Alan Doyle's Biography
Alan was born in the town of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, minutes away from St. John's but a world apart from the city life. A tiny community nestled snugly in a sheltered harbor, sharing that space with Maddox Cove.

In the winter, as he tells it,  they used to play hockey on the wharf and the losers wound up in the water! Alan is an avid hockey fan and attends all the games he can. His favorite team? The "Habs." He plays goalie as much as he can, whenever he can, even bringing street hockey gear on tour! When the Junos were in St. John's the GBS b'ys and Barenaked Ladies has an impromptu street hockey game. GBS won, of course!

Alan was the last one to join the group before it evolved into Great Big Sea. He may be the last one in, but he is definitely the most vocal and energetic of the GBS b'ys.
His Mom was the piano teacher in town so he was surrounded by music growing up. He was in the school band (drums) and played guitar in an Uncle's group when he was in high school. He loves all kinds of music and has been known to break out into  "Over the Rainbow," "Country Roads," The "Moulin Rouge" Theme, "Phantom of the Opera" or any number of modern rhythm and blues songs during a GBS show. His attempts at rapping though are usually hilarious! "Here's Sean McCann, the Shantyman, all the way from St. John's, Newfoundland!"

A singer/songwriter, Alan has appeared on "Songwriter's Circle" and shared some new and old songs. Although the songwriting is shared mostly between Alan and Sean, Alan is most often considered the lead singer of Great Big Sea.

With Great Big Sea, he has played acoustic guitars, bouzouki, electric guitar and keyboard. On stage, he plays guitars, the electric guitar and bouzouki. His ability to tell a story and pull the wool right over your eyes have become legendary. His attempts at bending the truth are known to his fans as "being Doyled."  He may sing "I told her I was Gemini" in "Can't Stop Falling" but he is a Taurus. Alan's little vocalizations during songs have endeared him to many. "Hup!," "Get up get up get up!" and "Have a dance!" are among the favorites. He usually wishes everyone "Safe Home and God Bless" at the end of a show. And his love of his homeland, Newfoundland, is well known. He is one of 2 GBS b'ys who wear glasses, but he only wears them offstage.
Alan is the one most likely to come out and meet the fans after a show - always gracious and willing to pose for pictures or sign autographs. He posts fairly often on the messageboard of the official GBS website, the OKP (Online Kitchen Party) and has a hand in writing the newsletters, too. His lovely green eyes and long hair make him a favorite of many fans.

Alan has recently collaborated with Russell Crowe to produce Crowe's My Hand, My Heart CD. He also did some touring with Russell's TOFOG group in Australia. Additionally, Alan has been tapped to do the music for Mary Walsh's TV show Hatching, Matching, Dispatching and was the musical arranger for the Newfoundland-produced movie, Young Triffie's Been Made Away With.

In the Summer of 2006, Alan and his lovely wife, Joanne, became proud parents of Henry Thomas Doyle, dubbed "the prince."

Keep up with his thoughts and activities by visiting his From the Road blog on the official GBS website.
trademark hair flip in Northampton
Alan most recently showed off his percussion talents learned in the school band. He plays tympani, tubular bells, and piano on GBS's latest CD, Fortune's Favour. Also included on the CD is a song written with Russell Crowe called Company of Fools.