List of The Guess Who members

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The Guess Who in 1970 (L-R: Kurt Winter, Garry Peterson, Greg Leskiw, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale) The Guess Who.png
The Guess Who in 1970 (L-R: Kurt Winter, Garry Peterson, Greg Leskiw, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale)

The Guess Who was a Canadian rock band, originating as the Guess Who? in 1966, and adopting the name The Guess Who in 1968. [1] They were most successful from 1969 to 1975, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings. [2] During that period they released eleven studio albums, all of which reached the charts in Canada and the United States; their 1970 album American Woman reached no. 1 in Canada and no. 9 in the United States, and five other albums reached the top ten in Canada. They also achieved five number one singles in Canada and two in the United States. [2]

Contents

During the 1969-1975 era prior to the band's breakup, Cummings and drummer Garry Peterson were the only consistent members; they were joined by five guitarists and two bassists during those years. Cummings ended the band in 1975 and embarked on a solo career. [3] In the following decades, Cummings and original guitarist Randy Bachman led several one-time reunion shows or short commemorative tours with various former members. [4] [5]

Starting in the late 1970s, original bassist Jim Kale organized a separate band under the name of the Guess Who for nostalgia tours with a frequently changing cast of musicians, later including Garry Peterson. In 2024, Bachman and Cummings announced that they had gained control of the Guess Who name. [6] In June 2025, Bachman and Cummings announced they would perform as The Guess Who at several shows in 2026. [7]

This list article does not include musicians who filled in temporarily for official members or members of the unauthorized version of the band led by Kale and Peterson.

The Guess Who members (1965-1975)

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Garry Peterson.png
Garry Peterson 1962–1975 (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)
  • drums
  • percussion
  • backing vocals
all Classic Era releases
Jim Kale (cropped).png
Jim Kale 1962–1972 (reunions 1983, 1999, 2000)
  • bass
  • backing vocals
all releases from Shakin' All Over (1965) to Live at the Paramount (1972)
Randy Bachman.png
Randy Bachman
  • 1962–1970
  • 2025–present (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)
  • lead guitar
  • backing vocals
all releases from Shakin' All Over (1965) to American Woman (1970)
Chad Allan 1962–1966 (died 2023)
  • vocals
  • rhythm guitar
Bob Ashley1962–1966
  • keyboards
  • backing vocals
  • Shakin' All Over (1965)
  • Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) (1965)
Burton Cummings Lansing Crop.png
Burton Cummings
  • 1966–1975
  • 2025–present (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)
  • vocals
  • keyboards
  • rhythm guitar
  • flute
  • harmonica
all releases from It's Time (1966) to Power in the Music (1975)
Bruce Decker1966–1966 (died 1986)rhythm guitarnone
Kurt Winter.png
Kurt Winter 1970–1974 (died 1997)
  • lead guitar
  • backing and occasional lead vocals
all releases from Share the Land (1970) to Road Food (1974)
Greg Leskiw.png
Greg Leskiw 1970–1972
  • rhythm guitar
  • vocals
Donnie McDougall1972–1974
Bill Wallace1972–1975
  • bass
  • vocals
  • Artificial Paradise (1973)
  • #10 (1973)
  • Road Food (1974)
  • Flavours (1974)
  • Power in the Music (1975)
Mandala (1967) (Domenic Troiano).png
Domenic Troiano 1974–1975 (died 2005)
  • guitars
  • backing vocals
  • Flavours (1974)
  • Power in the Music (1975)

Timeline

List of The Guess Who members

Lineups

YearsMembersStudio and live releases
1962 – January 1966

Chad Allan and the Reflections
Chad Allan and the Expressions
Guess Who?

January 1966 – May 1966

The Guess Who?

  • Chad Allan – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Burton Cummings – keyboards, vocals
  • Randy Bachman – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums

May 1966 – August 1966

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards
  • Randy Bachman – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Decker – rhythm guitar
  • Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums

August 1966 – May 1970

Classic line-up

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica
  • Randy Bachman – guitar, backing vocals
  • Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals

May 1970 – March 1972

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards, flute, harmonica
  • Kurt Winter – lead guitar, vocals
  • Greg Leskiw – rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals

March 1972 – May 1972

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica
  • Kurt Winter – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Donnie McDougall – rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums

May 1972 – June 1974

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards, flute, harmonica
  • Kurt Winter – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Donnie McDougall – rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Bill Wallace – bass, vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums

June 1974 – October 1975

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards
  • Domenic Troiano – guitar, backing vocals
  • Bill Wallace – bass, backing vocals
  • Garry Peterson – drums

Reunion lineups

YearsMembersStudio releases

1978

  • Don McDougall - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Jim Kale - vocals, bass guitar
  • Vance Masters - vocals, drums & percussion
  • David Inglis - lead guitar
  • Guess Who's Back (1978)
  • All This for a Song (1978)

November 1979

1983

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards
  • Randy Bachman – guitar
  • Jim Kale – bass
  • Garry Peterson – drums

1999

2000

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards
  • Randy Bachman – guitar
  • Donnie McDougall – guitar
  • Jim Kale – bass
  • Garry Peterson – drums

May 2000 – July 2003

  • Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards
  • Randy Bachman – guitar
  • Donnie McDougall – guitar
  • Bill Wallace – bass
  • Garry Peterson – drums

References

  1. Frank Hoffmann (November 12, 2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. pp. 992–. ISBN   1-135-94949-2.
  2. 1 2 "The Guess Who | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  3. Burton Cummings - Burton Cummings | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-02-27
  4. "Guess Who - 1983 - Reunion soundboard@320". Guitars101 - Guitar Forums. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  5. "That time they closed Portage and Main to pedestrians | CBC Archives". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  6. Millman, Ethan (2024-09-04). "The Guess Who End Decades-Long Legal Battle: 'An Impossible Task'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  7. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/guess-who-first-reunion-show-2026/