Why Randy Bachman Puts His Iconic Guitar For Sale

Because of his severe back pain, Randy Bachman was advised by his doctor to stop playing guitar. The main culprit was the 1959 Les Paul Standard he had used to write and record “American Woman” with the Guess Who.

“That’s not going to happen,” he immediately responded. Over the following decades, the Guess Who guitarist formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive and eventually pursued a solo career, getting over a hundred additional guitars along the way.

What made him decide to downsize his collection? The pandemic and the return of his legendary orange 1957 Gretsch guitar in 2022, which had been missing for nearly 50 years after being stolen in 1976. This week, he’s auctioning off close to 200 guitars from his extensive holdings, including that ‘59 “American Woman” Les Paul.

In a conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock Nights host Matt Wardlaw, he discussed what fans can expect at the auction and shared the story of writing “American Woman.”

“I’m putting in my ‘59 Les Paul Standard, which is one of the rarest in the world. The Les Pauls from ‘58 through ‘60 are the holy grail of blues and rock guitars. It’s my ‘American Woman’ guitar,” he said. Alongside this iconic guitar, Bachman is also parting with his two white BTO Strats.

He explained that the Les Paul, despite its legendary status, became too heavy for him over time. “After playing it for 10 years and screwing up my back, I went into the music store and said, ‘What’s the lightest guitar you have?’ He said, ‘A Fender Stratocaster.’ So I started playing Strats in BTO. I still played the Les Paul sitting down in the studio, for solos in BTO, because of the big, thick fat sound in that guitar, and then my rhythm tracks were the Stratocasters.”

Bachman emphasized the pristine condition of his Les Paul. He noted:

“That Les Paul is pretty much brand new. When you look at the picture on the website, it looks brand new or refinished. But it’s all original. Nothing’s been done to it. I’ve got maybe six or eight 1959 Gibsons, which are very, very rare.”

The decision to auction off such a valuable part of his collection reflects a significant moment for Bachman, marking both a tribute to his storied career and a step towards a more streamlined collection.

During the interview, Bachman recalled how “American Woman” came together. He described an impromptu jam session while playing his ‘59 Les Paul at a curling rink in Kitchener, Waterloo. The audience was all dressed in rubber boots and parkas to fend off the cold and watched him break a string. Without a roadie or spare guitar on hand, he had to change it himself.

But while tuning his guitar, he accidentally discovered the now-famous riff. The crowd fell silent and was intrigued by the sound. The drummer and bassist joined in, but Burton Cummings was still in the back, unaware of what was happening. When Cummings finally joined them on stage, Bachman urged him to sing something, leading to the improvised lyrics, “American woman, stay away from me.” The audience went wild and they all knew that this sparked something special.

When the band later tried to record the song, they struggled to recapture the magic of that live moment at first. But producer Jack Richardson stepped in and they managed to nail it, making the track a number-one hit. Reflecting on the song’s success, Bachman noted its simplicity compared to other songs in their repertoire, emphasizing how “American Woman” stood out as a powerful, one-chord anthem.

Bachman also shared about Lenny Kravitz’s version of “American Woman.” He recalled coming home from a tour to find a lime green CD in the mail. It contained six versions of the song, along with a note from Mike Myers. “The original is in the [Austin Powers] movie and I got Lenny to do the closing credits. Which version do you like?” Myers wrote.

Bachman chose a version by Timbaland, which featured more vocals. “It was Lenny with his computer at home, playing with a drum machine. I’ve still got that somewhere,” Bachman said. “It was a big deal for Lenny. He had had many, many hits. His greatest hits [album] came out and wasn’t really selling. They pulled it back, put ‘American Woman’ on it and boom, it went multi-platinum,” Bachman explained. Kravitz’s rendition earned him a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 2000, revitalizing his career.

Bachman also mentioned a memorable New Year’s Eve performance where Kravitz and Prince performed “American Woman” together, complete with solos and a full band, including saxophones and horns. “It’s just amazing,” Bachman concluded.