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Randy Bachman, from radio fanatic to radio staple

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with rock legend Randy Bachman, who has both shaped the sound of popular music over the past 50 years and served as one of its leading fans and curators, a living torchbearer for a many eras of rock and roll.

A guitarist, songwriter, performer and producer who penned countless hits for The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, Bachman has been the host of Vinyl Tap on satellite radio since 2005, where you can hear his stories of a lifetime in music and the songs he treasures.

Bachman grew up in Winnipeg in the 1950s, addicted to radio. It wasn’t long before he put down his violin and picked up a guitar.

Bachman has been taking care of business ever since, selling millions of records and often dominated the radio waves that were once his connection to a world beyond Canada. He continues to record and today, and has collected the tales from his decades on the road in a new book, Vinyl Tap Stories.

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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