Original Guess Who Singer Chad Allan Passed Away At 80

Chad Allan, one of the people who helped begin the Guess Who and also played a part in forming the group that led to Bachman Turner-Overdrive, passed away at 80 on November 21.

The Winnipeg Sun shared the news over the weekend. Jamie Anstey, Vice President of Regenerator Records, said the family asked for some time before making the news public to give them space to grieve.

Anstey called Allan a pioneer, even though he didn’t become super famous, he was a vital part of two big Canadian music groups.

Chad Allan’s Early Life and Career

On March 29, 1943, Chad Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel was born in Winnipeg, Canada. While still in high school, Allan formed his first band, Allan and the Silvertones. The group went through many name changes before settling on Chad Allan and the Expressions. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, they enjoyed considerable success in Canada with a few songs.

The group changed their name to the Guess Who after their rendition of “Shakin’ All Over” gained popularity in January 1965 and was promoted by Quality Records under the mysterious name “Guess Who?” But owing to vocal issues, Allan quit the band in 1966, and Burton Cummings took over as the main vocalist.

Later on, Allan started a new band called Brave Belt with Randy Bachman in 1971. The group released two albums, but Allan’s role as the main singer got smaller, and he left in 1972. The others in the band then changed the name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Chad Allan’s Time After BTO

Chad Allan experimented with several musical mediums during the ensuing decades. He composed music for TV shows, recorded his CDs, appeared in a musical adaptation of Beowulf, and even founded Seabreeze Records. Together with creating the Christian rock album Zoot Suit Monologue in 1992, he was also a songwriting instructor at Kwantlen University College. (https://spellpundit.com)

Allan got back together with Bachman and Cummings in a 1987 TV special called “It’s Only Rock & Roll,” and in 2015, he got an award called the Order of Manitoba for his work with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Allan kept performing until he had a stroke in 2017.

Bachman shared on Facebook that he was grateful to have known and worked with Allan, highlighting his calm personality and smooth voice. Cummings also paid tribute on Facebook, remembering Allan as an inspiration and a truly talented person.