Burton Cummings

BIOGRAPHY

Born and raised in Winnipeg’s ethnically and culturally diverse North End, Burton Cummings’ gift for music emerged early. “I started piano lessons at age four,” he recalls. “I loved rock ‘n’ roll. I didn’t much care for classical piano, but the minute I found out I could play Diana by Paul Anka, that was it.” 

At St. John’s High School, Burton starred in several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, but it was a neighborhood group of novice rock ‘n’ rollers that piqued his interest. At fourteen, Burton Cummings joined The Deverons. 

“After I joined the band, music was the only thing in my life,” he asserts. Its members still in their teens, The Deverons released two singles on the REO label featuring Burton’s own compositions. By 1965, the group was in the top echelon of popular local groups on the burgeoning community club circuit. In December of that year, Burton was approached to join The Guess Who. “Right on the spot, I said yes,” he recalls, “They were the biggest band in the country. Gift horses are rare animals; you shouldn’t look them in the mouth.” [FULL BIO]