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Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings Reclaim The Guess Who Name and Launch 23-Year-Old Reunion Tour
For the first time in more than two decades, the original architects of The Guess Who’s most enduring hits are back together, reclaiming a name that once slipped through their fingers.
After a protracted legal battle that ended with a 2024 settlement, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings regained the rights to the band’s trademark. The 2026 tour, titled Takin’ It Back, will see the duo perform side‑by‑side for the first time since 2003. The run opens on June 25 at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota, and includes three New York stops—Syracuse on July 7, Wantagh on July 10, and Saratoga Springs on July 14.
The Guess Who burst onto the international stage in the late 1960s and early 1970s with chart‑topping singles such as “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” and “No Time.” Their 1970 album American Woman topped the Canadian charts, and the title track became the first Canadian group song to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Despite that commercial peak, the band never secured a trademark for its name. In 1986, former bassist Jim Kale filed a claim, and he and later guitarist Jim Peterson organized touring lineups that frequently performed without any original members.
According to reports, the legal dispute culminated in a settlement that returned the name to Bachman and Cummings. The case is notable because very few rock acts have lost and then successfully reclaimed their own band name. The reunion tour therefore represents more than a nostalgic performance; it restores the identity and legacy of the original lineup.
The 2026 schedule features 12 U.S. dates, beginning in the Midwest and moving eastward before heading south and west. After the Minnesota opening, the band plays in Cincinnati, Ohio; Cuyahoga, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Clarkston, Michigan; Holmdel, New Jersey; Syracuse, New York; Gilford, New Hampshire; Wantagh, New York; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Saratoga Springs, New York; Uncasville, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and then continues through Atlanta, Houston, Fort Worth, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Bachman will take the stage on guitar and vocals, while Cummings leads on keyboards and singing. A rotating group of supporting musicians will round out the lineup. The setlist is expected to focus on the band’s classic catalog, with occasional selections from Bachman’s later work with Bachman‑Turner Overdrive and Cummings’ solo recordings.
The reunion comes at a time when Canadian rock heritage is being revisited by scholars and fans alike. The legal restoration of the Guess Who name underscores the importance of intellectual property rights for legacy acts and may influence how other bands manage their trademarks.
Tickets for the New York shows are on sale through the band’s official website and major ticketing partners. The tour’s announcement has been met with enthusiasm from longtime fans and industry observers who view the 2026 run as a definitive closure to a decades‑long dispute and a celebration of the band’s enduring influence.
After a protracted legal battle that ended with a 2024 settlement, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings regained the rights to the band’s trademark. The 2026 tour, titled Takin’ It Back, will see the duo perform side‑by‑side for the first time since 2003. The run opens on June 25 at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota, and includes three New York stops—Syracuse on July 7, Wantagh on July 10, and Saratoga Springs on July 14.
The Guess Who burst onto the international stage in the late 1960s and early 1970s with chart‑topping singles such as “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” and “No Time.” Their 1970 album American Woman topped the Canadian charts, and the title track became the first Canadian group song to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Despite that commercial peak, the band never secured a trademark for its name. In 1986, former bassist Jim Kale filed a claim, and he and later guitarist Jim Peterson organized touring lineups that frequently performed without any original members.
According to reports, the legal dispute culminated in a settlement that returned the name to Bachman and Cummings. The case is notable because very few rock acts have lost and then successfully reclaimed their own band name. The reunion tour therefore represents more than a nostalgic performance; it restores the identity and legacy of the original lineup.
The 2026 schedule features 12 U.S. dates, beginning in the Midwest and moving eastward before heading south and west. After the Minnesota opening, the band plays in Cincinnati, Ohio; Cuyahoga, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Clarkston, Michigan; Holmdel, New Jersey; Syracuse, New York; Gilford, New Hampshire; Wantagh, New York; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Saratoga Springs, New York; Uncasville, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and then continues through Atlanta, Houston, Fort Worth, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Bachman will take the stage on guitar and vocals, while Cummings leads on keyboards and singing. A rotating group of supporting musicians will round out the lineup. The setlist is expected to focus on the band’s classic catalog, with occasional selections from Bachman’s later work with Bachman‑Turner Overdrive and Cummings’ solo recordings.
The reunion comes at a time when Canadian rock heritage is being revisited by scholars and fans alike. The legal restoration of the Guess Who name underscores the importance of intellectual property rights for legacy acts and may influence how other bands manage their trademarks.
Tickets for the New York shows are on sale through the band’s official website and major ticketing partners. The tour’s announcement has been met with enthusiasm from longtime fans and industry observers who view the 2026 run as a definitive closure to a decades‑long dispute and a celebration of the band’s enduring influence.