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Burton
                      Cummings & Neil Young 1987


CHAD ALLAN


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SPENDING MY TIME



Without Chad Allan, there would be no Guess Who and, as follows, no Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
His influence over the music industry in Winnipeg was extraordinary and sweeping.

Chad Allan

Born Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel on March 29, 1943, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, he would later assume the name of Chad Allan.  As he explained during an interview transcribed from the Wayne Russell Collection: "I had liked the name Chad in that folk pop group, The Chad Mitchell Trio.  I got Chad from Chad Mitchell and I retained my first name which became my last name ... to Chad Allan.  Chad Allan was just my stage name at that time but I changed it legally in the early '70s - my legal name is now actually Chad Allan."

He received his first musical instrument at about three years of age - a Hawaiian guitar, a type of steel guitar without pedals.  But it wasn't long before the accordion captured his attention and became his instrument of choice for the next few years.  A self-taught guitarist, Allan began forming groups while still in junior high school.  Buddy Holly was a tremendous influence on him, even naming one of those initial bands "The Rave Ons" after one of Holly's songs.


Business Card #1
Business Card #2

Allan's Silvertones (aka Al & The Silvertones)

Led by Allan Kowbel, the band had come together at Miles Macdonell Collegiate.  The Silvertones name was inspired by a Simpson Sears guitar line and included Kowbel, Johnny Glowa on guitar and Brian 'Ducky' Donald on drums, along with two other unidentified members.

In seeking out new players for The Silvertones, Kowbel learned of a St. Vital band - The Jaywalkers - in particular, their bass player Jim Kale.  Kale was recruited and he recommended his neighbour, pianist Bob Ashley.  This lineup carried on for a short while before guitarist Johnny Glowa couldn't commit to the more rigorous gigging and rehearsal schedule.

Randy Bachman, who was playing with Mickey & The Velvetones at the time, was invited to audition.  Securing the lead guitar position, he then suggested his bandmate from the Velvetones, Garry Peterson, be considered to replace Brian Donald in the drum chair.

Allan's Silvertones now consisted of Allan Kowbel (rhythm guitar/vocals), Jim Kale (bass), Bob Ashley (piano), Randy Bachman (lead guitar), and Garry Peterson (drums).  A name change to Chad Allan and The Reflections followed and the foundation for the Guess Who had been laid.  Three years later, Chad left The Guess Who in June of 1965.

"I was saddened to leave," Allan revealed to John Einarson years later, "but it wasn't my band anymore."

Chad Allan

In 1967, Allan hosted Winnipeg's nationally-televised Music Hop, which had been renamed Let's Go.  As a contributing writer for the "The Music Scene", a BMI Canada publication, Allan noted in the July-August 1968 edition: "The pop scene in Winnipeg is fast becoming a promising arena for young, aspiring musicians and composers.  I like to think that the TV show that yours truly hosts each week - Let's Go from Winnipeg - offers invaluable incentive, exposure and experience to the featured groups on the series and helps to show the rest of Canada what fine talent exists in this musically-aware city".

Ironically, The Guess Who became the house band for the show after an unsuccessful trip to Britain left the group heavily in debt.  For the next two years, they remained on the weekly series, backing Allan and the Good Time Music Appreciation Society, made up of Chad Allan, Micki Allen, Karen Marklinger and Barry Stillwell.

Allan returned to the University of Winnipeg and earned a degree in psychology with the intention of becoming a high school guidance counselor.  While doing so, he continued to appear around town in 1968 as The Chad Allan Trio with Orest Andrews (bass) and Ron Savoie (drums).  By January 1969, Andrews and Savoie had been replaced by John Kaethler and Billy McDougall, respectively.

Later that same year, the Canadian Talent Library released a compilation album titled Looking Through Crystal Glass on which Chad Allan appeared.  It included 3 of his original compositions - Curtains, Love Needs A Solid Foundation, and We Are The Gentle People.

A call from Randy Bachman after he, too, left the Guess Who, resulted in the formation of Brave Belt.  Originally a trio with Chad Allan (vocals, rhythm guitar), Randy Bachman (vocals, lead & bass guitar), and Rob Bachman (drums), their first album - Brave Belt I - was released in 1971.  By the time of the second album - Brave Belt II in 1972 - Fred Turner had joined and taken over as lead vocalist.  Allan remained with the band until it became Bachman-Turner Overdrive (aka BTO), shortly after completion of that second album.

Chad Allan's first solo album, Sequel, was released in 1973.  He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1977.  Allan began teaching a basic songwriting course called "Inside a Song" at Kwantlen College (Surrey, BC) in 1982.  Zoot Suit Monologue was recorded and issued on tape cassette only in 1992.  In his later years, he continued to perform at senior's residences, playing both the accordion his parents had given him in the early '60s and piano as he sang tunes from another generation.

Allan was inducted into the Order of Manitoba in 2015 and the citation read as: "A rock music icon, 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".

Chad Allan passed away November 21, 2023 at his home in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.


Looking
                              Through Crystal Glass 1969

Looking Through Crystal Glass
1969

Sequel

Sequel
1973
Zoot Suit

Zoot Suit
1992



Compiled and adapted from the following sources:

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