Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, said recently, “Not only was 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' the first song with stuttering vocals to reach number one, but more importantly it was the first such song that was actually about a real person who stutters and therefore has a human connection to the struggles faced by someone who stutters."
There have been numerous songs in the rock era that display stuttering vocals. Among them have been “Too Much Time on My Hands" by Styx, “My Sharona" by The Knack, “Changes" by David Bowie, “My Generation" by The Who, “Benny and the Jets" by Elton John, and many more.
Bachman —Turner Overdrive consisted of the Bachman brothers Randy, Robbie, and Tim, along with Fred Turner. The band's first manager was Gary Bachman, another Bachman brother, who stuttered. After Gary stepped down from his job as manager, Randy sang their new song with stuttering vocals as an inside joke with the intention that only Gary would hear the tape. After recording their new album Not Fragile, their record company, Mercury Records, asked if the band had a spare song to include. Randy played them “You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and explained it was a joke and agreed to include the song on the album if the band could re-record it. The record company hated the new “serious" version of the song and demanded the version with the stuttering vocals for the album. The rest is history, as the song climbed to number one, giving BTO their only chart-topper.
Gary Bachman would overcome his stuttering through speech therapy and go on to become one of the most successful real estate agents in Winnipeg and own his own agency for almost 30 years.
Said Fraser, “I know people think that these rock songs with stuttering vocals are cute or humorous, but it is a shame that whenever 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' is played that people do not know the true story behind it. If more DJ's mentioned the song's history, it would do a lot to spread a message about stuttering, not to mention the fact that the audience would find it most interesting."
The Stuttering Foundation (www.StutteringHelp.org) is a nonprofit organization that has been serving people who stutter around the world since 1947. The Stuttering Foundation website has an article on “You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" in the “Celebrity Corner" section that also has in-depth profiles on Bill Withers, Bruce Willis, B.B. King, Eric Roberts and more. The site also has an extensive list of Famous People Who Stutter.
About the Stuttering Foundation
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. Please visit us at www.StutteringHelp.org.
