Randy Bachman says BTO bandmate Fred Turner will retire from touring

FILE: Randy Bachman (Photo: Randy Bachman/Facebook)

WINNIPEG — Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman says his Bachman-Turner Overdrive bandmate Fred Turner is retiring from touring.

Bachman made the announcement on social media over the weekend, saying he’s grateful for the years they’ve had together and for the joyful music.

“While he has earned a well-deserved break, I’m going to keep going for as long as I can. Hats off to Fred for a tremendous legacy of rock. Not many can shriek like this man!” Bachman posted on Facebook Saturday.

The band produced classics such as “Takin’ Care of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and played some of the world’s biggest arenas.

Bachman and Turner were inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2011.

But in the years preceding that honour BTO was embroiled in fights, including over ownership of the band’s name and which of the band’s lineups would be inducted into the Hall.

The duo went their separate ways after 1977 and Turner, who sang and played bass, retired from touring midway through the 2000s. He said he was perfectly content to stay that way, noting he was living healthier and he’d shed around 100 pounds.

But seeds for a reunion were planted when Bachman approached Turner about singing on a solo album. The duo reformed in 2010 and branded themselves as Bachman and Turner.

A rock festival in Solvesborg, Sweden, in June 2010 on a bill with Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith and Slayer was the first major stage they’d appeared on together since the early 1990s.

They released a new album later that year and had continued to perform together.

Their management could not be immediately reached Sunday and there was no information on their website about the status of upcoming concerts.