Garry Peterson

Garry Denis Peterson (born May 26, 1945) is a Canadian-American retired drummer. Peterson was originally a "child prodigy" drummer, backing many popular acts in the 1950s, but is best remembered as an original member of the Guess Who. Being the longest-serving member of the group, he was the band's drummer from 1962 to 1975 and appeared with the band for several periodic reunions until 2003.

He later joined Bachman–Turner Overdrive until he was fired a few years later. He subsequently joined an unauthorized Guess Who band put together by original bassist Jim Kale. This version of the band toured and recorded for over 40 years until being stopped in 2024 by lawsuits from Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman.

Career

Early career: 1949–1958 He was born in Winnipeg, and his father, Ferdie Peterson (who was also a drummer) got him to start playing the drums at age two, and professionally when he was four years old. In 1950, when he was five, he played drums for Peggy Lee at the Chicago Theatre. At nine years old, he joined the American Federation of Musicians. His influences are Ringo Starr, David Garibaldi, Buddy Rich, and Gene Krupa. He is also inspired by jazz and classical music, and played in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for one season. met Chad Allan, Bob Ashley, and Jim Kale from Al & the Silvertones who were the band's "biggest rivals" and became Chad Allan and the Reflections. Early photos of the feature Peterson playing the saxophone.

They later renamed the band to the Guess Who and added Burton Cummings as their keyboardist and lead singer. The Guess Who charted fourteen Top 40 singles in the United States and more than thirty in Canada. These songs include "American Woman", "These Eyes", "Laughing", "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature", and "No Time".

Peterson, Cummings and Bill Wallace all played on Rick Neufeld's 1974 album Prairie Dog. Peterson and Cummings toured in the original Guess Who band until 1975.

Post-Guess Who: 1975–1982 When the Guess Who stopped in 1975, Garry formed an unsuccessful band with Mandala lead singer Roy Kenner called Delphia. He then stepped away from music for a few years, working jobs including a night clerk in his father-in-law's hotel and an insurance salesman.

From 1979 to 1983, Peterson played in Burton Cummings' backing band for his solo performances. Between 1981 and 1982, he played drums on albums for Richard Stepp, Herman van Veen, and Nancy Nash.

Bachman–Turner Overdrive: 1983–1986 He backed Burton Cummings for a while, until 1983, when he decided to leave Cummings to join Randy Bachman in Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Peterson plays on their 1984 Bachman–Turner Overdrive album. Although he was not a member at the time, Peterson played percussion, drums and backing vocals on BTO's first album, also called Bachman–Turner Overdrive from 1973, and also performed congas, drums and other percussive instrument on Randy Bachman's solo album Axe in 1970.

Peterson was kicked off of the band's tour after breaking his ankle in an Ice hockey accident. Peterson had received a phone call from Tim Bachman saying that the band "no longer required" him. A 2003 performance at the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto SARS benefit concert with a capacity of 450,000 is now recognised at the largest outdoor ticketed event in Canadian history.

From 2023 onward, Bachman and Burton Cummings had engaged in legal battles with the new Guess Who featuring Garry Peterson. These battles include a cease and desist order and accusations of false advertising. As a result of a court agreement, Peterson’s Guess Who could not perform songs written or co-written by Cummings or Bachman.

Peterson was the only original Guess Who member touring with the new version currently from 2016, but in recent years was on occasion absent from concerts because of health reasons, causing those gigs to contain no original members on stage, with the oldest serving member in the band on stage only dating back to 2008.

The group had cancelled all tour dates and shut down their website in April 2024. Cummings and Bachman won the long running Guess Who lawsuit in September 2024, ending Kale and Peterson's version of the Guess Who.

Personal life Born in Canada, Peterson now lives in the United States, Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife Kimberly Ann Peterson. He and Kimberly met at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex when Bachman–Turner Overdrive were playing there.

Discography

The Guess Who The Guess Who discography

Randy Bachman

Bachman–Turner Overdrive

Burton Cummings

Richard Stepp

Herman van Veen

Nancy Nash