Robbie Bachman, the drummer and co-founder of the '70s rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at age 69.
The news was confirmed by the musician's older brother Randy Bachman — who fronted the band — Thursday via Twitter.
"Another sad departure," Randy tweeted. "The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary on the other side. Maybe Jeff Beck needs a drummer! He was an integral cog in our rock 'n' roll machine and we rocked the world together."
Born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1953, Robbie played for several bands in the area before Randy invited him to join his new band, Brave Belt, with Chad Allan, according to the Guardian. Together they released two albums, in 1971 and 1972. After Allan departed in 1973, they changed their name to Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
That same year, the band released its self-titled debut album, which charted at No 9 in Canada and No 70 on the Billboard rock chart. The band rose to prominence however, after releasing its sophomore album, "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II," several months later.
The album, which produced the Top 40 single "Let It Ride" as well as one of the band's most popular songs, "Takin' Care of Business," reached the Top 10 in both the U.S. and Canada.
The band's third album, "Not Fragile" thrust them further into the limelight and spurred their mainstream success. The album produced their hit single "Roll on Down the Highway," which was originally written for a car advert but ended up at No 22 on the U.K. singles chart, No 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No 4 on the Canadian chart.
Bachman–Turner Overdrive continued to produce music throughout the 1970s, releasing five more albums before briefly disbanding in the late 1970s. The band reformed in 1983 but Robbie declined to join the lineup, citing issues with Randy over management of the band.
In 2014, Bachman–Turner Overdrive were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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