Chad Allan, (born Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel, March 29, 1943) is a Canadian musician who was the founding member and original lead singer of
the Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of " Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...
.
Career
Allan's first band, ''Allan and the Silvertones'', was formed while he was attending Miles MacDonell Collegiate in 1958. Then Allan brought noted Winnipeg musicians Bob Ashley,
Jim Kale
Michael James Kale (born August 11, 1943) is a retired Canadian musician, best known as the original bassist for the rock band The Guess Who. He also served in the band Scrubbaloe Caine. In 1987, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of ...
,
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...
and
Garry Peterson
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...
into the band, which was now going by the name ''Chad Allan and the Reflections'', with Allan taking his stage name from one of his favorite singers, Chad Mitchell of the
Chad Mitchell Trio
The Chad Mitchell Trio, later known as The Mitchell Trio, were an American vocal group who became known during the 1960s. They performed traditional folk songs and some of John Denver's early compositions. They were particularly notable for perf ...
. They released their first two singles, ''I Just Didn't Have the Heart'' and "
Tribute to Buddy Holly
"Tribute to Buddy Holly" (also recorded as "A Tribute to Buddy Holly") is a song written by Geoff Goddard, first recorded by Mike Berry and the Outlaws as a single, which was released in September 1961 on His Master's Voice records. His first ...
" on the Canadian-American label in 1962. In 1963, the band changed their name to ''Chad Allan and the Expressions'' after signing with Quality Records and releasing several singles that were minor hits in Canada.
The Guess Who
In January 1965, Quality released their single, a cover of the
Johnny Kidd song "
Shakin' All Over
"Shakin' All Over" is a song originally performed by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. It was written by leader Johnny Kidd, and his original recording reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1960. The song is sometimes credited to Frederick ...
".
As a promo stunt, Quality released promo copies of the single credited to "Guess Who?". This became the band's new name, although throughout 1965 they were being credited as ''Chad Allan & the Expressions (Guess Who?)''.
In December 1965, Bob Ashley left the band and
Burton Cummings of ''The Deverons'' replaced him. When Cummings left ''The Deverons'', he was replaced by Wayne Arnold keyboard player for ''The V I P'S''. Shortly before Cummings' arrival, the band dropped the name ''Chad Allan & the Expressions'' and began incorporating harder R&B material into their sets and became
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of " Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...
.
In early 1966, Allan was starting to experience some voice challenges that made it difficult for him to sing. After the recording of the group's third album, ''
It's Time'', Allan left the band.
After the Guess Who
Allan initially went back to college for a brief period of time, but continued performing. In 1967 he was chosen to host
CBC-TV's weekly music program ''
Let's Go''. Coincidentally, the house band chosen for the show was ''The Guess Who''. The show lasted two seasons before being cancelled. Allan, still under contract to Quality Records (signed in 1963), released a number of singles. The first solo attempt by Allan after leaving ''The Guess Who'' was first issued as ''Looking Through Crystal Glass''. In the summer of 1968, Producer Bob McMillan began recording tracks with Allan, Karen Marklinger & Corrine Cyca for CBC TV's lineup of music shows. The trio sounded great together and he approached the Birchmount label to repackage the album under the group name ''The Metro-Gnomes.'' The album was reissued in late 1969.
In 1971, Allan reconnected with former ''Guess Who'' bandmate
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...
to form
Brave Belt. The band released two country-rock albums for
Reprise Records. Shortly after the recordings, Allan left the band. In 1973 he released his second solo album, ''Sequel,'' on GRT Records of Canada. Allan was also chosen to play the lead character in a musical adaptation of the ancient poem ''
Beowulf'', which was released on album in 1974. Allan co-composed the theme song for the 1976 children programming called ''Let's Go''
unrelated TV series of the same title. In 1977, Allan moved to
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
where he still resides. In 1978, he released a compilation album on a Greek label (Seagull (3) called ''Shakin' All Over'' made in Greece.
Allan has since pursued many musical endeavours including gospel music, hosting a children's TV show in Winnipeg, and forming his own record label, Seabreeze Records, from which he released several singles and an album that didn't fare well. For a number of years, starting in 1982, he taught songwriting at
Kwantlen University College
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university in British Columbia, Canada, with campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institution ...
in Surrey, British Columbia. Allan appeared on a CBC special called ''It's Only Rock & Roll'' starring Ralph Benmergui, interviewing
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
,
Burton Cummings and
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...
in a 1987 reunion in Winnipeg.
In 1992, Allan released a Christian rock album called ''Zoot Suit Monologue.''
In January 2007, Regenerator Records (www.regeneratorrecords.com) issued a
CD consisting of four rare studio tracks and a live concert recording circa 1962 entitled ''Chad Allan and the Reflections — Early Roots.'' A limited-edition double-vinyl LP set of the collection (minus the four studio cuts) was released in Spring 2008. Regenerator has also remastered ''Sequel'' and ''Zoot Suit,'' and they are available for download on iTunes.
In 2015, he was made a member of the
Order of Manitoba "for his contributions to the Canadian music industry including the pivotal role he played in the creation of two legendary Winnipeg rock bands: ''The Guess Who'' and ''Bachman-Turner Overdrive''.
On August 27, 2017, it was reported by the CBC that Allan had suffered a "serious stroke" four days earlier (August 23) and was recovering in a British Columbia hospital. Publicist Jamie Anstey told the CBC that the singer was "responding" and "We're really praying for him; we're really rooting for him to make it through this."
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Chad
1943 births
Living people
Canadian country singer-songwriters
Canadian rock guitarists
Musicians from Winnipeg
Canadian rock singers
The Guess Who members
Canadian country guitarists
Canadian rock pianists
Canadian male guitarists
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Canadian male pianists
Male bass guitarists
Members of the Order of Manitoba
20th-century Canadian bass guitarists
21st-century Canadian bass guitarists
20th-century Canadian guitarists
21st-century Canadian guitarists
20th-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian male singers
20th-century Canadian pianists
21st-century Canadian pianists