Honour Roll Award - BRUCE ALLEN

Bruce Allen was born on May 19, 1945 in Vancouver, BC. He attended UBC where he studied labour relations. However, his love of music won out and in 1966, he began BRUCE ALLEN TALENT which became the dominant booking agency in Western Canada. That company was the forerunner of Sam Feldman and Associates, the partner Bruce brought into the company when his focus turned to management.

In 1973, he took an interest in the fledgling band Brave Belt, which morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive, beginning his career in artist management. With Allen at the helm, BTO became one of the most successful bands of the 1970’s. Allen repeated this feat in the 1980’s with the pop-rock band Loverboy that sold ten million records and earned eight Juno awards under his tutelage.

At the same time, he brought the talented Bryan Adams into his fold. Allen continues to guide Bryan through an enormously successful career. In 1996 Allen took over management of Canadian legend Anne Murray, bringing new excitement into her career and returning her to the U.S. and Canadian charts. In 2003 he added Michael Bublé, a Burnaby native, to his roster. A year later, Bublé won the Juno for Best New Artist. In the years since, Bublé has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.

Allen also guides the career of renowned record producer Bob Rock (Metallica, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Michael Buble, Bryan Adams, 311). Bruce served on the creative team for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Allen has contributed his time and talents to international causes, and 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.” Allen is also well known in Vancouver as an established radio presence.

For 16 years he was the host of “Sound Off with Bruce Allen” on CFOX Radio, and hosts the weekly “Bruce Break” on JACK- FM along with his popular and controversial daily “Reality Check” commentary on CKNW. For more than thirty years, Bruce Allen has been a cornerstone in the Canadian entertainment industry.