Ted Nugent Interview: Our First American Rock and Roll President?

By Ray Shasho

Guitar slinger, singer and songwriter Ted Nugent is best known in rock and roll folklore as the ‘Motor City Madman’ and over the decades has magnanimously personified the title and reputation. Nugent has managed to circularize himself to the world in one way or another … from his rock and roll virtuosity, to his hunting craftsmanship, to his extreme patriotic views and passion. Ted says he’s even considering a presidential bid. Politically correctness is definitely not a part of Ted’s vocabulary, but maybe that’s not a bad thing, I’m pretty sure our forefathers weren’t either.

Ted Nugent will be performing at the ‘House of Blues Orlando’ with Laura Wilde on August 19th at 8:30p.m. For tickets visit here or call 407-934-2583. Nugent’s current lineup has longtime lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes, Dokken co-founder “Wild” Mick Brown on drums, and Greg Smith on bass and vocals.

 TED NUGENT has sold more than 40 –million albums and has performed at more than 6,400 concerts. His illustrious music career has spanned over five decades.


Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ted’s father was an Army staff sergeant and Nugent was raised in a stringent household. A self-taught musician, Nugent began playing the guitar at six years old. His first two bands were the ‘Royal High Boys’ and the ‘Lourds.’ After an impressive performance at the Michigan State Fair, the Lourds were asked to open for the Beau Brummels and the Supremes at Cobo Hall. Later that year while still in his teenage years, he moved to Palatine, Illinois, a residential suburb of Chicago.

Later that year Nugent fronted the group The Amboy Dukes.

The Amboy Dukes: After graduating high school, Nugent returned to Detroit where he recruited new members for The Amboy Dukes. The group signed with Mainstream Records and released their self-titled debut album The Amboy Dukes (1967). The bands second effort was entitled Journey to the Center of the Mind (1968) and scored commercially with the psychedelic title track reaching #16 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.

The Amboy Dukes core lineup became … Ted Nugent (lead guitar and vocals), John Drake (vocals), Gary Hicks (guitar, vocals), Andy Solomon (organ, piano and vocals), Greg Arama (bass) and Dave Palmer (drums). Rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer wrote the lyrics to “Journey to the Center of the Mind” and is credited on many other tracks and studio recordings. Keyboardist Rick Lober and bassist Bill White were replaced after the debut album. In 1969, Rusty Day replaced John Drake on vocals.

Subsequent albums by The Amboy Dukes: Migration (1969), Marriage on the Rocks/Rock Bottom (1970), Survival of the Fittest Live (1971).
Subsequent albums by Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes: Call of the Wild (1973), Tooth Fang & Claw (1974).

TED NUGENT SOLO: In 1975, Ted Nugent signed a solo deal with Epic Records. Nugent had separated from the Amboy Dukes to pursue a solo career and scored immediately with the release of his debut album Ted Nugent. The album spawned the hit singles “Stranglehold” and “Hey Baby.” The lineup featured Ted Nugent on lead guitar and vocals, Derek St. Holmes on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Rob Grange on bass and Cliff Davies on drums.

Nugent transformed himself into a master showman onstage while creating the role of a caveman- rock and roll- superhero wearing a loincloth.

Nugent’s follow-up album was Free-for-All in 1976. Singer, songwriter and musician Meat loaf contributed on several tracks.
In 1977, Ted Nugent released his most successful album to date entitled Catch Scratch Fever. The double-platinum release generated the classic tracks … “Catch Scratch Fever” (#30 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles Hit), “Workin’Hard, Playin’ Hard” and “Out of Control.”

Ted Nugent became a rock concert phenomenon selling out arenas and stadiums.

In 1978, Ted Nugent released Double Live Gonzo! an incredible double- album featuring live performances. The LP reached triple platinum status. The album also featured original tracks “Yank Me, Crank Me” and “Gonzo” played live. Also in 1978, Nugent released the successful Weekend Warriors. It was the first album not to feature vocalist Derek St. Holmes.
The album was followed by State of Shock (1979) reaching the U.S. Top 20 and achieving gold status. Nugent’s sixth studio album Scream Dream (1980) featured the standard “Wango Tango.”

Subsequent Ted Nugent studio albums: Nugent (1982), Penetrator (1984), Little Miss Dangerous (1986), If You Can’t Lick ‘Em … Lick ‘Em (1988).

In 1989, Ted Nugent joined the group Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Michael Cartellone (Who would eventually join Lynyrd Skynyrd). The band released two successful studio albums … Damn Yankees (1990) and Don’t Tread (1992). Their single “High Enough” reached #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.

Subsequent Ted Nugent studio albums: Spirit of the Wild (1995), Craveman (2002), Love Grenade (2007).

Ted Nugent has consistently remained in the limelight one way or another. Either with his outdoorsman Television show Spirit of the Wild or VH1 reality TV program Surviving Nugent, or raising controversy and being interviewed by the networks, or simply through his incredible musical talents. Nugent has a love him or hate him persona, and either way, you’ve got to admire his fortitude.

I had the rare pleasure of chatting with Ted about his upcoming show at the House of Blues in Orlando and some very hot topics…
Here’s my interview with legendary guitar hero, singer, songwriter, pro-gun, pro-freedom and pro-America advocate … (“The Nuge”) TED NUGENT.

Ted was performing in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan later that evening.
Ray Shasho: Ted, thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule and spending it with me today.
Ted Nugent: “My pleasure Ray.”
Ray Shasho: You’ll be performing at the ‘House of Blues in Orlando’ on August 19th, what are some of the songs we can expect to hear from your setlist?
Ted Nugent: “That's always a loaded question, and only questions and guns are allowed to be loaded around me. We have so many killer songs it is always frustrating to choose a couple hours’ worth, but we do so gallantly every night anyway. Every song of mine makes a killer opener and or a killer encore. We just let ‘er rip and it always works out to everyone's total satisfaction. Afterall, what would life be like without “Gonzo,” “Just What The Dr. Ordered,” “Wango Tango,” “Turn It Up,” “Free For All,” “Stormtroopin’,” “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang,” “Live It Up,” “Queen Of The Forest,” “Fred Bear,” “Hey Baby,” “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Stranglehold,” “Great White Buffalo,” and so many more.”
Ray Shasho: One of my favorite You Tube videos is when you began incorporating “Journey to the Center of the Mind” into your setlist and also reunited with your old bandmates The Amboy Dukes. What’s the origin behind that psychedelic rock classic?
Ted Nugent: “I was certainly very fortunate to be surrounded by dedicated virtuosos far ahead of their time and much better musicians than myself from the very beginning. The Amboy Dukes' superior rhythm section of Dave Palmer on drums and Greg Arama on bass guitar was a very powerful musical force to reckon with when we jammed every day and created such musical masterpieces. Though I came up with some pretty inventive guitar maneuvers and songwriting, the full credit should go to my fellow bandmates for thinking way outside the box at the time. I am pleased to know that such dedicated creativity and effort had a positive impact on music lovers and musicians alike, and am very proud to have been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time with those guys. God knows I truly love that music.”
Ray Shasho: “Stranglehold” has been featured in numerous motion pictures … the song is spellbinding. Talk about writing and recording that classic track? What came first the music or the lyrics?
Ted Nugent: “I am a very, very fortunate and blessed guitar player to always be surrounded by musical monsters, so my life has been a nonstop jam session. I crave the musical adventure of sonic creativity and am powerfully inspired everytime I grab a guitar. “Stranglehold” is a perfect example of a spontaneous groove and guitar pattern that had a life of its own from the very 1st note. A musical stream of conscience if you will, or even if you won't. All my songs instinctively erupted from my guitar and lyrical visions followed the spirit of the music, bot image wise and rhythmical cadence wise. It remains one of life's greatest joys to this day.”
Ray Shasho: Do you have any good road stories from back in the late 60’s or 70’s?
Ted Nugent: “Ray, being clean and sober my entire 65 years provides me the joy/curse of remembering everything! My happy memory cup runneth over I assure you. So many, so wonderful, so insane fun!! I am writing a book "Stranglehold" now that will be unleashed in 2015 full of these incredible experiences. Hang on tight.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve chatted with so many great Michiganian music artists like Peter Rivera, Mark Farner and Suzi Quatro to name just a few and I personally feel that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should have been located in Detroit. Michigan has done more for music than any other state in America. I live in the Bradenton/Sarasota area which has sort of become a safe haven for thousands of Michiganites. What happened to that once great and very important city called Detroit?
Ted Nugent: “Detroit, like much of America, must admit to the economic lie that non-productivity, the curse of Americans who have given up looking for work, and the official list of jobs Americans are not willing to do is social and spiritual suicide. Until America wakes up to that, or real leaders demand policy based on that, Detroit and America will continue their self-imposed kamikaze tailspin into hell. It's so simple, it's stupid, but not as stupid as the soulless people who are responsible for it. As far as Motor City music power goes, we are still the best of the best … Kid Rock, Eminem, Jack White and more. That black, soulful spirit lives on.”
Ray Shasho: Ted, what happened to the music industry? It’s almost like someone pulled the plug on all the legendary rock artists and are prohibiting them from showcasing anything new across mainstream airwaves.
Ted Nugent: “Nobody is going to invest a fortune into good orchard land, all the farming equipment necessary, the fertilizer, the seedlings, the nonstop Herculean work effort needed to grow apples, then bring them to the fruit stand for people to take home for free. Got that? Ripoff technology has murdered the creative spirit.”
Ray Shasho: Florida residents love their firearms … I’ve heard hundreds of people wait early in the morning each day at Walmart parking lots for the trucks to arrive so they can buy their ammo. Is there an ammo shortage and why?
Ted Nugent: “There is a dramatic shortage of ammunition available to ‘We the People’ while the most corrupt, criminal power abusing government runs amok hoarding nearly every bullet being produced. This is just another deceptive maneuver by a phony president doing everything he can to further infringe on our sacred 2nd Amendment rights, anybody who doesn't know this is on crack from Mars.”
Ray Shasho: Are you serious about running for President? The first Rock and Roll President … I think it’s about time. What would your political agenda be like during your campaign?
Ted Nugent: “I so wreak of logic and commonsense that it is obviously very refreshing in this world of otherwise soulless politically correct denial and dishonesty. God knows America would be the greatest again if she operated like the Nugent family. No takers, no whiners, no gangsters, no dopers, no drunks, no criminals, no bloodsuckers, no excuse makers, no crybabies, no punks, no Obama supporters. My entire team are dedicated to be the absolute best that we can be and as productive as humanly possible. Wouldn't that be great if all of America were like that.”
Ray Shasho: Ted, describe the infamous meeting between you and the Secret Service.
Ted Nugent: “The professionals of the Secret Service were compelled to investigate the media and government lies about what I said and did so with total professionalism, courtesy and respect. We had a nice conversation, I told them exactly what I said and they took notes, thanked me and shook my hand. I am under constant scrutiny by crazy, corrupt, power abusing politicians and media goons for the simple fact that I expose cockroaches on a daily basis in my media interviews, speaking engagements and writings. I am doing God's work so the devil and his gang can't stand me. The heroes of the secret service confirmed what they already knew to be true, that I am a wonderful human being doing everything right and legal. They really should be investigating their boss, and they know it.”
Ray Shasho: Ted, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview … If you had a “Field of Dreams” wish, like the movie, to play or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Ted Nugent: “Believe me, I have lived The Dream to the maxx!! I played bass guitar for Bo Diddly and Chuck Berry, have jammed with and collaborated with the greatest musicians that ever lived, and continue to do so to this very day. Look around me; that is the ultimate “Field of Dreams.””
Ray Shasho: Anything special you’d like to promote?
Ted Nugent: “Our Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids children's charity is in its 25th year, and we are involved in pretty much every military charity out there to give thanks to the incredible hero warriors of the US Military and their families. Everyone who loves and cares about the real American Dream should join us at tednugent.com TalkBack for the ultimate team and plan to take back America. Freedom is not free, and we all have a lot of work ahead of us. And I perform the ultimate soundtrack to get the job done every day. We're not having any fun at all.”
Ray Shasho: Ted thank you so much for taking time to answer these questions, but more importantly for all the incredible music that you’ve given us and continue to bring. We’ll see you at the ‘House of Blues Orlando’ on August 19th.
Ted Nugent: “Thanks Ray.”

Ted Nugent will be performing at the House of Blues Orlando with Laura Wilde on August 19th at 8:30p.m. For tickets visit http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/orlando/ or call 407-934-2583.

Ted Nugent official website www.tednugent.com
Ted Nugent on Facebook
Ted Nugent on Twitter
Ted Nugent on Myspace
Ted Nugent on tour

Very special thanks to Linda Peterson

Coming up NEXT … Recent interviews with Melanie and Roy Rogers

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - Please support Ray so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. 

 ~~Pacific Book Review says Ray Shasho is a product of the second half of the 20th century, made in the USA from parts around the world, and within him is every trend in music, television, politics and culture contributing to his philosophical and comically analytical reflections collected in his fine book of memories. I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book! It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are.

© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Gary Wright Interview: The ‘Dream Weaver’ to Perform on ‘Sail Rock 2013’ Tour

By Ray Shasho

Gary Wright is a celestial keyboard virtuoso, idyllic songwriter, and vocalist with powerful soulful pipes. Wright is an innovator of the synthesizer and over the years has managed to condense his many synthesized melodies into a single keyboard strapped around his neck.

Although born and raised in Cresskill, New Jersey, Wright founded the British rock group Spooky Tooth in 1967. Wright would later become most recognized for his two solo hit singles “Dream Weaver” in 1975 and “Love Is Alive” in 1976.
 
Gary Wright will be joining the ‘Sail Rock 2013’ tour along with Christopher Cross, Orleans, Firefall, John Ford Coley, Robbie Dupree and Player beginning August 5th in West Allis, Wisconsin. Visit Pollstar.com for all the latest concert dates.
 
Gary Wright will also be performing a solo concert at the Largo Cultural Center on Friday October4th at 8p.m. To purchase tickets contact the Largo Cultural Center at www.largo.com or call the box office at 727-587-6793.

SPOOKY TOOTH: Gary Wright joined the band 'Art' in 1967. The ‘V.I.P.’S’ morphed into 'Art' after several lineup changes since its inception in 1963. The British R&B music ensemble had featured various distinguished musicians including Mike Harrison, Greg Ridley, Jimmy Henshaw, Keith Emerson, Luther Grosvenor, Walter Johnstone and Mike Kellie.

 
Keith Emerson (The Nice, ELP) left in 1967 when the name was changed to Art. The band eventually turned into Spooky Tooth with a lineup of Wright (organ, keyboards and vocals), Harrison (vocals, keyboards) Ridley (bassist), Grosvenor (guitar, vocals) and Kellie (drums).

In 1968, Spooky Tooth released their debut album entitled … It’s All About. The album featured covers by Janis Ian and Bob Dylan. Most of the other tracks were either written or co-written by Gary Wright.

The bands next release Spooky Two (1969) released on Island Records was hailed by critics as one of their finest recordings. The album featured many of the bands standards including “Evil Woman” and “Better by You, Better Than Me” a tune written by Wright and eventually covered by Judas Priest in 1978.

Spooky Tooth quickly became a highly sought concert attraction and a mainstay on progressive rock radio. The band shared the stage with such legendary music acts as Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones.
Bassist Greg Ridley left in 1969 to join Humble Pie, Andy Leigh replaced him.
 
Also in 1969, the group released Ceremony (Spooky Tooth and Pierre Henry album) a progressive collaboration with the French electronic composer.

Session musician: Wright left Spooky Tooth briefly to produce albums for Traffic and Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller and his production company. Gary Wright became an esteemed session musician and was asked to play on George Harrison’s triple- album set All Things Must Pass (1970).

Wright and Harrison began a long lasting friendship and musical collaboration that included Wright playing or sharing songwriting tasks on several of Harrison’s subsequent albums including … Living in the Material World (1973), Dark Horse (1974), Extra Texture (Read All About It)(1975), Thirty Three & 1/3(1976), George Harrison(1979), Cloud Nine (1987).

The Last Puff album (1970) primarily featured Mike Harrison while Wright focused on other projects. The release featured an incredible cover version of The Beatles, “I Am The Walrus.” Joe Cocker Grease Band members Henry McCullough, Chris Stainton and Alan Spenner were brought into the studio to work on the album.
In 1971, Gary Wright performed “Two Faced Man” with George Harrison on the Dick Cavett Show. He also played piano on Harry Nilsson’s #1 hit, a Badfinger cover tune entitled, “Without You.”

In 1972, Gary Wright and Mike Harrison reformed Spooky Tooth with a different lineup. The new lineup featured future Foreigner founder and guitarist Mick Jones.

Subsequent Spooky Tooth albums … (You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw (1973), Witness (1973), The Mirror (1974) and Cross Purpose (1999) (Reunion album without Wright, Greg Ridley returned).
Spooky Tooth disbanded in 1974.

Gary Wright and George Harrison visited India in 1974 as a guest of Ravi Shankar. Wright developed a longtime relationship with Shankar after the visit.

SOLO CAREER: Gary Wright released two critically-acclaimed solo albums on A&M Records … Extraction in 1971 and Footprint in 1972.

Wright signed a record deal with Warner Brothers Records in 1974 and achieved his biggest commercial success with the release of The Dream Weaver album (1975). The single “Dream Weaver” reached #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the Cash Box charts. The album also spawned the hit “Love is Alive” (1976) reaching #2 on Billboard’s singles chart. The album peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 albums chart.
The song “Dream Weaver” has been spotlighted on numerous television shows and motion pictures.
“Love is Alive” was covered by several legendary artists including … Chaka Khan, Joe Cocker and Richie Havens.
The Dream Weaver album featured guest musicians …guitarist Ronnie Montrose, drummers Jim Keltner and Andy Newmark, Hammond organist David Foster and Bobby Lyle on additional synthesizers.
In 1981, Gary Wright scored again commercially with “Really Wanna Know You” (#16 Billboard Singles Hit).

Gary Wright Solo albums … Extraction (1971), Footprint (1972), The Dream Weaver (1975), The Light of Smiles(1977), Touch and Gone (1978), Headin’Home (1979), The Right Place (1981), Who I Am (1988), First Signs of Life (1995), Human Love (1999), Waiting to Catch the Light (2008), The Light of a Million Suns (EP) (2008), Connected (2010).

In 2004, Wright, Harrison and Kellie reunited Spooky Tooth for several concerts in Germany. As a result of their triumphant return they released the Nomad Poets DVD in 2007.
The same lineup played a series of European dates in 2008.

Most recently: Gary Wright toured with Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band in 2008.
In 2010, Wright released his latest studio album entitled Connected and features guest artists … Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.
Gary Wright is currently writing his 'memoir' for the Penguin Group and should be available sometime near the end of 2014.
I had the great pleasure of chatting with Gary Wright recently about ‘Sail Rock 2013,’ Spooky Tooth, George Harrison, the music business, metaphysics and much-much more.

Here’s my interview with legendary singer, songwriter, keyboardist, music pioneer, Spooky Tooth founder, the original ‘Dream Weaver’ and soon to be published author … GARY WRIGHT.
Ray Shasho: How’s it going Gary, are you in California?
Gary Wright: “Very good Ray, no I’m looking at the ocean in Maui.”
Ray Shasho: Gary, we’ve actually got two different concerts to promote… first, the ‘Sail Rock 2013’ tour and then a solo show that you’ll be doing on October 4th at the Largo Cultural Center in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Gary Wright: “We’ve already done one ‘Sail Rock’ show in New York and then did a couple of shows without me because I’m on holiday now, but I’ll join them on the 5th of August in West Allis, Wisconsin just outside of Milwaukee.”
“I’ve always liked playing in Florida, so I’m also looking forward to performing in Tampa Bay.”
Ray Shasho: Your most recent album is entitled Connected. The album features Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter as guest artists. It’s an exceptional album. My favorite tracks are… “Satisfied” and “Can’t Find No Mercy” and your voice is superlative, much like it sounded in the 70’s.
Gary Wright: “I enjoyed making that album it was a lot of fun. “Can’t Find No Mercy” is my favorite track. My voice hasn’t changed really very much I still do all my songs when I perform live and still do them in the original keys. I’ve been blessed with that ability to retain that. Connected was a labor of love. I took my time doing it and trying to record it real simple, kind of like the way I recorded The Dream Weaver.”
“I have a new project that I’m working on right now … I’m writing a book and it’s coming out October of 2014. It’s my memoirs and my relationship with George Harrison and Ringo Starr and just basically my life story. The E-book version of the book, there will be new songs that will be on it, video sets, bonus material and all kinds of things that have never been released. It’s been a lot of fun; I’m about two thirds of the way through it. The Penguin Group is really excited about it and it’s been a fun experience.”
Ray Shasho: Gary, I’ve had several metaphysical conversations here of late with Mike Love (The Beach Boys), and Dave Davies (The Kinks). What sorts of techniques do you practice for spiritual awareness and physical and mental well being?
Gary Wright: “I’ve been meditating for thirty five years. I practice the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda which George Harrison introduced me to. What I found in Yogananda’s teachings was that they were amazingly advanced and really gave you the ability to reach a deeper state of consciousness. He just gives techniques, when you find the teachers or gurus from India, most of them tell you the rules of life to follow, the dos and the don’ts, and what you need to live a good life, but they don’t really show you the techniques to meditate deeply . So through the years I kept practicing it and do it regularly and it really has changed me dramatically. It’s a big part of my life.”
“Music is an extremely powerful force if used properly to uplift people. I believe music should be uplifting and not downgrading … it’s a very-very powerful tool.”
Ray Shasho: It used to be a powerful tool, not so sure about the stuff on mainstream radio though.
Gary Wright: “Unfortunately music devolved instead of evolved. The music business got into the hands of lawyers and accountants rather than the entrepreneurial creative people and that’s when the beginning of the end started. It’s all based on money instead of art and creativity.
Ray Shasho: Mainstream radio won’t promote anything new by legendary music artists … just the oldies. I’m always reviewing new music from the artists that I grew up with and they’re actually sounding better with age.
Gary Wright: “Most of them are turning to do just live performances and not releasing a lot of new material. Somebody told me the other day that Billy Joel wasn’t going to record any new albums, that he had no interest. Some people are saying … why make a new album if isn’t going to be heard. I have heard some new artists that are quite good but it’s just so hard for them, if they get one hit that’s great and very-very lucky if they get two. But it’s not a sustaining type of situation anymore, a career building industry like it used to be.”
Ray Shasho: Gary do you think there’s life out there beyond earth?
Gary Wright: “Oh yea, by the law of averages there has to be life elsewhere. The universe is so huge and I don’t think God would have created this whole big huge cosmos and just say there’s only going to be life on earth and that’s it. I believe in … and this is part of Indian philosophy as well, that there’s life in other solar systems, other planets, some more advanced, some not as advanced as we are, it’s all relative … all these things definitely exist. We’re all use to the paradigm that we’re oxygen breathing human beings, there might be life breathing ammonia gas or some other type of gas we don’t even know about. I don’t think God can be pinned down to any specific kind of thing, his ingenuity is incredibly great.”
Ray Shasho: How did you and George Harrison become really good friends?
Gary Wright: “I played on his album All Things Must Pass and we became friends. He invited me to play on future albums and played guitar and produced one of the tracks on my album Footprint. He also played slide guitar on another track. So we were good friends, he was my spiritual mentor.”
Ray Shasho: I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary on HBO entitled Living in the Material World (2011) which was an excellent film about the life of George Harrison. I was fascinated about a clip that revealed Harrison’s dissatisfaction with life as we know it on this planet and an eagerness to embark towards the afterlife.
Gary Wright: “He was referring to the astral world … that’s true. The astral world or heavenly realms are like a passage from earthy existence. This is a school that we’re in right now, learning to get rid of our flaws and all that, and go to the astral world which doesn’t have any disease or the vermin that we have in the world today …a universe made of light.”
“George did a lot of good for the planet with his music and was just a wonderful human being. I’m sure he’s being rewarded with some heavenly realms somewhere in the astral heavens.”
Ray Shasho: Two of my favorite Spooky Tooth albums were You Broke My Heart So … I Busted Your Jaw (1973) and Witness (1973) and I was very fortunate to see the band perform in concert that same year those albums were released.
Gary Wright: “Actually Eminem recorded “Self Seeking Man” and rewrote part of the lyrics to one of his songs entitled “Spend Some Time.” I wrote “Self Seeking Man” from the You Broke My Heart So … I Busted Your Jaw album and he changed the title.”
Ray Shasho: I watched a sort of recent Spooky Tooth reunion video on You Tube that featured classics like “Evil Woman” and “Waitin’ For The Wind.” You guys sounded incredible!
Gary Wright: “Thank you very much, probably from the Nomad Poets DVD in 2004. It was myself, Mike Harrison, Mike Kellie and some other musicians.”
Ray Shasho: Do you still talk with Mike Harrison?
Gary Wright: “I communicate with Mike Harrison and every now and then with Mike Kellie. We just had a song of ours sampled by Jay-Z and Kanye West from their last huge album.”
Ray Shasho: It’s obvious that you were influenced by rhythm and blues but added a cosmic element to many of your songs, who are some of the R&B artists that inspired you?
Gary Wright: “Ray Charles, James Brown especially, Bobby Blue Bland, Aretha Franklin and some of the earlier artists like Little Richard. Those were the main ones that initially inspired me.”
Ray Shasho: Gary, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview, If you had a “Field of Dreams” wish, like the movie, to play or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Gary Wright: “Probably George Harrison, he was such a creative person and a great friend.”
Ray Shasho: Gary, thank you for being on the call today, but more importantly for all the great music you’ve given to us and continue to bring. We’ll see you on the ‘Sail Rock 2013’ tour and at your solo performance in Largo, Florida on October 4th.
Gary Wright: “Thanks so much Ray.”

The ‘Sail Rock 2013’ tour stars Christopher Cross, Orleans, Gary Wright, Firefall, John Ford Coley, Robbie Dupree and Player. Visit Pollstar.com for all the latest concert dates.

Gary Wright will also be performing a solo concert at the Largo Cultural Center on Friday October 4th at 8p.m. To purchase tickets contact the Largo Cultural Center at www.largo.com or call the box office at 727-587-6793.

Purchase Gary Wright's latest release Connected at amazon.com
Gary Wright official website at www.thedreamweaver.com
Gary Wright on Facebook
Gary Wright on Twitter
Gary Wright on Myspace

Very special thanks to Jeff Albright of The Albright Entertainment Group

Coming up NEXT … my recent interviews with Melanie and Roy Rogers

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - Please support Ray so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. 
 ~~Pacific Book Review says Ray Shasho is a product of the second half of the 20th century, made in the USA from parts around the world, and within him is every trend in music, television, politics and culture contributing to his philosophical and comically analytical reflections collected in his fine book of memories. I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book! It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are.

© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Burton Cummings Interview: The Guess Who Legend Reveals True Origin of “American Woman.”

By Ray Shasho

Burton Cummings is the legendary voice, songwriter, and keyboardist for Canada’s own classic rock superstars The Guess Who. Although the group has had numerous personnel changes throughout the years, the most prominent members have been Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman.

Cummings was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first band was an R&B group called The Deverons. The band released two singles on the REO Records label.

In 1965, Cummings joined The Guess Who replacing Bob Ashley on keyboards and eventually Chad Allan on vocals. The Guess Who scored commercially with their first international hit “These Eyes” (#6 Billboard Hit) in 1969. The track was featured on their album Wheatfield Soul on the RCA record label. The single was written by Bachman/Cummings and was their first to reach the top ten.

The Guess Who followed with a succession of Top 40 hits including … “Laughing” (#10 U.S. Hit, #1Canada -written by Bachman/Cummings) and “Undun” (#22 U.S. Hit).
 
1970 would prove to be the most pivotal year for The Guess Who. The group scored (2) #1 Hits in the U.S. with “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" and “American Woman” the group’s biggest selling single. The Guess Who also spawned the hits …. “No Time” (#5 U.S. #1 Canada -written by Bachman/Cummings), “Hand Me Down World” (#17 U.S. Hit) and “Share The Land” (#10 U.S. Hit -written by Burton Cummings).

Randy Bachman left The Guess Who in 1970 and would eventually form Bachman- Turner Overdrive.
 
Subsequent albums released by The Guess Who … Canned Wheat (1969), American Woman (1970), Share The Land (1970), So Long, Bennatyne (1971), Rockin’ (1972), Artificial Paradise (1973).

In 1973, Burton Cummings and The Guess Who released one of the group’s most underrated albums entitled The Guess Who #10. The album was a clear diversion from the band’s roots but spotlighted brilliant lyrical content and virtuoso musicianship. The album featured Burton Cummings composition “Glamour Boy.” The track was a jab at David Bowie’s glitter rock insurgence. The album also featured the profound “Cardboard Empire” written by Bill Wallace and Kurt Winter, while hauntingly performed by Cummings.
In 1974, The Guess Who collaborated on their final Top 40 single entitled “Clap For The Wolfman,” (#6 U.S. Billboard Hit) an applicable tribute to legendary radio and TV personality Wolfman Jack.

Subsequent releases: The Guess Who #10 (1973), Road Food (1974), Flavours (1974), Power in the Music (1975), The Way They Were (1976).
The Guess Who disbanded in 1975.

In 1983, Bachman, Cummings, Jim Kale and Garry Peterson reunited as The Guess Who to play a series of Canadian gigs and recorded the Together Again live album and video.

Bachman and Cummings reunited again in 1997 to perform in Winnipeg for a disaster relief fund raiser.

An eclectic Guess Who reunion ensued in 2000 featuring Bachman, Cummings, McDougall, Kale and Peterson. Bill Wallace eventually replaced Kale while the group toured regularly through 2003. A live album and DVD followed at the end of the 2000 tour.

The Guess Who was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2001. Cummings received an additional Star in 2011.
The Guess Who performed for an estimated 450,000 people at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, a benefit concert in 2003.

The Guess Who continues to tour with only original members … drummer Garry Peterson and bassist Jim Kale.

Burton Cummings also amassed a widely successful solo career. He landed a huge hit with “Stand Tall” (#10 U.S. #1 Hit Canada) in 1976.

Burton Cummings solo albums …Burton Cummings (1976), My Own Way to Rock (1977), Dream of a Child (1978), Woman Love (1980), The Best of Burton Cummings (1980), Sweet Sweet (1981), Heart (1984), Plus Signs (1990), The Burton Cummings Collection (1994), Up Close and Alone (1996), Above the Ground (2008).

In 2002, The Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts in Winnipeg, Manitoba was renamed to dedicate the singer and songwriter.

In 2008, Cummings released the highly- acclaimed CD Above The Ground. All the tracks on the release are written by Cummings. The album also features his touring band The Carpet Frogs.

In 2009, Cummings received the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

In 2012, Burton Cummings Massey Hall was released –an incredible live CD recorded in Toronto.

Most recently … Burton Cummings is on a summer tour. He’ll be releasing a book of poetry soon entitled, ‘The Writings of B. L. Cummings,’ and a video series called RUFF.

I had the rare opportunity to chat with Burton Cummings recently about the summer tour, the true origin of “American Woman,” The life and times of The Guess Who, Canada, Wolfman Jack and so much more!
Here’s my interview with singer, songwriter, musician and legendary voice of 'The Guess Who' …BURTON CUMMINGS.
Ray Shasho: Hello Burton, thank you for being on the call this afternoon.
Burton Cummings: “It’s my pleasure Ray.”
Ray Shasho: How’s the summer tour coming along?
Burton Cummings: “We’re doing great, actually we just came back from Kamloops, British Columbia and we did an outdoor gig last Saturday night on the side of a mountain in a natural amphitheatre and it was so beautiful. Last Saturday, there were moments when we were onstage that felt like 1968 or 1969 again, it was just great. There were tons and tons of people, they all brought their dogs, everybody had a great time and it was really terrific.”
Ray Shasho: Was that a music festival?
Burton Cummings: “It’s a one time a year festival at Sun Peaks which is a ski resort, and we could see all the cleared runs coming down the mountains and we played in this beautiful natural amphitheatre …just tremendous. So it’s been a pretty good summer so far, we’ve got another big one in Edmonton this week, Klondike Days, there’s all these big festivals in Canada, and after that I’m doing a couple of one-man shows in New York City and a place called The City Winery … so it’s a pretty busy summer.”
Ray Shasho: Burton, I’ve always wanted to see Canada but never got around to it.
Burton Cummings: “It’s beautiful it’s just cold for a lot of people’s taste. I grew up in Winnipeg and it’s thirty below a lot there. Thirty-thirty five below is not uncommon. I’m in California now which is a totally different world completely. I think I’m turning into a wimp because I can’t take the cold the way that I used to. When we were kids we just played hockey all day long outside and we’d come home with frozen toes and frozen finger tips and frozen cheeks and that was just an everyday occurrence.”
Ray Shasho: Canadians are buying lots of property here in Florida.
Burton Cummings: “Now they’re calling Toronto … New York north. It’s such a huge place; it just became the fourth largest city in North America. How about this …Toronto just passed Chicago in population. The city has always been cutting-edge, the CN Tower is one of the wonders of the world, but you know what’s huge there is the film festival. When they have the Toronto Film Festival they call it Hollywood north, because every major star is always there, every major studio is always represented. When you’re in Toronto at film festival time you can’t get a reservation at a restaurant or an elevator in your hotel, it’s just completely overrun. It’s good for Toronto and good for Canada.”
Ray Shasho: We never seem to hear negative news coming out of Canada, things always appear somewhat peaceful and I really like that.
Burton Cummings: “Here’s the thing … in Canada we have one-tenth the population that the U.S. does. So just purely by the numbers there’s going to be a lot less crime. We have socialized medicine in Canada which is very-very attractive to Americans. It’s the same as Sweden. You know another place in Canada that people rave about is Quebec City, there’s so much history there. So a lot of people particularly from the United States go to Quebec and get the European experience without going all the way over to Europe. So when you think of it that way, it’s kind of cool.”
Ray Shasho: I chatted with some guys that may have been on your last studio album entitled, Above the Ground … I interviewed Gino Vannelli and chatted with Brother Ross Vannelli.
Burton Cummings: “Ross sang on my last studio album, I know all of them quite well. Joe was my engineer and Ross is the youngest of the three, he sang and played a little guitar on my last album too. Joe was the assistant producer and Ross just came in and did some musical stuff. Joe helped me out a lot, he’s a great engineer. And he’s got a beautiful state of the art studio out in Agoura Hills, California … it’s not that big but these days it doesn’t have to be that big anymore, everything has shrunk so drastically.”
Ray Shasho: Many music artists are recording from their computers at home nowadays?
Burton Cummings: “There’s a very famous story that PINK did most of her album from a laptop on the bus between gigs. You can actually do that know.”
Ray Shasho: Don’t you kind of miss that big music studio experience though?
Burton Cummings: “I do miss the big room experience that we used to have in the old days recording at the RCA Studios in LA and then also with Richard Perry at Studio 55 which was adjacent to the Paramount Pictures lot. I kind of miss the studio experience to a degree but also I love the technology, what you can do is sort of fix things. I don’t use a lot of Auto-Tune but if I have a piano clunker, you can now go right in and dial that bad key out, whereas before you had to do a whole new take and go beginning to end. It’s a double-edged sword; I don’t like the fact that there are so many machines on records now and another thing I don’t like, Joe Vannelli said this to me too, have you ever noticed in the last eight or nine years … everything is perfect. It’s not supposed to be perfect, there’s never a tiny glitch in the vocals, never a bad note on anything because producers and engineers are just fixing everything. I think you can over-fix things. I think you can fix things to death. There’s no human element left. I don’t think the vocal is supposed to be tuned like a guitar string. But that’s just me; I’m 65 and seeing it through older eyes.”
Ray Shasho: I spun 45’s and album tracks when I was a Top 40 radio deejay back in the late 70’s and that technology brought the radio listening audience the greatest music the world has ever known.
Burton Cummings: “The thing about radio that is disappointing now is the voice- tracking. It’s not live like it was, when I was a kid you could phone-in and now with voice- tracking, people don’t realize … I really shouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, maybe a lot of your readers don’t realize how much voice- tracking really goes on. It is true; I did AM radio in my hometown of Winnipeg for awhile with my best friend Gary MacLean. We did the 3-6, drive home in the afternoon shift and what I liked about it the most was that they let me pick all the music. So I was showing up with literally great big shopping bags of my own collection of CD’s. We were picking them right on the spot, live radio like the old days, taking calls from people and playing all the stuff that I chose, it was an oldies station so it was right up my alley. I’m telling man, it was some of the most fun that I ever had in my life. I was doing three or four different characters, different voices, and people actually thought sometimes that there were three and four different people in the studio with us and it was all just me. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. I might have actually gone into radio if I hadn’t been so lucky with the music.”
Ray Shasho: Burton, I’ve got to say man, you’re imitation of Gordon Lightfoot rocks!
(All Laughing)
Burton Cummings: “I actually did it in front of him one night. Years and years ago I was playing a week at a big cabaret place in Toronto called the Imperial Room and it had quite a history, Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis Jr. and all the stars from earlier on had played there. So I went in and did a week and I was doing that imitation in my show of Gordon. I guess by the end of the week they were writing it up in the papers and some of his friends had been there and had seen me do it. So Saturday night, the last night of the show, he comes down and sits right in front of me, gets a table in front of my piano. So it gets to that point in the show and of course I did the imitation right in front of him. It was hilarious! When I do it onstage people howl with laughter, it’s pretty funny. I like impressionists. When I was a kid watching The Ed Sullivan Show, other than The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five my favorite stuff were always the impressionists.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve heard many different versions about the origin behind “American Woman.” What is the true origin behind the making of “American Woman?”
Burton Cummings: “Alright here are the true goods …it was jammed onstage one night in Mississauga, Ontario, we were playing at a club called the Broom & Stone which was actually a curling rink and doing two shows that night. I guess we hadn’t gotten that big yet. Between the two shows, I was outside bartering with this kid, he had some old Gene Vincent records that I wanted to get for my collection and tried to strike-up a deal with this guy. The next thing I know, it’s time to start the second show and the other three guys have gone back onstage and I hear them start this riff … (Burton began mimicking the opening riff to “American Woman.”) I said to this guy … Oh my God; I’m supposed to be onstage man, I’ve got to run, I’ll see you later about these Gene Vincent records.”

“I run inside and run up onto the stage and just grab a microphone and started singing whatever came into my head; it was all stream of consciousness at the moment stuff … all that stuff about war machines and ghetto scenes, colored lights can hypnotize …it was all just spur- of- the- moment. And nobody would have ever heard it again but there happened to be a kid bootlegging the show that night. This was way back in the 60’s and he had a cassette machine, and those machines were a relatively new invention at that time. But this was 1968, forty-five years ago. We noticed this onstage as the night went on and he still kept recording. So we motioned to our road manager… go get that tape-go get that tape! He got the cassette tape and we listened to it later and heard this jam about American Woman stay away from me. So we actually kind of learned it from that tape, otherwise nobody would have ever heard it again. So talk about a Cinderella story. And that was a monstrous hit record for us; it was number one on Billboard for three weeks. So it was all an accident, I guess the music Gods were smiling on us. The music Gods probably sent that kid with the cassette machine.”

“When RCA heard “American Woman,” the guy that was head of A&R was listening and he threw up his newspaper in the air and said, “That’s a number one record!” He immediately new it was going to be big. You know what’s interesting too, thirty years later Lenny Kravitz covered it. We did a big thing for MuchMusic in Toronto which is the MTV of Canada. It was the real Guess Who that reformed back in 2000-2001, the real band not that touring band that calls itself The Guess Who, the real band got together again for about a year and a half. And us together we Lenny’s band got together and did “American Women” onstage outside the MuchMusic studios and there were thousands of people in the street. At the end, Lenny and I were actually trading vocal lines, it was pretty cool.”

“Another cool thing on millennium night, New Years of 1999, Prince had a pay per view special on television and he was wailing away and said, “I’d like to introduce my friend Lenny Kravitz!” Out comes Lenny …and Prince and Lenny Kravitz together do “American Woman.” Trading vocal lines and trading guitar lines. It’s all over You Tube if you want to check it out …it’s very cool. Here’s the thing that made me so proud …a love song is a love song. A love song a hundred years later is going to have the same effect that it did a hundred years earlier. When a song is not a love song, it’s very unusual that it would make sense thirty years later because times change, whether it is political or apolitical or just observational, it’s very-very odd and very-very rare that a non-love song would surface thirty years later and still be relevant. That’s what makes me so proud about those lyrics … I don’t need your war machines, I don’t need your ghetto scenes … that could have been written last night! For me as a lyricist, it was one of my proudest moments because to have it stand up again and not be corny. It was also the biggest record of Lenny’s career.”
Ray Shasho: Burton, I’ve been waiting a long time to talk with you about one of the most underrated albums in rock history … The Guess Who #10 album.
Burton Cummings: “Do you know why it’s one of my favorites … if you check the writing credits, I wrote almost everything on it with no co-writers and at that time took the reins of the band and we had a real direction on that album. It wasn’t the cheeriest album but I thought it hit pretty hard. The reason I like it so much is that it was the closest thing to a solo album that I ever did while I was still in The Guess Who. I was really running the ship at that point and I think the songs were good …”Just Let Me Sing, “Self Pity” and I always thought “Glamour Boy” was one of the best things that I ever wrote. I do like #10, I’m really glad to hear you say that.”
Ray Shasho: My favorite track on the album was actually “Cardboard Empire” … just an incredible tune.
Burton Cummings: “That’s a great one, it’s one I didn’t write but it’s a great song.”
Ray Shasho: I get chills when I hear that tune; it can easily be associated with modern day America.
Burton Cummings: “Who are the people, who are the people that you think you are … man that could easily be sung directly to Dick Cheney.”
Ray Shasho: Who was “Glamour Boy” directed at?
Burton Cummings: “David Bowie …absolutely! He came along and changed everything. It bothered me a lot at first because we weren’t a glam band. We wore the same clothes onstage that we wore all day and while we were travelling. We never dressed up and had dancers and crazy costumes and pyrotechnics; we were all about the music. We used to dress like Kurt Cobain. We never played the glamour game. Then all of a sudden Bowie came along and it was Ziggy Stardust and makeup and costumes …and it really threatened me. And I also saw that he was making tons of money … for $25,000 you could look like a woman tonight … that’s where that came from, it was just a jab at what was changing so drastically.”
Ray Shasho: Well, I thought The Guess Who #10 album was a masterpiece yet it didn’t get much acclaim.
Burton Cummings: “You know what, ironically here we are talking about it and it’s exactly 40 years ago. It was 1973 and exactly 40 years ago.”
Ray Shasho: Your long hair on the front album cover was probably as long as mine back in 1973.
(All Laughing)
Burton Cummings: “At one point it actually touched my elbows. I look at those pictures now and wow man that was another lifetime.”
Ray Shasho: I’m so glad that you and the band wrote a fitting tribute to Wolfman Jack … an American icon.
Burton Cummings: “He was a radio legend … way before MTV we were on The Midnight Special a couple of times and they took a shine to us because we were a pretty good live act. The Midnight Special was all live. So if you went on there and was lame live, you weren’t asked back. When we were on the first time they loved us, so we went back a second time and hung out with Wolman a little bit and got to be friendly. Billy and Kurt were writing a song called “Clap for Napoleon.” Napoleon being a CB handle, when the big CB/trucker thing was a rage in the 70’s. …everybody had a handle. So they were going to write a song about a trucker’s handle, and I said I love this riff but if we made this lyrically about the Wolfman it would have a universal appeal. So they agreed with me and I went home that night and banged out the lyrics and sure enough it was a top five record.”

“Wolfman was a great guy, we hung out a lot and he used to come MC our shows back in The Guess Who days. One time we did a show in Honolulu at the HIC Honolulu International Center … It was Aerosmith first, The Guess Who and Wolfman was the MC. I still remember Tyler running around and yelling … “Where’s the Wolfman! Where’s the Wolfman!””
Ray Shasho: Burton, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview, If you had a “Field of Dreams” wish, like the movie, to play or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Burton Cummings: “Fats Domino and of course every kid that’s my age back in the 60’s would have dreamt on being with The Beatles. What keyboard player wouldn’t have wanted to be Billy Preston when he played with them on “Get Back.” If I had only one wish it would be to be the fifth Beatle …to be The Beatle keyboard player and singer.”
Ray Shasho: Burton you’re such a great singer, songwriter, and performer, I saw you and The Guess Who perform in 1973 and watched you perform with Ringo Starr & His All- Starr Band.
Burton Cummings: I think of all the Ringo Starr All- Starr bands, and I’m not just saying this because it’s me, I think ours was the best. We had Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Dave Edmunds, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren, myself on keyboards, Ringo and Zack on drums. I’ve seen the other lineups and he’s had a lot of great bands but I think ours was the best. It was a tremendous experience.”
Ray Shasho: You mentioned before the “other Guess Who” … they actually performed on the 4th of July in Palmetto, Florida not far from where I live.
Burton Cummings: “Oh goodness, good luck to them. It’s a scam because they use the real records to draw people to their crowds and a lot of people still think that Randy and I are going to be there and it’s terrible. They’ve got to live that lie so I don’t think about them too much. I’ve got a whole different life since then.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve had this same conversation with so many guys who were the leaders of their bands like Lou Gramm (Foreigner) and Peter Rivera (Rare Earth).
Burton Cummings: “Well let’s face it tonight somewhere at some casino you can go and see The Platters. Somewhere tonight you can go and see The Temptations. But you know what, it’s not the guys who are on the records. So for me I don’t care, once it’s not the guys on the record I’d rather sit home and play the records. Grand Funk is out there without Mark Farner … it’s a sad state of affairs, one of these days there will be a law passed. There are a couple of guys who are thinking about it, taking it to the courts and getting a law established that there has to be at least 60 or 80% of the original band. It gets down to the point where somebody just owns the name and it’s just like a franchise, like owning a McDonalds.”
Ray Shasho: When will you be releasing ‘The Writings of B. L. Cummings’ a book of poetry?
Burton Cummings: “Probably in the next couple of months, we’re just making the final tweaks and making the cover look beautiful. We have a video series call RUFF … it’s going to be volumes and volumes; I’ve had a videographer follow me around for the last 13 years. We’ve finally got volume one edited, there’s some live concert footage, backstage foolery and shenanigans and it covers all kinds of ground. So it’s been a busy time for me.”
Ray Shasho: Burton, thank you so much for being on the call today, but more importantly for all the incredible music you’ve given to us and continue to bring.
Burton Cummings: “Very kind words, my hat size is going up from all the praise. Thank you very much Ray, my pleasure.”

Purchase Burton Cummings latest studio release … Above the Ground and
Live CD …Burton Cummings Massey Hall at amazon.com
Visit Burton Cummings official website at http://burtoncummings.com/
Burton Cummings on Facebook
Burton Cummings on Twitter

Very special thanks to Lorne Saifer

Coming up NEXT … Recent interviews with Gary Wright, Melanie and blues slide guitarist Roy Rogers

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