Artist / Band

Alan Doyle

Origin Petty Harbour, Newfoundland

Websites

alandoyle.ca

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Biography

Even as a young child in the small Newfoundland fishing village of Petty Harbour, Alan Doyle was holding up a sign that said "Look at Me".

Petty Harbour is a small fishing village, located deep amidst the rugged shoreline of Canada's most isolated province. Known worldwide for its stunning beauty and unique dialect, Newfoundland is a place that holds tight to its traditional culture. When Doyle was a boy, his home village was small and close-knit, with only one small winding road connecting it to the world. The Atlantic Ocean was their front yard and play-ground.

Even then, Doyle yearned to make his place in the world. Although he was inclined to be the leader in anything he did, there was no place for a singer or guitar player in the school band, so he learned drums, all the better to make the maximum impact. Like many Canadian boys, hockey was his other passion, and only the vital and dangerous role of the goalie appealed to him. It was also in Petty Harbour where he had his first brush with Hollywood, when during his childhood the small town surprisingly became the set for two infamous "whale" movies, the Jaws' knock-off Orca, and the made-for-TV A Whale For The Killing.

Just a teenager when he left home and moved to Newfoundland's capitol, St. John's, Doyle pursued a BA in English and religion at Memorial University and honed his musical skills as a solo artist in dozens of pub matinees. It was in the city's infamous dockside music pubs that he developed the thick skin and iron larynx needed to go with his natural talent. In 1993, he joined forces with fellow musicians Sean McCann and Bob Hallett, and together they started Great Big Sea. Now 17 years later, they're still fusing Newfoundland traditional music with their own pop sensibilities.

In his spare time, Doyle is much in demand as a producer, arranger and general musical catalyst, having produced albums for actor Russell Crowe and JUNO Award winners The Irish Descendants, among others, and furnished soundtracks for the movie Young Triffie's Been Made Away With, the television series Hatching, Matching & Dispatching, a best-selling Nintendo DS video game and an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Doyle's voice has been introduced to many new ears during the past TV season, as Great Big Sea's song "Oh Yeah" has served as the theme to the CBC's hit detective drama The Republic of Doyle. In 2012, Alan joined his friend Russell Crowe onscreen, utilizing his acting skills in the role of troubador and archer Allan A'Dayle in the new Universal blockbuster Robin Hood.

Doyle still lives in downtown St. John's with his wife and son.