Even before ‘American Woman’, The Guess Who were a beloved Canadian garage-rock band.
It's My Pride—The Guess Who
- Track 64, disc 3
- Year: 1966
- From: Winnipeg, Canada.
More about Nuggets II
Credits
3/10. IT’S MY PRIDE – The Guess Who (Canada)
(Randy Bachman)
PERSONNEL/BURTON CUMMINGS: vocals, keyboards * RANDY BACHMAN: guitar * JIM KALE: fuzz bass * GARRY PETERSON: drums
Produced by BOB BURNS & JOHN EDWARD
Recorded in Minneapolis, MN
Quality single #1863 (1967) [Canada]
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are among the best-known bands on Nuggets II. They fit the bill, having tolied away as a garage-rock band before hitting it big in the late 1960s. But most rock fans will know ‘American Woman’ and Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’.
The band coalesced in 1962 as Chad Allan and the Reflections, with Randy Bachman on guitar, Jim Kale on bass, and Garry Peterson on drums. They had changed their name to Chad Allan and the Expressions when they released a cover of ‘Shakin’ All Over’. Their Canadian label, Quality Records, disguised the single by crediting it to Guess Who?, hoping people would think it was the work of a disguised British Invasion band. The song topped the Canadian charts and the name stuck.
It’s My Pride
‘It’s My Pride’ was the b-side to the 1966/1967 single ‘His Girl’. It was written by Randy Bachman.
Between “Shakin’ All Over” in 1965 and “These Eyes” in 1969, there were four dry years without a U.S. hit for The Guess Who. However, the period was hardly a dormant one for the band creatively. They were still popular in their native Canada, and in fact were producing some of the most exciting music of their career. No track demonstrates this excitement more fervently than “It’s My Pride,” a tough, uncompromising punker from 1967. Driven by an aggressive fuzz bass line, the song features a soulfully snarled vocal by Burton Cummings and some scorching lead guitar work.
Mike Stax, Nuggets liner notes
A tuneful garage rocker, it fits Nuggets II well. Randy Bachman’s a stronger guitarist than most Nuggets bands have, and it deftly balances melody, groove, and edge.
The Aftermath
Unlike most Nuggets bands, The Guess Who made it to the big time. ‘American Woman’ and ‘No Sugar Tonight’ were both number-one hits in the USA.
Randy Bachman left the band in 1970 after converting to Mormonism. He enjoyed success with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The Guess Who broke up in 1974, but have reformed in 2026 with Bachman and Cummings.
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Burton Cummings wrote American Woman in 15 minutes on a tour. Lenny Kravitz successfully covered it decades later. As big as they were in the US, they are legends here in Canada. Top ten Canadian bands of all time usually go something like this:
1. The Tragically Hip
2. The Band (not all were from Canada)
3. Rush (in the music HOF)
4. The Guess Who
5. Crazy Horse
6. The Arcade Fire
7. Metric
8. New Pornographers
9. Steppenwolf
10. Sloane
It’s interesting as I’ve often thought of them as one-hit wonders, but clearly there’s a lot more going on. I’d probably shuffle Sloan up a bit, and include Alvvays.
Well Steppenwolf and BTO always seem to make these lists even though they are both two hit wonders. Why not have Nickelback or Loverboy then?? I’m ok to move Sloan off but Alvays are also a two hit wonder (great as they are). They have already been eclipsed by my daughter’s friends “Beaches”. I’m partial to Starz (over Broken Social Scene), The Matthew Good Band, Wolf Parade, and The Weakerthans. Maybe even Sam Robers Band.
With Nuggets mostly featuring more obscure acts, I was a bit surprised to see The Guess Who here. But given their drought between “Shakin’ All Over” and “These Eyes”, one can argue there were under the radar screen during those four years, just like most of the other bands featured on Nuggets. Regardless, “It’s My Pride” sonically fits right in and is a great song!
Yeah, it’s a cool pick. I don’t even know those two songs either – it’s just American Woman that gets play here.
Damn…that is loud and direct. I never heard this period before. They toned it down while making hits… American Woman is about the hardest thing I’ve heard from them…but this one is much more full…and right at you. I like this.
Yeah I was impressed and am planning to explore further.