HE achieved mainstream success in the late 90s with his award-winning single She’s So High.
And while this Canadian pop-rocker is from legendary musical stock, he did things his own way on his self-titled debut album.
Tal Bachman had a 1999 hit with She’s So HighCredit: talbachman/Instagram
These days Tal Bachman, 55, might be a bit greyer but he’s still passionate about music.
The singer is currently on the road with his old man, Randy, of The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive fame.
In a recent video promoting tickets to the intimate theatre run, Tal promised never before heard stories as well as lots of great music.
Bachman–Turner Overdrive had five top 40 albums in the States in the 70s, while The Guess Who had an impressive 14 top 40 singles in the US, too.
The year began on a sad note for Tal following the death of his uncle Robbie, who also played in those classic bands.
Tal described his drummer uncle as an “unforgettable character” who was “hyperactive, loud, funny, and obsessive.”
He said: “He naturally made every encounter with him memorable. That was as true for me and my siblings, as it was for everyone else: fans, friends, relatives, strangers, and even the many police officers who pulled him over for speeding over the years in one of his rock star cars.
“Robbie was also a spectacular showman. I saw a lot of concerts growing up in the 70s and 80s; I never saw any other drummer grab a vocal mic, get out in front of the stage, and whip the crowd into a frenzy with an improvised, one man vocal show.
“He got them clapping, stomping, and chanting. He threw flowers into the audience. He whistled at the hot girls. He could take control of 25,000 people all by himself. He was Tommy Lee before Tommy Lee. And when he returned to his drum kit, Robbie would continue entertaining the crowd by throwing his arms into the air as he played, throwing sticks out to the audience, breaking cymbals constantly, all while still shouting encouragement at the audience. He was a dynamo.”
Tal’s big 1999 hit earned him the BMI Song of the Year award and his first album won two Juno awards – the equivalent to the Brits – in his native Canada.
Follow up album Staring Down the Sun was less successful though lead single Aeroplane did crack the top 20 in Canada and was used in the end credits of American Pie Presents: Band Camp.
Following that record’s release, the rugby-loving musician threw himself into Mormonism and went on a two year mission to Argentina.
He later left the Church after claiming its founder Joseph Smith had made up some of his experiences.
In a 2013 essay, he wrote: “Mormons constantly assume that Mormonism producing benefits implies that ‘Joseph Smith always told the truth about his experiences’. This is so obviously a fallacy, that it is embarrassing to have to point it out. There is no organization, anywhere, secular or religious, which has not produced some benefit of some kind to someone.”
Tal released two albums as a solo artistCredit: Vevo
