Robbie Bachman, drummer and co-founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive has died at 69. The ‘70s rock group was behind hits like “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Takin' Care of Business.”
Bachman’s older brother, Randy Bachman, the band’s frontman and guitarist, confirmed the news on his official Twitter page Thursday night.
“Another sad departure. The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary on the other side,” he wrote. “He was an integral cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and we rocked the world together.”
His cause of death was not clear.
Born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1953, Robin “Robbie” Peter Kendall Bachman grew up playing drums with his musical family members, including older brothers Randy and Tim Bachman, according to Pitchfork. He played in a handful of bands in Winnipeg before Randy invited him to drum for Brave Belt, his new band with Chad Allan, who made his exit after the group recorded a pair of self-titled albums.
The band’s lineup also included bassist Fred Turner and the Bachmans’ middle brother, Tim, who played rhythm guitar. They later changed their group’s name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive, which is often shortened to just BTO.
In 1973, BTO released their self-titled debut album and followed it up with “Bachman-Turner Overdrive II” later the same year. Their sophomore LP featured one of BTO’s most popular songs, “Takin' Care of Business,” but their biggest hit would not come until the 1974 album “Not Fragile.” It featured their most successful single in the United States, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.”
Both songs have been used in movie soundtracks, including “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” and Will Ferrell’s “The Campaign,” respectively.
The group temporarily disbanded in 1979, but they reunited in 1988 and went on to tour until 1991.
In 2014, Bachman-Turner Overdrive was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
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