Alan Doyle

Alan Doyle
Alan Doyle, March 2015
Background information
Birth name	Alan Thomas Doyle
Born	(1969-05-17) May 17, 1969 (age 47) Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada
Genres	Folk-Rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, producer, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Singing, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, electric guitar
Years active	1993–present
Associated acts	Russell Crowe, Great Big Sea
Website	alandoyle.ca, www.greatbigsea.com
Notable instruments
Takamine guitar with self-cartoon on the bottom

Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known for his work as one of the lead singers of Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea.

Alan Doyle was born to Thomas and Regina Doyle in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. His mother was a piano teacher. Doyle attended St. Kevin's in Goulds, NL just outside Petty Harbour. Doyle has a brother, Bernie, and two sisters, Michelle and Kim. He was raised Roman Catholic. He attended Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. It is also there that he met Séan McCann, Bob Hallett and Darrell Power with whom he helped to form Great Big Sea. He primarily plays electric and acoustic guitars, and the bouzouki for live performances, but he's been known to play mandolin and banjo.

Before Great Big Sea Doyle played in a duo with John Brenton called Staggering Home. As a teen he played in his uncle's band, the New Sandells.

Doyle's wife, Joanne, gave birth to their first son, Henry Thomas Doyle – whom Alan calls 'The Prince' – in July 2006.

Doyle has also been involved with a handful of stage, television and film productions. As a child, he appeared as an extra in the movie A Whale for the Killing, based on Farley Mowat's book of the same name, which was filmed in his hometown. He has also hosted regional arts awards shows in Atlantic Canada, appeared as a presenter on the Juno Awards and done a turn onstage in his hometown's "24-Hour Musical" performance of Grease. In 2005, he composed music for the CBC comedy Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, which stars Mary Walsh. In 2006, he worked on scoring the film Young Triffie's Been Made Away With, directed by Walsh. Doyle has also produced an album for his sister, Michelle Doyle.