Burton Cummings Celebrates 60th Anniversary of the Guess Who With Tour Amid Lawsuit Against Former Band
Musician Burton Cummings, best known for the Canadian classic rock band the Guess Who, is celebrating the band’s 60th anniversary by hitting the road.
While it is a great achievement, he is certainly having some legal woes. Cummings and former bandmate Randy Bachman started a lawsuit against the current version of the Guess Who (which includes original drummer Garry Peterson) last fall, claiming that they are sharing false advertising and fooling fans into thinking that Cummings and Bachman are still part of the band to improve ticket sales for their concerts.
As the lawsuit is ongoing, Cummings has now canceled his licensing agreements with performing rights organizations (PROs) so that the Guess Who’s music is no longer allowed to be performed in live venues. While this should effectively stop the current Guess Who from performing those songs, it will also cause Cummings to lose payments on any royalties from live performances, TV and radio placements, and more. It includes songs that he wrote, like “American Woman” — later covered by Lenny Kravitz — “These Eyes” and “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.”
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Cummings said about his decision, “I’m willing to do anything to stop the fake band. They’re not the people who made these records and they shouldn’t act like they did.” He added, “This is about way more than just money. I wouldn’t have pulled the catalog if it wasn’t. This is about the legacy of the songs and the fact that the cover band is doing anything they can to erase me and Bachman from the history of the group. I see advertisements for their shows, and it’s me singing ‘American Woman.’”
Bachman added that they found out about the false claims on social media because their fans alerted them. He explained that fans started sending “shots they had taken with their iPhone.” He continued, “They said ‘We drove 600 miles to see you and [instead saw] a bunch of guys who weren’t even born when these songs were hit songs,’ ‘We spent 100 bucks each, and there’s eight of us, and the songs don’t even sound like you guys.’ ‘”American Woman” now has a flute solo — and that doesn’t fit.’ Stuff like that. They started communicating with us directly.”
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Burton Cummings 60th Anniversary of the Guess Who’s Tour Dates
While the lawsuit is ongoing, Cummings isn’t just sitting around and waiting. He is heading out on tour with his band for the first time since 2020. In addition, Cummings is releasing his first studio album since 2008 later this year called A Few Good Moments. Get tickets to a show near you here and check out all of the remaining tour dates below:
Aug. 17 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
Sept. 13 – Deadwood, SD – Deadwood Jam
Sept. 14 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
Sept. 17 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory
Sept. 18 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Saloon
Sept. 20 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino Resort
Sept. 21 – Arlington, TX – Arlington Music Hall
Sept. 23 – Marion, IL – Marion Cultural and Civic Center
Sept. 25 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
Sept. 26 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center
Sept. 28 – Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield Park
Sept. 29 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
Oct. 1 – Hopewell, VA – Beacon Theatre
Oct. 2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
Oct. 4 – Collingswood, NJ – Scottish Rite Auditorium
Oct. 5 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 18 – Windsor, ON – The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Oct. 19 – New Buffalo, MI – Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds Casino
Nov. 1 – Edmonton, AB – River Cree Resort and Casino
Nov. 8 – Niagara Falls, ON – Fallsview Casino Resort
Dec. 28 – Moncton, NB – Casino New Brunswick
2025
Jan. 11 – Chandler, AZ – Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
Jan. 12 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House Concert Hall
Jan. 14 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
Jan. 15 – Palm Desert, CA – McCallum Theatre
Jan. 17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
Jan. 18 – Laughlin, NV – Edge Pavilion
Jan. 21 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
Jan. 23 – Tacoma, WA – Emerald Queen Casino
Jan. 25 – Airway Heights, WA – Spokane Live
Feb. 2 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Feb. 4 – Sumterville, FL – The Tracy PAC
Feb. 5 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
Feb. 7 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall (with Jim Messina)
Feb. 11 – Sarasota, CA – Van Wezel Perf. Arts Hall (with Jim Messina)
Feb. 13 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Rock Legends Cruise XII
March 9 – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
March 15 – Westbury, PA – NYCB Theatre at Westbury
March 19 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
March 22 – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre
March 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
March 28 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate PAC
1968 Retrospective
January 2018
This special expanded issue celebrates all things pop culture in 1968.
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