US - #22 / Chicago - #31 / Canada - #5)
1971 - Rain Dance (US - #11 / Chicago - #24 / Canada - #3)
1972 - Sour Suite (US - #41 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #7)
1972 - Heartbroken Bopper (US - #26 / did not chart in Chicago or Canada)
1972 - Guns Guns Guns (US - #66 / did not chart in Chicago or Canada)
1972 - Runnin' Back To Saskatoon (Live) US - #74 / Chicago - xx / Canada
- 5)
1973 - Follow Your Daughter Home (US - #61 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #12)
1973 - Orly (Only charted in Canada, peaking at #19)
1973 - Glamour Boy (US - #83 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #11)
1974 - Star Baby (US - #30 / Chicago - #3 / Canada - #14)
1974 - Clap For The Wolfman (US - #6 / Chicago - #11 / Canada - #3)
1975 - Dancin' Fool (US - #24 / Chicago - #14 / Canada - #13)
1975 - Seems Like I Can't Live With You, But I Can't Live Without You (US
- #88 / did not chart in Chicago or Canada)
1975 - Roseanne (US - #105 / did not chart in Chicago or Canada)
1975 - When The Band Was Singin' 'Shakin' All Over' (US - #102 / did not
chart in Chicago or Canada)
BURTON CUMMINGS (solo artist)
1977 - Stand Tall (US - #5 / Chicago - #3 / Canada - #2)
1977 - I'm Scared (US - #61 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #11)
1977 - My Own Way To Rock (US - #74 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #16)
1977 - Your Back Yard (only charted in Canada, peaking at #21)
1978 - Break It To Me Gently (US - #81 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #4)
NOTE: In 1979, "Takes A Fool To Love A Fool" charted on
Billboard's Country Chart (#33) ... but nowhere else.
1980 - Fine State Of Affairs (only charted in Canada, peaking at #11)
1981 - You Saved My Soul (US - #32 / Chicago - xx / Canada - #13)
Read our interview with Burton Cummings here: http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_burton_cummings
I LOVE that video!!!
Meanwhile, THIS video was widely circulated last week after Paul McCartney performed “Let It Be” with The Eagles at The Jimmy Buffet Hollywood Bowl Tribute Concert.
There’s been a lot of discussion on the Internet lately about whether or not The Eagles (and Don Henley in particular) are really singing when the band performs live. There’s all kind of analysis out there that supposedly Don Henley is lip-synching and miming, sometimes to “recorded live in the studio tracks” recorded several years ago. Superimposing live performances of “Desperado” a year apart supposedly prove that it’s the exact same recording being used for both … a pretty dirty trick for a band that charges several hundred (and even thousands) of dollars for a single ticket to their live show.
I dunno … they’ve been saying the same thing about Frankie Valli for decades now … which would probably a bit more believable based on Valli still hitting those incredible falsettos … who really knows for sure. (A few years back, Meatloaf passed out and collapsed during one of his live shows … but while he lie there on the stage, his voice just kept right on singing thru the speakers.) And who can forget the Ashlee Simpson debacle on Saturday Night Live?!? Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez … they’ve all been accused of it at one time or another. (Next thing you know you’ll be telling me that Milli Vannilli didn’t really sing on their records!!!)
But honestly, after watching this clip, if there is ANYBODY out there who should be lip-synching on stage, it’s Paul McCartney!!! I can’t even watch him anymore … it’s embarrassing. The sheer importance of who he is outweighs anything in the way of performance value … and it’s been this way for years. (A real shame since Macca and The Beatles were such perfectionists in the studio.)
Anyway, just in case you haven’t already seen it, here’s Paul McCartney and The Eagles performing the #1 Beatles Classic, “Let It Be” …
And speaking of The Beatles … and Lennon and McCartney … there’s a brand new song out this week written by James McCartney (son of Paul) and Sean Ono Lennon (son of John) called “Primrose Hill” …
The song is released by James McCartney … who probably sounds more like John Lennon than his dad! (kk)
Best Classic Bands just did a nice look back at Herb Alpert’s “Whipped Cream … And Other Delights” album that we wanted to share ..
https://bestclassicbands.com/herb-alpert-whipped-cream-review-7-30-23/
(Yes, folks, there’s actually MUSIC inside this classic cardboard cover!!!) kk
After numerous delays, (the band only performed the first three scheduled shows of their “Peace Out” Tour) Aerosmith’s new tour dates have been announced. (Lead singer Steven Tyler had vocal cord and larynx issues … and perhaps a return stint to rehap … delaying their farewell road show.)
The rescheduled dates (along with a couple of new show adds) is listed below. (It now extends thru February of next year):
2024:
September 20th – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG
Paints Arena (New show)
September 23rd – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center (New show)
September 26th – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
September 29th – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Field House
October 2nd – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
October 5th – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
October 8th – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
October 11th – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
October 14th – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
October 17th – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Arena
October 20th – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
October 31st – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
November 3rd – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Arena
November 6th – Austin, TX – Moody Center
November 9th – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
November 12th – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
November 15th – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
November 18th – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
November 21st – Portland, OR – Moda Center
November 24th – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
November 27th – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
November 30th – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
December 4th – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
December 7th – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
December 28th – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
December 31st – Boston, MA – TD Garden
2025
January 4th – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
January 7th – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
January 10th – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
January 13th – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
January 16th – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
January 19th – Chicago, IL – United Center
January 22nd – St Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
January 25th – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
February 11th – Orlando, FL – Kia Center (New show)
February 14th – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
February 17th – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
February 20th – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
February 23rd – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
February 26th – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Of course, today is Tax Day … NOT a very happy day for us down here at The Forgotten Hits Ranch … most we’ve EVER had to pay … (and it’s gonna hurt for awhile!)
But Chuck Buell has some tax history that may allow you to forget your own woes for a little while and maybe even catch a smile or two …
(I should warn you in advance, however, that Chuck’s story is rated “M” …
Reader Discretion is advised.
In addition to today being “National Income Tax Day,” it’s also “National Laundry Day!”
Sometimes it seems everything from “A to P” these days is “Taxed.”
But imagine living in Ancient Rome when even Pee was taxed!
Wait! What?!!
It seems our “precious” Body Fluid is rich in Ammonia which, as you do know, is a cleaning element found in many cleaning products today. It was because of that element that in Ancient Rome, urine was used to clean clothes! ( True! )
( I’m still trying to confirm if this famous ancient statue might have been inspired by those early Roman household’s weekly laundry days. )
Meanwhile, aware of its many other applications, including dyeing clothes, removing hides from animals and other lesser purposes, the Roman emperor, Vespasian, taxed urine specially collected from public restrooms.
His Son, however, thought that that taxing concept was pretty gross. So, one day Vespasian placed a coin to his son’s nose and asked if it smelled badly.
His son said it didn’t, to which Vespasian then told him it had been dunked in urine.
And that conclusion stirred Vespasian to “coin” the Latin phrase, “pecunia non olet, or “Money doesn’t stink!” ( Also True! )
Now then, here’s a phrase that I created and translated into Latin ~~~
“Hoc tamen eodem.” Or, dunked or not, “It still spends the same!”
All this led me to thinking, perhaps we Forgotten Hitters could popularize a new phrase whenever we want to politely excuse ourselves for a moment.
“Pardon me, I have to go pay the Taxman.”
And there you . . . ah . . . Go!
CB ( which stands for “Commode Boy!” )
Today is also the last day of the Fan Vote for this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees.
You can cast YOUR ballot here:
