Guess Who rocker bringing classics, new music to Lexington Opera House

As he hits the road this summer, Burton Cummings will be armed with music from his first full album of new music in 12 years. The recording, a statement of artistic longevity and credibility, is titled, rather modestly, “A Few Good Moments.”

What’s curious here is that Cummings’ six-decade career as one of Canada’s most honored rock and pop ambassadors has had more than just a handful of “good moments.”

His solo career has brought him numerous worldwide hits (with the 1976 single “Stand Tall” leading the pack), collaborations with Ringo Starr in the early ’90s version of his All-Starr Band (a lineup that also featured Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren and Nils Lofgren) and accolades that included six Juno Awards, recognition as an officer in the Order of Canada and placement in the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.

The Guess Who hits

Amazingly, though, all of that isn’t what most audiences know Cummings for. What has forever made him one of the most distinctive voices in rock ‘n’ roll, in as well as out of Canada, was the decade-long stretch where he served as vocalist and principal songwriter for The Guess Who. You know their songs – “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “Undun,” “American Woman,” “No Time,” “Share the Land” and many others. They all but defined AM rock radio between 1965 and Cummings’ departure from the band in 1975.

With a summer tour coming on the heels of an album of new tunes that stops at the Lexington Opera House on July 17, does that mean the past Cummings is so readily championed for — a past full of songs he has performed countless times over the decades — will get relegated to back seat placement?

Cummings, 77, dismissed such a thought.

“There’s no sense not doing the hit records,” he said. “Good grief, it’s hard enough to get a hit record, so why would you not play them for the rest of your life? I’m very happy singing the big songs.

“What keeps everything fresh is the audience reaction. It’s the same as being plugged into an electrical current. When we start some of the more famous songs, the audience reacts instantly. I’ve always enjoyed that. That’s something I will never, ever get tired of.”

If there is a single attribute that makes Cummings’ music, especially songs from his Guess Who years so original, it’s his vocal command. Especially during the band’s heyday, there was nothing comparable it. It was clear, forceful and pronounced in way that made his singing seem almost bulletproof. It could convey intensity and immediacy in a heartbeat (shown, perhaps, most prominently, on “American Woman”), but could also convey the same depth and drama with effective coolness (as on the jazz-leaning 1969 hit “Undun”) that would sometimes reveal another of Cummings’ surprise talents — as a flute soloist.

“My mother had these 78 (rpm) records,” Cummings said in explaining the influences that helped forge his vocal style. “She was listening to music by Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby — records from one generation back before me. I was fascinated with records by the time I was a tiny kid. Before I ever went to kindergarten, I learned how to play my mother’s 78s.

“Early influences for me? Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard. I especially loved piano players that pounded the keys, but I liked early Elvis (Presley), as well. And Marvin Gaye was a big influence on me. I loved his vocals. I loved Sam Cooke. As singer, I loved Bobby Darin. Well, I loved all the Bobbys — Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin, Bobby Rydell. I’m a fan of all these people, and all of that crept into my singing and songwriting.”

Songwriting partnerships

Ah, yes. The songwriting. During The Guess Who’s late ’60s reign, its hits were penned jointly by Cummings and the band’s founding guitarist Randy Bachman until the latter’s departure from the band following the success of “American Woman” in 1970 (Bachman would eventually go on to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive.) The band’s response was the recruitment of two guitarists, one of whom — Kurt Winter — would become a new songwriting partner for the singer. The almost immediate result was “Share the Land,” an album that boasted three major hits (“Hang on to Your Life,” “Hand Me Down World,” and the title tune) along with a song composed by Winter alone, “Bus Rider,” that figures prominently in Cummings’ current concerts.

“‘Share the Land’ outsold any other album we did,” Cummings said. “I was lucky that fate dealt me another writing partner. Kurt Winter and I started writing together and it was like we really didn’t lose much of a step. Right on top of ‘American Woman,’ Kurt submitted ‘Hand Me Down World,’ and it was a very strong follow-up (Winter died in 1997).”

Return of real Guess Who?

One of the more encouraging reflections of the band will be felt early in 2026. That’s when Cummings and Bachman will re-team to tour under the Guess Who banner again. The two had been engaged for years in a joint lawsuit against former bandmates Jim Kale and Garry Peterson over rights to the band’s name. Bachman and Cummings alleged Kale and Peterson assembled a band that toured and recorded as the Guess Who while misleading fans that the former artists were still actively involved.

“We had to deal legally with that fake Guess Who that was out there. They were using the real records to promote their fake shows. It was a horrible, ugly legal battle, but we got it all cleared up (Bachman and Cummings were awarded trademark rights to the band name.) Now I’m feeling this overwhelming sense of ‘Welcome back,’ especially in the United States. People are saying, ‘It’s great to hear the real guy who sang and wrote the songs.’ Since last September, we’ve done 50 or 60 shows in the States and I have felt that welcoming everywhere. It’s tremendous.”

That, then, constitutes a few good moments? Cummings concurred, but added that the songs that actually make up “A Few Good Moments” also reflect a greater sense of contentment and maturity.

“I’m not writing teenage love songs anymore,” he remarked. “These are songs about living longer and experiencing more. ‘A Few Good Moments’ is a more serious album. I’m very happy with the songs and the initial reaction from critics.

“But I joke about this onstage. Now that I lived into the Taylor Swift era, ‘A Few Good Moments’ is available in three different colors on vinyl. I’ve done over 30 albums in my career and I’ve never had colored vinyl. That’s a new one for me.”

Burton Cummings

When: July 17 at 8 p.m.

Where: Lexington Opera House, 430 W. Vine

Tickets: $74.25-$206.50 through www.ticketmaster.com.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 4:55 AM.