Co-founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive dies

Robbie Bachman, the co-founder and drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at age 69.

Eli Wener, a representative for his older brother and former band mate Randy Bachman, confirmed the news, but did not provide more details.

Randy tweeted Thursday that his brother was “the pounding beat behind BTO.”

The younger Bachman — born Robin Bachman — played drums to hits “Takin’ Care of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” helping establish the band as a formidable force in Canadian music during the 1970s.

The Winnipeg native’s career began shortly after Randy split from the Guess Who in 1970 and formed a new act called Brave Belt, offering his 18-year-old brother the spot on drums.

The band would later change their name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

After years of success, Randy eventually left BTO in 1979 and the brothers’ relationship became marred by decades of legal disputes over use of the band’s name.

They also disagreed over which musicians should be part of a reformed BTO in 1984, leaving Robbie to sit out the first reunion, though he would rejoin another incarnation of the band later that decade.

His involvement in BTO continued after Randy left the band again in 1991, though the brothers hadn’t settled their differences.

In 2003, the band turned down a chance for BTO to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame because all of the members refused to appear onstage with Randy. It took nearly a decade for the brothers to mend their relationship enough to finally accept the honour.

But in his 2014 book “Tales From Beyond the Tap,” Randy Bachman wrote that the brothers had never reconciled in those waning years, saying Robbie had “grandiose delusions about himself.”

He told The Canadian Press at the time that he hadn’t seen Robbie since their dad’s funeral.

Despite the rift, they eventually reunited for a Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction in 2014 when BTO’s original 1974 lineup — the Bachman brothers, vocalist Fred Turner and guitarist Blair Thornton — agreed to perform together at the Juno Awards.

The brothers shook hands onstage and set aside their differences long enough to reflect on the career highlight.

“I think I’ve (had) stage fright once, and that was tonight,” Robbie said backstage after the show.

“It’s just a whole different experience really, to have that many people; you’re on a tight timetable, you’re live on TV.”

Randy Bachman paid tribute on Twitter, noting his brother’s influence.

“The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad and brother Gary on the other side. Maybe Jeff Beck needs a drummer! He was an integral cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and we rocked the world together.”

(Story by The Canadian Press)