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Bruce Allen (manager)
Encyclopedia
Bruce Allen is a Canadian
music band manager who represents a number of popular Canadian musicians including Bachman-Turner Overdrive
, Bryan Adams
and Michael Bublé
. In 1985, Allen spear-headed the charity supergroup
Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough
" in support of Ethiopia
n famine relief
.
For more than thirty years, Bruce Allen has been a cornerstone in the Canadian entertainment industry, guiding the careers of musicians, producers, and sports figures. Due to Bruce’s shrewd judgment of talent, Bruce Allen Talent has become one of the most powerful management agencies in Canada.
A native of Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood, Allen attended the University of British Columbia
, where he studied labour relations and considered a career as a union organizer. His love of music however, took precedent, and in 1966 he formed a booking agency and proceeded to build a company that controlled most of the live music in clubs, high schools and universities by the early 1970s. The company was the forerunner of Sam Feldman and Associates, the partner Bruce brought into the company when his focus turned to management.
In 1973 at the request of Randy Bachman, he took an interest in the fledgling band Brave Belt, which morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive
, beginning his notable career in artist management. With Allen at the helm, BTO became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s topping the charts in the US and the UK, and setting attendance records in Canada, the US and Japan.
Allen repeated this feat in the 1980s with the pop-rock band Loverboy
, who sold ten million records and earned eight Juno awards under his tutelage. At the same time, he brought the talented and energetic Bryan Adams
into his fold. Following the simple formula of hard work and endless touring, Allen continues to guide Bryan through an enormously successful career that includes more than a dozen chart-topping singles, with total sales exceeding 100 million worldwide. Adams’ single Everything I Do (I Do It For You) still holds the record for the longest streak atop the UK charts at 16 weeks.
As country music skyrocketed in popularity in the 1990s, Allen turned his sights toward Nashville taking on a youngKansas
native named Martina McBride
. With Allen on her team, McBride would become a major country artist, scoring six #1 singles and winning the Country Music Association
Female Vocalist of the Year award a record four times.
In 1996 Allen took over management of Canadian legend Anne Murray
, breathing new life into her career and returning her to the US and Canadian charts.
In 2003 he added Michael Bublé
, a Burnaby native, to his roster. A mere one year later, Bublé won a Juno for Best New Artist and saw his self-titled debut album nominated for Album of the Year. In the seven years since, Bublé has won two Grammy Awards, 10 Juno Awards and sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. His 2010 release Crazy Love
, charted in the top five in over a dozen countries.
In 2008 Allen added award-winning songstress Jann Arden
to his management roster. In her 17-year career to date, Arden has had 17 top ten singles, recorded 8 albums and received 8 Juno Awards.
Allen also guides the career of renowned record producer Bob Rock (Metallica
, The Cult
, Bon Jovi
, Bryan Adams
, Michael Bublé
, Motley Crue
, 311
, The Tragically Hip
).
For 13 years Allen was a member of the CMA (Country Music Association) Board and in 2008 he was named to the CARAS (Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) Board of Directors. The latter is a role he continues in to this day.
His enthusiasm for sports has also brought about relationships with Canadian Olympic boxing medalist Dale Walters; NASCAR Rookie of the Year driver Chad Little and the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalists for women’s curling, Team Law. In 2006, Bruce served as a board member for the World Junior Hockey Championships sat on the creative team for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Vancouver. In April 2010, Allen became a member of the Grey Cup committee that will bring the famed football championship to Vancouver in 2011.
Allen’s success in the entertainment industry however, is only part of the story. Well-known in his home city of Vancouver for his civic engagement, Allen has raised money for a variety of causes. Allen’s entry for Vancouver’s “Orcas in the City” project – “Orca Presley” – helped raise over $400,000 for the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities and the Canucks for Kids Fund. In 1998, he took part in a climb of the 5,895-metre Mount Kilimanjaro, in a fundraising effort for the Alzheimer Society of BC. His efforts paid off by bringing in more than two thirds of the $80,000 raised by the charity climb.
Although his heart belongs in Vancouver, Allen has contributed his time and talents to international causes as well. In 1985, he spearheaded Canada’s response to the Ethiopian famine crisis, bringing 52 famous Canadians together for Northern Lights for Africa, a recording project that raised millions with the song “Tears Are Not Enough.” His charity efforts earned him praise from the artistic and civic communities.
In 1985, he was named Manager of the Year by two top music industry publications The Record and Billboard. In 1986, Vancouver’s Brotherhood Inter-Faith Society named Allen “Man of the Year,” and Mayor Mike Harcourt proclaimed February 4, 1986 “Bruce Allen Day.” In 2008, he was only the second Canadian manager to be awarded the prestigious Honour Roll for Canadian Managers.
Allen is also well known in Vancouver through an established radio presence. For 16 years he was the host of “Sound Off with Bruce Allen” on CFOX Radio, and he currently hosts the weekly “Bruce Break” on JACK-FM along with his popular and controversial daily “Reality Check” commentary on CKNW.
Now in his mid-sixties, Allen is the father of two children, Claire and Quinn, and continues his music management and radio programs in Vancouver.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
music band manager who represents a number of popular Canadian musicians including Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman–Turner Overdrive is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that had a series of hit albums and singles in the 1970s, selling over 7 million albums in that decade alone. Their 1970s catalog included five Top 40 albums and six Top 40 singles...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
and Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
. In 1985, Allen spear-headed the charity supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough
Tears Are Not Enough
"Tears Are Not Enough" is a 1985 charity single recorded by a supergroup of Canadian artists, under the name Northern Lights, to raise funds for relief of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia...
" in support of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n famine relief
Famine relief
Famine relief is an organized effort to reduce starvation in a region in which there is famine. A famine is a phenomenon in which a large proportion of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common...
.
For more than thirty years, Bruce Allen has been a cornerstone in the Canadian entertainment industry, guiding the careers of musicians, producers, and sports figures. Due to Bruce’s shrewd judgment of talent, Bruce Allen Talent has become one of the most powerful management agencies in Canada.
A native of Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood, Allen attended the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, where he studied labour relations and considered a career as a union organizer. His love of music however, took precedent, and in 1966 he formed a booking agency and proceeded to build a company that controlled most of the live music in clubs, high schools and universities by the early 1970s. The company was the forerunner of Sam Feldman and Associates, the partner Bruce brought into the company when his focus turned to management.
In 1973 at the request of Randy Bachman, he took an interest in the fledgling band Brave Belt, which morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman–Turner Overdrive is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that had a series of hit albums and singles in the 1970s, selling over 7 million albums in that decade alone. Their 1970s catalog included five Top 40 albums and six Top 40 singles...
, beginning his notable career in artist management. With Allen at the helm, BTO became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s topping the charts in the US and the UK, and setting attendance records in Canada, the US and Japan.
Allen repeated this feat in the 1980s with the pop-rock band Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
, who sold ten million records and earned eight Juno awards under his tutelage. At the same time, he brought the talented and energetic Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
into his fold. Following the simple formula of hard work and endless touring, Allen continues to guide Bryan through an enormously successful career that includes more than a dozen chart-topping singles, with total sales exceeding 100 million worldwide. Adams’ single Everything I Do (I Do It For You) still holds the record for the longest streak atop the UK charts at 16 weeks.
As country music skyrocketed in popularity in the 1990s, Allen turned his sights toward Nashville taking on a youngKansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
native named Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
. With Allen on her team, McBride would become a major country artist, scoring six #1 singles and winning the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Female Vocalist of the Year award a record four times.
In 1996 Allen took over management of Canadian legend Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, breathing new life into her career and returning her to the US and Canadian charts.
In 2003 he added Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, a Burnaby native, to his roster. A mere one year later, Bublé won a Juno for Best New Artist and saw his self-titled debut album nominated for Album of the Year. In the seven years since, Bublé has won two Grammy Awards, 10 Juno Awards and sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. His 2010 release Crazy Love
Crazy Love
"Crazy Love" is a romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side. The cover of the single...
, charted in the top five in over a dozen countries.
In 2008 Allen added award-winning songstress Jann Arden
Jann Arden
Jann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter.-Life and career:Arden was born and raised near Calgary in Springbank, Alberta and attended Springbank Community High School. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You"...
to his management roster. In her 17-year career to date, Arden has had 17 top ten singles, recorded 8 albums and received 8 Juno Awards.
Allen also guides the career of renowned record producer Bob Rock (Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, Motley Crue
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
, The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
).
For 13 years Allen was a member of the CMA (Country Music Association) Board and in 2008 he was named to the CARAS (Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) Board of Directors. The latter is a role he continues in to this day.
His enthusiasm for sports has also brought about relationships with Canadian Olympic boxing medalist Dale Walters; NASCAR Rookie of the Year driver Chad Little and the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalists for women’s curling, Team Law. In 2006, Bruce served as a board member for the World Junior Hockey Championships sat on the creative team for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Vancouver. In April 2010, Allen became a member of the Grey Cup committee that will bring the famed football championship to Vancouver in 2011.
Allen’s success in the entertainment industry however, is only part of the story. Well-known in his home city of Vancouver for his civic engagement, Allen has raised money for a variety of causes. Allen’s entry for Vancouver’s “Orcas in the City” project – “Orca Presley” – helped raise over $400,000 for the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities and the Canucks for Kids Fund. In 1998, he took part in a climb of the 5,895-metre Mount Kilimanjaro, in a fundraising effort for the Alzheimer Society of BC. His efforts paid off by bringing in more than two thirds of the $80,000 raised by the charity climb.
Although his heart belongs in Vancouver, Allen has contributed his time and talents to international causes as well. In 1985, he spearheaded Canada’s response to the Ethiopian famine crisis, bringing 52 famous Canadians together for Northern Lights for Africa, a recording project that raised millions with the song “Tears Are Not Enough.” His charity efforts earned him praise from the artistic and civic communities.
In 1985, he was named Manager of the Year by two top music industry publications The Record and Billboard. In 1986, Vancouver’s Brotherhood Inter-Faith Society named Allen “Man of the Year,” and Mayor Mike Harcourt proclaimed February 4, 1986 “Bruce Allen Day.” In 2008, he was only the second Canadian manager to be awarded the prestigious Honour Roll for Canadian Managers.
Allen is also well known in Vancouver through an established radio presence. For 16 years he was the host of “Sound Off with Bruce Allen” on CFOX Radio, and he currently hosts the weekly “Bruce Break” on JACK-FM along with his popular and controversial daily “Reality Check” commentary on CKNW.
Now in his mid-sixties, Allen is the father of two children, Claire and Quinn, and continues his music management and radio programs in Vancouver.
Awards and accolades
- 2008—Honour Roll Award from The Music Managers Forum – Canada
- 2006—CCMA Leonard T. Rambeau International Award
- 1995 to present -- Country Music Association Board of Directors
- 2001-2008—Jewish Community Centre Sportsman Dinner Board of Directors
- 2002-2003 -- 2010 Winter Olympic Bid Committee Board of Directors
- 2002 –- Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal
- 2001 –- Canadian Country Music Association’s Manager of the Year
- 2000 – -Inducted into the British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
Entertainment Hall of Fame (Starwalk at the Orpheum) - 1997 –- Pacific Music Industry Award – Industry Builder
- 1996 –-BC Business Magazine - Entrepreneur of the Year – Pacific Canada – Services Category
- 1992 –- Performance Magazine – International Achievement Award
- 1991 –- Industry Hall of Fame Award – The RecordThe RecordThe Record may refer to:Printed publications:* Record , the weekly newsmagazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific*The Philadelphia Record, a defunct daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- 1987 –- Manager of the Year – The RecordThe RecordThe Record may refer to:Printed publications:* Record , the weekly newsmagazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific*The Philadelphia Record, a defunct daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- 1987 –- Walt Grealis Hall of Fame Award for outstanding achievement in the music industry (CARAS)
- 1986 –- Man of the Year – Vancouver’s Brotherhood Inter-Faith Society
- 1986 –- February 4 - Bruce Allen Day – proclaimed by Vancouver Mayor Mike Harcourt
- 1985 –- Manager of the Year – Billboard Magazine
- 1985 –- Manager of the Year –The RecordThe RecordThe Record may refer to:Printed publications:* Record , the weekly newsmagazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific*The Philadelphia Record, a defunct daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...