Bassist Rudy Sarzo, who is known for his work with a multitude of artists including Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Geoff Tate and Whitesnake (to name a few). He recently spoke with Jeb Wright at Classic Rock Revisited about how he came to join classic rockers, The Guess Who. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Jeb: How did you come to be playing with the actual band?

Rudy: "Very simple. Sass Jordan. I was touring with Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche and she was touring with them. Her husband is Derek Sharp [AKA D#], the lead singer for The Guess Who. About a year later they were talking about bass players because their long time bass player Jim Kale was thinking of retiring. Sass said 'How about calling Rudy?' So Derek called me up and we started talking. I was very excited because I grew up listening to their music and I'm a fan. I was really only just supposed to be subbing when Jim wasn't with them, not a member of the group. I was sharing the subbing duties with Michael Devin from Whitesnake.

There came a time when Jim Kale, a founding member of The Guess Who, decided to retire fully. I happened to be in Las Vegas watching the show and he brought me up on stage and announced that he was retiring and, from this show on, I was going to be the bass player, which was great. Nobody had ever done something like that for me before. I thought that was a beautiful moment. I've been in the band, officially, ever since."

Jeb: Some people gripe about bands continuing as the original members retire or sadly pass on, that's life. But you guys are keeping the band alive the right way. You're not only touring, you've written new songs and recorded an album.

Rudy: "It's a wonderful band. A lot of the people in the group have been there a long time. Leonard Shaw has been there over twenty years, Derek Sharp, the lead singer, guitar player and composer, has been in the band fifteen years now. The other guitar player Will Evankovich [AKA Will E] is also a producer. He just finished producing the new Styx record The Mission. He co-wrote that as well. So these guys have been in the band a long time now. I'm the new guy."

Read the complete interview here.

The Guess Who - Garry Peterson (Drums, Vocals), D# (Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano), Will E. (Guitar, Harp, Vocals), Leonard Shaw (Keyboards, Flute, Sax, Vocals), and Rudy Sarzo (Bass, Vocals) – have updated their U.S. tour schedule. Catch the dates below:

Tour dates:

September
29 - Helwig Winery - Plymouth, CA
30 - Yoshi's - Oakland, CA

October
2 – The Tower Theatre – Fresno, CA
4 – The Canyon – Santa Clarita, CA
5 - The Golden Nugget - Las Vegas, NV
6 – The Canyon – Agoura Hills, CA
7 – Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, CA
20 - Robinson Grand Perf. Arts Center - Clarksburg, WV

November
11 - Magic City Casino Amphitheater - Miami, FL
23 - Boomtown Casino Hotel - Reno, NV
30 - One World Theatre - Austin, TX

December
1 - Arlington Music Hall - Arlington, TX
11 - Savannah Center - The Villages, FL
13 – The Maxwell C. King Center – Melbourne, FL

March
9 - Palace Theatre - Wataerbury, CT

The Guess Who is responsible for countless rock classics, which still retain a major presence on rock radio - “American Woman,” “No Time,” “These Eyes,” etc. The band returned on September 14th with their latest album, The Future IS What It Used To Be, released via Cleopatra Records (available in CD, Vinyl, and Digital formats).

The band is Garry Peterson (Drums, Vocals), D# (Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano), Will E. (Guitar, Harp, Vocals), Leonard Shaw (Keyboards, Flute, Sax, Vocals), and Rudy Sarzo (Bass, Vocals). Also featured on the album are several special guests including, Tommy Shaw (Styx) on vocals, Brent Fitz (Slash, Gene Simmons) percussion, Jim Kale (Guess Who founding member) and Michael Devin (Whitesnake) on bass guitar.

The album’s first single, "Playin’ On The Radio", can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services.

“The song is a celebration of the radio and what it meant to us all.”, explains D#. “Whenever a new great song hit the airwaves, the DJ would say a few words then off to the races! You’d tune in just to hear it over and over again. The character in the song could be any one of us as we move ahead in life. Great music has the innate power to transport you back to so many great memories in an instant. Music is healing. I see it AND feel it every single night in our audience.”

A music video for the track, directed by Nigel Dick and shot in Las Vegas, can be found below.

"I love what I do, and I love trains and I love rock n' roll,” explains Nigel about the video. “So, I was honored to be asked to shoot The Guess Who. And when they told me they were available for a day in Vegas and by chance I stumbled on this wonderful rail-yard full of old engines just up the road from the strip - I was in heaven - and up to my axles in dust! It was a perfect day.”

And the band is pleased with the results. “My very first music video… who knew?!” says Garry. “Having the privilege of working with the legendary Nigel Dick, took me back to growing up in an era where music videos told a creative visual story that I always looked forward to seeing by my favorite artists,” adds Will. “This track was no exception, adding a colorful, action packed sequence to a great story.”

Garry Peterson: “I never dreamed that I would get a chance to record an album, after 40 years, in the same way, and with the same recording gear that we used in the 60s and 70s. This was truly a blessing for me and a humbling, cathartic experience for my musical soul. Thank you to all my bandmates, and everyone who helped make it a reality. I hope our fans enjoy it as much as I do.”

D#: “This all started when I wrote ‘Playin' On The Radio’. Lyrically and musically, these songs are the soundtrack to my journey with The Guess Who over the last 10 years. This record was a joy and an honour to create. As version 3.0 of this iconic band, we had our work cut out for us. The challenge in this type of situation is always to be true to the heartroots of the original blueprint, as well as being able to journey onwards into an inspired future, incorporating the new energies that we bring to the experience, as you do in any family, generation after generation. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as we did.”

Will E: “I am honoured to be a part of this chapter of The Guess Who. We specifically wrote and arranged the music to reflect what people have always loved about the band; great songs with big vocal driven choruses. We accomplished our own sound while maintaining the classic nature that makes The Guess Who an iconic band.”

Rudy Sarzo: “The Guess Who is part of the soundtrack of my life. It’s truly an honour to have performed on the new record. And I’m already looking forward to the next one.”

Leonard Shaw: “It has been quite the trip since I joined the Guess Who 25 years ago, but I am stoked about our new recording of original songs! These songs are fun to play live, and people are digging them!”

Order the album via the following links:

- CD
- Vinyl
- Digital

The Future IS What It Used To Be tracklisting:

"When We Were Young"
"Runnin’ Blind"
"Talks All The Time"
"Baby Come Around"
"Haunted"
"In America"
"Playin’ On The Radio"
"Give It A Try"
"Good Girl"
"Long Day"

"Playin’ On The Radio" video: