Chad Allan (musician)
| Chad Allan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel |
| Also known as | Allan Kobel |
| Born |
March 29, 1943 Winnipeg, Canada |
| Origin | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Genres | Rock, Soft Rock, Country Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer/songwriter |
| Instruments | vocals, guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, piano, harmonica, accordion, drums |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Canadian-American, Quality, Scepter, Birchmount, Reprise, GRT, Seabreeze, Regenerator |
| Associated acts | The Guess Who, Brave Belt |
Chad Allan, OM (born Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel, March 29, 1943) is a Canadian musician who was the original lead singer, and founding member of The Guess Who.[1]
Career
Allan's first band, Allan and the Silvertones, was formed while he was attending Miles MacDonell Collegiate in 1958. Then Allan brought notable Winnipeg musicians Bob Ashley, Jim Kale, Randy Bachman and Garry Peterson 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. They released their first two singles, I Just Didn't Have the Heart and Tribute to Buddy Holly 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". 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. 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. 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 effort from Allan after departing from 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 released in early 1969.
In 1971, Allan and former Guess Who bandmate Randy Bachman formed Brave Belt. The band released two country-rock albums for Reprise Records. Shortly after the recording of the eponymous Brave Belt debut album in 1971, Allan left the band, though he was a guest vocalist/keyboardist on two songs for the follow-up Brave Belt II album (1972). By that time, the band's sound had begun to veer toward heavier rock, which would eventually lead to the formation of Bachman-Turner Overdrive. 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. In 1978 Allan released an 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 in Surrey, British Columbia. Allan appeared on a CBC special called It's Only Rock & Roll starring Ralph Benmergui, interviewing Neil Young, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman in a 1987 reunion in Winnipeg.
In 1992 Allan released an album that was Christian-inspired called Zoot Suit.
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.
Allan moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1977. He still performs standards, ballads, and rock and roll classics.
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.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1969 | The Metro-Gnomes (with Karen Marklinger & Corrine Cyca) |
| 1973 | Sequel |
| 1974 | Beowulf (A Musical Epic) |
| 1978 | Shakin' All Over |
| 1992 | Zoot Suit |
| 2007 | Chad Allan and the Reflections — Early Roots |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | CAN Country | |||
| 1967 | "Salt in My Wounds/Wrap Myself in Sunshine" | — | — | — | singles only |
| 1968 | "Greeting Card/Elevator" | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | "Through the Looking Glass/Ramona's Hourglass" | — | — | — | |
| 1969 | "Looking Through Crystal Glass/I'll Think of You Sometimes" | — | — | — | The Metro-Gnomes |
| 1971 | "West Coast Girl/On the Back Step" | 14 | — | — | single only |
| 1973 | "Spending My Time/Sixty Cents a Shot" | 27 | 79 | — | Sequel |
| 1973 | "Prairietown, Midwest City/Dunrobin's Gone" | — | — | 71 | |
| 1974 | "Try/I Sing the Song of Beginning" | — | — | — | Beowulf (A Musical Epic) |
| 1981 | "Balled of a Middle-Aged Rocker/Movie" | — | — | — | singles only |
| 1982 | "Don't Muscle Me, Baby/Sunny Monday" | — | — | — | |
References
| Preceded by n/a |
Lead singer in The Guess Who | Succeeded by Burton Cummings |
