It was in the 1960s that Winnipeg’s Allan Kowbel first took the stage name Chad Allan. A talented singer, songwriter and guitarist, he became a Winnipeg rock star. He also played pivotal roles in the creation of two legendary Winnipeg rock bands: The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. He formed his first band Al and the Silvertones while at Winnipeg’s Miles MacDonell Collegiate in 1958. After bringing in notable musicians such as Randy Bachman, he changed the band’s name to Chad Allan and The Reflections followed by Chad Allan and The Expressions. Their first hit, a rendition of Shakin All Over, went #1 in Canada in 1965. Attempting to build mystique, Quality Records credited the single to ‘Guess Who?’, which eventually became the band’s name. In early 1966, Burton Cummings joined the group and one more album was released before Chad Allan left The Guess Who to return to school. In the early 1970s, he teamed up once more with his friend Randy Bachman who had also departed The Guess Who. Together they formed the successful rock band Brave Belt, later joined by Fred Turner. Subsequently, Chad Allan left the group to start a record label of his own. Brave Belt continued on as Bachman-Turner Overdrive. In addition to being a force behind the success of two formidable rock bands, which in turn paved the way for many artists, he has continued to pursue many musical endeavours. These include releasing several singles and an album via his Seabreeze Records label.
