Although their Billboard chart success lasted just over two years, Bachman-Turner Overdrive left their mark with seven Top 40 hits that sold over thirty million copies worldwide.

There were many who expressed their surprise when lead guitarist Randy Bachman abruptly quit The Guess Who in May, 1970, just as one of their biggest records, "American Woman" was racing towards Billboard's number one spot. In later years, Bachman would explain that other band members' life styes conflicted with his then-Mormon beliefs. Coupling that with health problems and wanting to spend more time with his family cemented his decision.

The following year Randy teamed up with former Guess Who frontman Chad Allan, who had left that group four years earlier. Adding Randy's brother Robbie Bachman on drums, the new trio called themselves Brave Belt. Their debut, self-titled album met with little success, but their record label, Reprise Records, still encouraged them to tour in support of the effort. At the suggestion of fellow Canadian artist Neil Young, bassist Fred Turner was added to the line-up to perform before live audiences. Pleased with his playing and singing, Turner was soon invited to become a full-fledged member of the band in time for the recording of the LP "Brave Belt II" in 1972. Shortly after the album was completed, Chad Allen left the band. To fill out the group's sound, another Bachman brother, Tim, was brought in to play guitar. After "Brave Belt II" failed to stir much interest from the record buying public, the band's mid-1972 tour was cut short.

The seeds of what would become the Bachman-Turner sound were sown at a university show in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Brave Belt's Country style music was going over so poorly that the show's promoter decided to replace them with a more Rock-oriented band from Toronto. When that didn't work out, he implored Brave Belt to stay on and play heavier, Classic Rock songs. When they did, the dance floor immediately filled up. Randy would later recall, "We instantly saw the difference between playing sit-down music people could talk over and playing music they would jump out of their seats and dance to."

After Reprise dropped Brave Belt, Randy decided to finance another round of recordings out his own pocket. He shopped the tapes around to any label that would listen, but was rejected twenty-six times. As luck would have it, a man named Charlie Fach at Mercury Records returned from a trip and found the usual stack of demo tapes waiting to be listened to. As he slid them across his desk and into a trash can, one of the tapes missed and fell to the floor. When Fach picked it up, he noticed Bachman's name on it and remembered telling Randy that if he ever put a demo together to send it to him. The label was looking for fresh talent, having just lost Uriah Heep and Rod Stewart to competing companies. Fach called Randy and asked if the rest of the album was as good as the first cut, "Gimme Your Money Please". Randy assured him that the other songs were, "just good ol', dancing Rock 'n' Roll." Fach replied, ""Well, I have a meeting with my A&R people, but as far as I'm concerned, this is great and I want to sign it." The band was still using the name Brave Belt, but Charlie Fach was convinced that a new moniker, perhaps one that incorporated Bachman's recognizable name, was needed. An often repeated story says that while on their way back from a show in Toronto, band members spotted a trucking magazine called Overdrive. Fred Turner wrote 'Bachman-Turner Overdrive' and 'B.T.O.' on a napkin. The rest of the group loved it.

When Bachman-Turner Overdrive released their debut album on May 17th, 1973, it managed to gain some modest attention. The LP rose to #70 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart and #9 on RPM Canada. The first single, "Give Me Your Money" / "Little Gandy Dancer" failed to chart, but the second release, "Blue Collar" fared a little better, peaking at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on RPM Canada. Sales of the LP were bolstered by a heavy touring commitment by the band. Wherever they were getting airplay, they would arrange a show, regardless of the tour route. The bands's big break came when radio station KSHE began playing every cut from the album in anticipation of a benefit concert in St. Louis, Missouri. Soon after, Mercury Records received an order for ten thousand copies of BTO's album to be shipped to St. Louis. It would later be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The band's second album, "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II" was issued in December 1973 and rose all the way to #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and to #6 on the RPM chart. The collection would yield two Hot 100 hits, "Let It Ride" (#23) and "Takin' Care Of Business" (#12), both of which stayed in the Billboard Top 40 for over two months. Randy had written the bulk of "Takin' Care Of Business" as "White Collar Worker" several years earlier while still in The Guess Who, but they declined to record it. After hearing Vancouver DJ Darryl Burlingham saying 'This is Darryl B on CFOX Radio and we're taking care of business', Randy replaced the lyrics "white collar worker" with "takin' care of business."

As happens all too often in the music business, success sometimes leads to unwanted consequences. Guitarist Tim Bachman was asked to leave the band in early 1974 for allegedly violating his brother Randy's strict rules for behaving on tour. He was replaced by Blair Thornton from the Vancouver-based band Crosstown Bus. Thornton first appeared on the 1974 album "Not Fragile" (in response to the "Fragile" LP by the Progressive Rock group Yes). That album would prove to be the band's most successful, topping both the U.S. and Canadian album charts and selling over eight million copies. It included BTO's only Billboard number one single, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", which enjoyed a Top 40 run of twelve weeks in late '74 and early 1975. It also led the Cashbox Best Sellers Chart, the RPM Canada chart and reached #2 in the United Kingdom. Randy Bachman wrote the song and recorded it with stuttering lyrics as a joke on his brother, Gary, who spoke with a severe stammer. When Charlie Fach heard it, he loved the song, but after recording a rendition without the stutter, it was decided the original arrangement worked best. Even so, Randy resisted Fach's desire to release the track as a single. Finally, after the song started to generate airplay off the album, Randy gave in. Another benefit derived from the song was that over time, Gary overcame his speech impediment. Next up was "Roll On Down The Highway", which topped out at #14 on the Hot 100, #8 on Cashbox and #4 on RPM.

The band wasted no time in going back to the studio to record their next album, "Four Wheel Drive" in May, 1975. The debut single, "Hey You" stalled at #21 on the Billboard chart, but managed to top the RPM chart. The LP did much better, reaching #5 in both Canada and the U.S. In support of the album, BTO set out on an ambitious, seven month European and American tour supported by their Mercury Records label mates, Thin Lizzy. In between album releases, Mercury issued a stand-alone single called "Down The Line", that just missed Billboard's Top 40, peaking at #43. In Canada it fared better, reaching #13. December of that year brought the band's fifth studio album, "Head On", which would give them their seventh and final Billboard Top 40 hit, "Take It Like A Man", which topped out at a disappointing #33 during a brief three week stay on the chart. The LP also included the Jazz oriented "Lookin' Out For Number One", which reached #15 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The "Head On" album would be the band's last studio album to crack the Hot 200 chart, peaking at #23 in early 1976. July of that year brought the inevitable greatest hits package called "Best Of B.T.O. (So Far)", which became the band's highest selling album. The compilation included "Gimme Your Money Please", from the band's 1973 debut album, which was released as a single. Although it failed to crack the Hot 100, the tune still received a fair amount of radio airplay.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive headed back to the studio in late 1976 and produced "Freeways", an album that would bring about an end to their most successful line-up. Randy, who produced the LP, wanted to shake things up by introducing a new sound which included horns and strings on some tracks. This move away from the heavy BTO sound was not well received by the remaining band members or their fans. Only two of the album's eight songs featured lead vocals by Fred Turner, who was so unhappy that he wouldn't allow a straight-on picture of himself to be used on the cover. "Freeways" could only reach #70 on the Billboard chart and could not muster a charting single. Blair, Rob and Fred told Randy that they were burnt out and wanted to take some time away to regroup. Facing criticism from several directions, Randy Bachman announced that he was leaving the group temporarily to work on a solo album. After a short break, the other three decided to carry on.

Randy was replaced by former April Wine bassist Jim Clench. Fred Turner moved to rhythm guitar and Blair Thornton took over the lead guitar duties. Lead vocals were shared by Clench and Turner. Because Randy retained the rights to his last name, the band was forced to tour and record under the name BTO, although they were allowed to use the gear logo. By February, 1978 the new ensemble was ready to release their first album, "Street Action", but fans were well aware that Randy was gone and the LP sold poorly, spawning no hit singles. March, 1979 brought the LP "Rock 'n' Roll Nights", which garnered sales of about 350,000 world wide and produced one reasonably successful single called "Heartaches". Written by Fred Turner, the song reached #60 on the Hot 100, cracked the Top 40 in Canada and was performed by the band on their February appearance on TV's American Bandstand. After a less than enthusiastic tour for "Rock 'n' Roll Nights", BTO disbanded in late 1979.

After recording his solo album, cheekily titled "Survivor", Randy formed a band called Ironhorse, who issued two mostly ignored albums, "Ironhorse" and "Everything Is Grey", before splitting up. A reformed version of the band, now called Union, included Randy and Fred Turner. The group released one album in 1981 called "On Strike" before packing it in.

Much to the delight of their fans, BTO reconvened in 1983, but not without controversy. Randy Bachman, brother Tim and Fred Turner agreed to reform, but drummer Robbie Bachman said he would only return if he could share in the publishing royalties. When this idea was rejected, Robbie walked away and was replaced by Garry Peterson, the remarkable drummer from The Guess Who. The restructured group started calling themselves BTO, but that was a trademarked name that Randy had sold to Robbie and Blair Thornton, who promptly sued and won. The new group was forced to pay royalties for using that moniker. The band's ninth studio album, called simply "Bachman-Turner Overdrive", was released by Compleat Records in September, 1984. A song called "For The Weekend" was issued as a single, and although it was the first Billboard chart appearance by BTO in five years, it could climb no higher than #83. Two years later they released a live album called "Live! Live! Live!", recorded mostly from concerts in East Rutherford, NJ and Detroit, MI as the opening act on Van Halen's 5150 tour. The exception was "Fragile Man", which was actually a studio recording with audience sounds dubbed in. Another track from the LP, "Bad News Travels Fast" was released on the sound track to a 1987 film called Body Slam, starring Dirk Benedict and Roddy Piper. Another consequence from that tour was the loss of Garry Peterson after he severely injured his leg in a softball game during some downtime on the road. Drum tech and keyboard player Billy Chapman stepped in to fill the void.

When the Van Halen tour ended in November, 1986, Randy Bachman dropped out once again and Tim kept the band going for a few shows. By 1988, Randy, Fred Turner, Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman reformed BTO and set out on the road. A few songs were recorded, but most never saw the light of day. Only a cover of Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs' 1965 hit, "Wooly Bully" ended up on the soundtrack to a movie called American Boyfriends.

By late 1991, the band agreed to take brief hiatus, and Randy began working on other projects. The rest of the group realized that they were making a good living with live shows and reversed their decision to disband. This left Randy out of BTO once again. Guitarist Randy Murray, who had been part of Tim Bachman's '87-'88 touring edition of BTO, was brought in as a replacement. This incarnation of the group, with Robbie Bachman, Fred Turner, Blair Thompson and Randy Murray, would prove to be the most cohesive, as they toured together from '91 to December, 2004. The only recording produced by this quartet would be 1996's "Trial By Fire: Greatest And Latest", which included some new recordings of old material, four new original songs and one cover tune. It would prove to be the last BTO album that contained any newly written material. The LP, released by the EMI label, was not issued on a large scale in the United States and is a rare find for die-hard fans.

In a career filled with ups and downs, a few more peaks and valleys laid in wait. In 2003, The Canadian Music Hall Of Fame voted to induct Bachman-Turner Overdrive. According to the Hall's guidelines, this would have meant the inclusion of Randy Bachman in a live performance. The touring edition of the band countered that they would only accept the invitation if they could be inducted as BTO, without Randy playing on stage. The Hall refused and the band was not inducted that year. Still very active with live performances, BTO had been working on yet another album, with ten songs ready to record. Unfortunately they could not find a record company interested and nothing ever materialized. A live album, recorded at a 2003 concert in their home town of Winnipeg, has also never appeared and the band began an extended hiatus. Although rumors of regrouping surfaced from time to time, Robbie Bachman stated flat out that he no longer had any interest in drumming.

Setting their differences aside, Tim Bachman joined brother Randy on stage at a show on January 23rd, 2009. It was the first time they had done so since 2003. Later that year, Randy, who had been hosting a successful radio program called Randy's Vinyl Tap, joined The Guess Who's Burton Cummings for a summer 2009 tour through the U.S. and Canada. These live shows seemed to generate new interest in Bachman-Turner Overdrive's music and Randy once again teamed up with Fred Turner for concert dates in Europe, Canada and America in 2010, backed by Marc LaFrance, Mick Dalla-Vee and Brent Howard. A new album titled "Bachman & Turner" was released by Linus Entertainment on September 7th, 2010 and the band was invited to perform at the halftime show at the 2010 Grey Cup game in Edmonton on November, 28th. Billing themselves as Bachman & Turner brought about another lawsuit by Robbie Bachman and Blair Thornton over the use of the name and trademarked logos.

Still popular on FM and satellite radio, several Bachman-Turner Overdrive albums have been re-issued over the years: "Freeways" (2005), "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II" (2006) and "Four Wheel Drive" (2008). Even "Brave Belt I" and "Brave Belt II" were released on a single CD in 2009. 2013 brought yet another compilation album, this one called "Bachman-Turner Overdrive 40th Anniversary", which features the band's greatest hits, plus four previously unreleased tracks, live cuts from the Japan tour in 1976, and a booklet with the group's history and photographs.

On January 15th, 2014, The Canadian Music Hall Of Fame announced that the Bachman-Turner Overdrive lineup of Randy Bachman, Fred Turner, Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman would finally be enshrined. When asked what had changed between the once feuding former band mates, Randy explained that in any group, family or relationship, differences were bound to occur. Some of the differences were major stumbling blocks, while others were small and petty. He summed up his feelings by saying, "It took decades, but we all grew up." Bachman-Turner Overdrive was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

In March, 2018, after over fifty years of performing and recording, 74-year-old Fred Turner announced his retirement. Randy Bachman posted on his Facebook page, "While he has earned a well-deserved break, I'm going to keep going for as long as I can. Hats off to Fred for a tremendous legacy of rock. Not many can shriek like this man!" True to his word, Randy maintained a touring schedule that had him booked for shows across Canada and the U.S. in 2019 and into 2020.

On January 12th, 2023, Randy Bachman took to social media to announce the death of his 69-year-old brother Robbie. No cause was given. More bad news followed on April 28th of that year, when Tim Bachman died of cancer at the age of 71. Following those two sad events, Randy announced that he would once again appear as Bachman-Turner Overdrive at Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Iowa on August 18th and again in West Springfield, Massachusetts on September 22nd. More dates were later added. He would be joined by his son Tal, along with a trio of touring musicians, but Fred Turner was not expected to participate onstage.

For more, see Gary James' interview with Randy Bachman.