List of The Guess Who members

The Guess Who is a Canadian rock band, originating as The Guess Who? in 1966, and adopting the name The Guess Who in 1968.^[1] They were most successful from 1969 to 1975, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings.^[2] During that period they released eleven studio albums, all of which reached the charts in Canada and the United States; their 1970 album American Woman reached no. 1 in Canada and no. 9 in the United States, and five other albums reached the top ten in Canada. They also achieved five number one singles in Canada and two in the United States.^[2]

The Guess Who in 1970 (L-R: Kurt Winter, Garry Peterson, Greg Leskiw, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale)

During the 1969-1975 era prior to the band's breakup, Cummings and drummer Garry Peterson were the only consistent members; they were joined by five guitarists and two bassists during those years. Cummings ended the band in 1975 and embarked on a solo career.^[3] In the following decades, Cummings and original guitarist Randy Bachman led several one-time reunion shows or short commemorative tours with various former members.^[4][5]

Starting in the late 1970s, original bassist Jim Kale organized a separate band under the name of The Guess Who for nostalgia tours with a frequently changing cast of musicians, later including Gary Peterson. In 2024, Bachman and Cummings announced that they had gained control of the Guess Who name.^[6]

This list article does not include musicians who filled in temporarily for official members or members of the unrelated Jim Kale band.

The Guess Who members (1965-1975)

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Garry Peterson	1962–1975 (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)	drums percussion backing vocals	all Classic Era releases
	Jim Kale	1962–1972 (reunions 1983, 1999, 2000)	bass backing vocals	all releases from Shakin' All Over (1965) to Live at the Paramount (1972)
	Randy Bachman	1962–1970 (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)	lead guitar backing vocals	all releases from Shakin' All Over (1965) to American Woman (1970)
	Chad Allan	1962–1966 (died 2023)	vocals rhythm guitar	Shakin' All Over (1965) Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) (1965) It's Time (1966)
	Bob Ashley	1962–1966	keyboards backing vocals	Shakin' All Over (1965) Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) (1965)
	Burton Cummings	1966–1975 (reunions 1979, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000–2003)	vocals keyboards rhythm guitar flute harmonica	all releases from It's Time (1966) to Power in the Music (1975)
	Bruce Decker	1966–1966 (died 1986)	rhythm guitar	none
	Kurt Winter	1970–1974 (died 1997)	lead guitar backing vocals	all releases from Share the Land (1970) to Road Food (1974)
	Greg Leskiw	1970–1972	rhythm guitar vocals	Share the Land (1970) So Long, Bannatyne (1971) Rockin' (1972)
	Donnie McDougall	1972–1974		Live at the Paramount (1972) Artificial Paradise (1973) #10 (1973) Road Food (1974)
	Bill Wallace	1972–1975	bass vocals	Artificial Paradise (1973) #10 (1973) Road Food (1974) Flavours (1974) Power in the Music (1975)
	Domenic Troiano	1974–1975 (died 2005)	guitars backing vocals	Flavours (1974) Power in the Music (1975)

Timeline

Lineups

Years	Members	Studio and live releases
1962 – January 1966 Chad Allan and the Reflections Chad Allan and the Expressions Guess Who?	Chad Allan – vocals, rhythm guitar Bob Ashley – keyboards, backing vocals Randy Bachman – lead guitar, backing vocals Jim Kale – bass, vocals Garry Peterson – drums	Shakin' All Over (1965) Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) (1965)
January 1966 – May 1966	The Guess Who? Chad Allan – vocals, rhythm guitar Burton Cummings – keyboards, vocals Randy Bachman – lead guitar, backing vocals Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums	It's Time (1966)
May 1966 – August 1966	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Randy Bachman – lead guitar, backing vocals Bruce Decker – rhythm guitar Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums
August 1966 – May 1970 Classic line-up	Burton Cummings – vocals, guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica Randy Bachman – guitar, backing vocals Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals	A Wild Pair (1968) side 2 only Wheatfield Soul (1969) Canned Wheat (1969) American Woman (1970)
May 1970 – March 1972	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards, flute, harmonica Kurt Winter – lead guitar, vocals Greg Leskiw – rhythm guitar, vocals Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals	Share the Land (1970) So Long, Bannatyne (1971) Rockin' (1972)
March 1972 – May 1972	Burton Cummings – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica Kurt Winter – lead guitar, backing vocals Donnie McDougall – rhythm guitar, vocals Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums	Live at the Paramount (1972)
May 1972 – June 1974	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards, flute, harmonica Kurt Winter – lead guitar, backing vocals Donnie McDougall – rhythm guitar, vocals Bill Wallace – bass, vocals Garry Peterson – drums	Artificial Paradise (1973) #10 (1973) Road Food (1974)
June 1974 – October 1975	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Domenic Troiano – guitar, backing vocals Bill Wallace – bass, backing vocals Garry Peterson – drums	Flavours (1974) Power in the Music (1975)

Reunion lineups

Years	Members	Studio releases
November 1979	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Randy Bachman – guitar Bill Wallace – bass Garry Peterson – drums
1983	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Randy Bachman – guitar Jim Kale – bass Garry Peterson – drums
1999
2000	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Randy Bachman – guitar Donnie McDougall – guitar Jim Kale – bass Garry Peterson – drums
May 2000 – July 2003	Burton Cummings – vocals, keyboards Randy Bachman – guitar Donnie McDougall – guitar Bill Wallace – bass Garry Peterson – drums

References

1. Frank Hoffmann (November 12, 2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. pp. 992–. ISBN 1-135-94949-2.
2. "The Guess Who | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
3. Burton Cummings - Burton Cummings | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-02-27
4. "Guess Who - 1983 - Reunion soundboard@320". Guitars101 - Guitar Forums. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
5. "That time they closed Portage and Main to pedestrians | CBC Archives". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
6. Millman, Ethan (2024-09-04). "The Guess Who End Decades-Long Legal Battle: 'An Impossible Task'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-04.