CFL.ca Staff
EDMONTON — Two Canadian music legends will rock the country’s biggest and most iconic sporting event when Randy Bachman and Fred Turner star at the Pepsi Max Half-Time Show at the 98th Grey Cup November 28th on TSN and RDS.
“This is a huge honour and we’re tremendously excited about it,” said Bachman, who reunited with Turner, as “Bachman & Turner”, last spring, 20 years after Bachman-Turner Overdrive became an international musical phenomenon with extraordinary global success marked by hits such as “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, “Taking Care of Business”, “Hey You”, and “Looking Out for #1.”
“The Grey Cup is the battle of the titans, east versus west, and pure Canadiana. Played over the years in snow and ice and sleet, it’s like a great Canadian band that drives through a blizzard to get to a gig. The show always goes on and it’s always a great show.”
Like Bachman, Turner remembers growing up in Winnipeg cheering for the Blue Bombers, and joining their local “quarterback club” for young fans.
“I’m excited to be playing with Randy again. It’s been like putting on a pair of old slippers, the transition has been so smooth,” Turner said.
“And to be part of such an important event, that means so much to Canadians, is just a big plus, plus, plus.”
The duo and their top-notch band have released two new singles, “Rolling Along” and “Slave to the Rhythm,” which are currently available for sale at iTunes.
The tracks are featured on Bachman & Turner’s self-titled, brand new album released last month on E1 Music (Canada) and RBE Music/Fontana (U.S.).
“Pepsi MAX is proud of its distinction as the best tasting zero-calorie cola, equally proud to be the title sponsor of the Grey Cup Half Time Show, and especially excited about this year’s artists,” said Dale Hooper, Vice-President Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada.
“There couldn’t be a better musical choice than Bachman & Turner. These guys are legends who have earned their place on centre stage at Canada’s premier sporting event. Together, we’re going to rock this year’s Grey Cup Half Time Show like never before.”
The news the group is headlining the Pepsi Max halftime show at Grey Cup this year was officially announced today on TSN during halftime of the CFL game between the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“The Grey Cup is more than a game, and more than a party. It’s a Canadian icon, a celebration of our country, its history, and its culture, and yet it remains true to its down to earth roots, accessible to our fans and an annual part of the lives of so many Canadians,”said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
“In that way, Bachman & Turner are a perfect fit. Here are two musical legends, representative of an incredible era in Canadian music, and yet they and their sound are down to earth and completely without pretense. We know they’ll rock a sold-out Commonwealth Stadium.”
Bachman & Turner are to be celebrated for their achievements and contributions to rock history with an induction to the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame next March, during Canadian Music Week in Toronto.
Randy Bachman’s legendary career took off in the mid 70s, when he earned his first colossal success with the Winnipeg rock band the Guess Who, when their hit “American Woman” scored the #1 spot on the Billboard charts, a first for any Canadian act.
He soared further when he teamed with Fred Turner in Bachman-Turner Overdrive: the band’s distinctive brand of stripped down, blue collar, meat ‘n’ potatoes rock headlined some of the biggest arenas in the world – from New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s Hammersmith Odeon, to Hamburg’s Congress Centrum and the Falkoner Centre in Copenhagen.
When the two stars went their separate ways later that decade, Randy Bachman continued to pursue his unwavering love for music as a solo artist, as well as being part of the much-celebrated Guess Who reunion, then Bachman-Cummings, and subsequently establishing himself as a jazz artist and host of the CBC/Sirius radio show, “Vinyl Tap.” Meanwhile, Fred Turner carried on with the other members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, before retiring from music at the end of the 90’s to indulge his passion for cars.
But the two had lingering feelings, which persisted for more than a decade, that they had some “unfinished” musical business. The result was Bachman & Turner’s world debut in June of this year at the Sweden Rock Festival, alongside some of their contemporaries including Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses and Billy Idol.
The band is currently playing select shows in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, backed by top musicians Brent Howard, Marc LaFrance and Mick Dalla-Vee and, now, on the road to the Grey Cup.
