View source for Alan Doyle

{{short description|Canadian musician and actor|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Alan Doyle
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|ONL|size=100%}}
| image            = Alan Doyle in 2024.jpg
| caption          = Doyle in 2023
| image_size       = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| birth_name       = Alan Thomas Doyle
| alias            =
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1969|5|17}}
| birth_place      = [[Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove|Petty Harbour, Newfoundland]]
| death_date       =
| origin           =
| instrument       = Singing, mandolin, acoustic guitar, [[Irish bouzouki|bouzouki]], electric guitar,
| genre             = [[Folk rock]]
| occupation       = Musician, producer, songwriter, actor
| years_active     = 1993–present
| label            =
| website          = [http://alandoyle.ca/ alandoyle.ca], [https://web.archive.org/web/20040603205212/http://www.greatbigseas.com/ www.greatbigsea.com]
}}
'''Alan Thomas Doyle''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|ONL}}  (born May 17, 1969)<ref>{{cite tweet| user=alanthomasdoyle|number=1053745721315213312|first=Alan|last=Doyle|title=Me and @MaryBrowns. Both born in 1969.| date=October 20, 2018|access-date= November 18, 2018}}</ref> is a Canadian musician and founding member  of the Canadian folk rock band [[Great Big Sea]].

==Life and career==
Alan Doyle was born and raised in [[Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove|Petty Harbour, Newfoundland]],<ref name=CTVNewman>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/kevin-newman-tours-alan-doyle-s-hometown-1.2090892 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814033441/http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/kevin-newman-tours-alan-doyle-s-hometown-1.2090892 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 14, 2015 |title= Kevin Newman tours Alan Doyle's hometown| first=Kevin|last= Newman|publisher=[[CTV Television Network|CTV]] | date=November 7, 2014 |access-date= November 18, 2018}}</ref> in a [[Roman Catholic]] family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.carillon.uregina.ca:16080/99.10.14/arts/sea.html|date=October 1999|volume=42|issue=7|work=The Carillon|location=[[University of Regina]]|title=Great Big Sea blends 'the Rock' music with pop|first=Kim|last=Krett|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615182355/http://www.carillon.uregina.ca:16080/99.10.14/arts/sea.html|archive-date=June 15, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=March 12, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He attended [[Memorial University of Newfoundland]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|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 formed [[Great Big Sea]]. He primarily plays electric and acoustic guitars, and the [[bouzouki]] for live performances, but he has been known to play mandolin and banjo.

He is married to Joanne; they have one son.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/lifestyles/its-going-to-be-a-great-big-pei-summer-for-musician-alan-doyle-100716830/ | title=It's going to be a great big P.E.I. Summer for musician Alan Doyle &#124; SaltWire }}</ref>

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 (musical)|Grease]]''. In 2005, he composed music for the CBC comedy ''[[Hatching, Matching and Dispatching]]'', which stars [[Mary Walsh (actress)|Mary Walsh]]. In 2006, he worked on scoring the film ''[[Young Triffie|Young Triffie's Been Made Away With]]'', directed by Walsh.

[[File:Russell crowe & alan doyle.jpg|thumb|[[Russell Crowe]] & Alan Doyle]]
Doyle has been linked to [[Russell Crowe]] and his bands [[30 Odd Foot of Grunts]] and [[The Ordinary Fear of God]], having produced and co-written several songs on Crowe's album, ''My Hand, My Heart'', and played several shows with Crowe. In 2011, they released ''[[The Crowe/Doyle Songbook Vol.III]]'' with nine songs in both acoustic demo and finished format, for 18 tracks total. This friendship also led to Doyle's casting as [[Alan-a-Dale|Allan A'Dayle]] alongside Crowe, [[Cate Blanchett]], [[Kevin Durand]], and [[Scott Grimes]] in [[Ridley Scott]]'s ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)|Robin Hood]]'', released May 14, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Great Big Sea's Doyle lands role in Ridley Scott film|date=March 6, 2009|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/great-big-sea-s-doyle-lands-role-in-ridley-scott-film-1.793542|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309003249/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/03/06/doyle-scott.html|archive-date=March 9, 2009}}</ref> He played Dingy in the film ''[[Winter's Tale (film)|Winter's Tale]]'', also with Crowe and Durand, as well as [[Will Smith]] and [[Colin Farrell]].

He collaborated with ''[[Law & Order]]'' music composer [[Mike Post]] and wrote and performed a song named "Middle of Nowhere", written for the ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'' episode "Broad Channel".<ref>"''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''" episode, "Broad Channel" (9.3, originally aired April 13, 2010)</ref>

Doyle has guest starred on three episodes of the [[CBC Television]] series ''[[Republic of Doyle]]'' as the character Wolf Redmond. Season 2, episode 2 introduced him as an inmate sent to prison on charges of [[B&E]]s and a few robberies. Doyle guest starred with [[Russell Crowe]], [[Kevin Durand]], and [[Scott Grimes]] on the first show of ''Republic of Doyle''{{'}}s third season after the four had costarred on ''Robin Hood''. His third appearance – the second with Grimes – was on season 4, episode 6.  He appeared in an episode of ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]''' tenth season.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=778141501465436160|user=alanthomasdoyle|title=Early Rise for flight to 1890 or so and Murdoch Mysteries! Yeha. @CBCMurdoch|date=September 20, 2016}}</ref>

In 2012, Doyle released his first solo album, ''[[Boy on Bridge]]''. The title is a nod to Doyle's credit as the "boy on bridge" in the movie ''A Whale for the Killing'', when he was a young boy. The first single from the album is "I've Seen a Little" and the album features collaborations with Canadian musicians [[Hawksley Workman]], [[Jim Cuddy]], [[Ron Hynes]], and actor-musician [[Russell Crowe]], among others. The video for the second single, "Testify", was nominated for a 2012 [[Juno Award|Juno]]. The creation of the album was captured by a film crew, resulting in a documentary also named ''Boy on Bridge''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2233999|title=Boy on Bridge (2013)|work=IMDb|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref> directed by Joel Stewart and John Vatcher.

Doyle, with Great Big Sea, was featured on Canadian country artist, [[Dean Brody]]'s 2012 album titled ''[[Dirt (Dean Brody album)|Dirt]]'', singing on the track "It's Friday".

In 2014, Doyle released a book entitled ''Where I Belong'', about his youth growing up in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Doyle's second solo album, entitled ''[[So Let's Go]]'', was released January 20, 2015.<ref name="alandoyle.ca">{{cite web|url=http://alandoyle.ca/so-lets-go/|title=So Let's Go|publisher=Alandoyle.ca|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref><ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwirWF1GAD0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/vwirWF1GAD0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Alan Doyle - So Let's Go|work=YouTube|access-date=January 14, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | image1 = Alan Doyle blacksheep 2017 3561.jpg
 | image2 = Alan Doyle blacksheep 2017 3646.jpg
 | footer = Alan Doyle and band at the 2017 Blacksheep Festival
}}
In 2017, he guest starred in a ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'' episode, "A Murdog Mystery" as a man who claims to be a time travelling historian. Doyle reprised the role in the [[web series]] ''Beyond Time''.

Doyle's third solo album, ''[[A Week at the Warehouse]]'', was released on October 13, 2017. His second book titled ''A Newfoundlander in Canada: Always Going Somewhere, Always Coming Home'', was released on October 17.

During the early days of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] quarantine, Doyle started remotely collaborating with several Newfoundland-based artists to create a special "isolation edition" EP entitled, ''Songs from Home'', which was released in November 2020. Contributing artists included [[Fortunate Ones]], Rachel Cousins, [[The Ennis Sisters]], and [[The Once]]. Per Doyle, ''Songs From Home'' is all about making and keeping connections at a time when it was so difficult to be connected.

On June 14, 2022, he began starring in a musical comedy called ''[[Tell Tale Harbour]]'' at the 2022 [[Charlottetown Festival]].<ref name=tth-news>{{cite web|title=Tell Tale Harbour World Premiere to Headline The 2022 Charlottetown Festival|date=16 November 2021|website=[[Confederation Centre of the Arts]]|url=https://confederationcentre.com/news/tell-tale-harbour-world-premiere-2022-charlottetown-festival/|access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref> The story is based on the screenplay ''La grande séduction'' by [[Ken Scott (filmmaker)|Ken Scott]] that was made into the 2003 award winning<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Chamberlain |first=Mike|title=Ken Scott's Seductive Success|date=Spring 2004|magazine=Canadian Screenwriter|publisher=[[Writers Guild of Canada]]|at=The W Files|url=https://www.wgc.ca/magazine/articles/spring04-w-files.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040624230715/https://www.wgc.ca/magazine/articles/spring04-w-files.html|archive-date=24 June 2004}}</ref> film ''[[Seducing Doctor Lewis]]''. Doyle was co-writer of the production as well as co-writer of music and lyrics with Bob Foster.<ref name=tth-credits>{{cite web|title=Tell Tale Harbour|website=[[Confederation Centre of the Arts]]|url=https://confederationcentre.com/whats-on/tell-tale-harbour/|access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref> Also credited as one of the authors for a book of the musical with award-winning writer [[Edward Riche]].<ref name=tth-news />

Doyle, with Keith Power, writes the music for the Canadian comedy series ''[[Son of a Critch]]'', for which they have received [[Canadian Screen Awards]] nominations for ''Best Original Music, Comedy'' in [[11th Canadian Screen Awards|2023]] and [[12th Canadian Screen Awards|2024]].

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| [[Canadian Albums Chart|CAN]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alan-doyle/chart-history/cna/|title=Alan Doyle Chart History – Canadian Albums|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>
! width="45"| [[Top Heatseekers|US Heat]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alan-doyle/chart-history/tln/|title=Alan Doyle Chart History – Heatseekers Albums|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>
! width="45"| [[Folk Albums|US Folk]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alan-doyle/chart-history/flk/|title=Alan Doyle Chart History – Folk Albums|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Boy on Bridge]]''
| 
* Release date: May 16, 2012
* Label: [[Universal Music Canada]]
| 11
| 37
| 20
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[So Let's Go]]''<ref name="alandoyle.ca"/>
| 
* Release date: January 20, 2015<ref name="youtube.com"/>
* Label: Universal Music Canada
| 13
| —
| —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[A Week at the Warehouse]]''
| 
* Release date: October 13, 2017
* Label: Universal Music Canada
| 26
| —
| —
|-
! scope="row"|''Welcome Home''
|
*Release date: February 9, 2024
* Label: Skinner’s Hill Music, [[Warner Music Canada]]
|—
|—
|—
|-
| colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart
|}

===Extended plays===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" style="width:9em;"| Sales
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| [[Canadian Albums Chart|CAN]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2020/02/24/changes-becomes-justin-biebers-eighth-no-1-album|title=Changes Becomes Justin Bieber's Eighth No. 1 Album|website=FYIMusicNews|date=February 24, 2020|access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Rough Side Out]]''
|
* Release date: February 14, 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/rough-side-out/1491505083|title=Rough Side Out by Alan Doyle|website=[[Apple Music]]|access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref>
* Label: Skinner's Hill
| 2
|
*US: 400<ref>{{cite news|url=http://roughstock.com/news/2020/02/44132-top-10-country-albums-chart-pure-sales|title=Top 10 Country Albums Chart in Pure Sales: February 24, 2020|work=Roughstock|first=Matt |last=Bjorke |date=February 25, 2020|access-date= March 6, 2020}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Back to the Harbour]]''
|
* Release date: May 21, 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/back-to-the-harbour-ep/1562401705|title=Back to the Harbour by Alan Doyle|website=[[Apple Music]]|access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>
* Label: Skinner's Hill
| —
| —
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! style="width:12em;" rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="1"| Peak chart<br />positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="65"| [[Canada Country|CAN Country]]<br /><ref>{{cite web |url= http://charts.bdsradio.com/bdsradiocharts/charts.aspx?formatid=36|title=Billboard Canada Country National Airplay - Week of February 1, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200201005040/http://charts.bdsradio.com/bdsradiocharts/charts.aspx?formatid=36|archive-date=February 1, 2020 |work=Nielsen BDS Radio|publisher=[[Nielsen Media Research|The Nielsen Company]] |access-date=June 23, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2012
! scope="row"| "I've Seen a Little"
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Boy on Bridge]]''
|-
! scope="row"| "Testify"
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2014
! scope="row"| "[[So Let's Go]]"<ref name="youtube.com"/>
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| ''[[So Let's Go]]''<ref name="alandoyle.ca"/>
|-
| 2015
! scope="row"| "The Night Loves Us"
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2017
! scope="row"| "Summer Summer Night"
| align="center"| —
| rowspan="2"| ''[[A Week at the Warehouse]]''
|-
! scope="row"| "Bully Boys"
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2019
! scope="row"| "We Don't Wanna Go Home"<br />{{small|(featuring [[Dean Brody]])}}
| align="center"| 43
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Rough Side Out]]''
|-
| 2020
! scope="row"| "What the Whisky Won't Do"<br />{{small|(featuring [[Jess Moskaluke]])}}
| align="center"| —
|-
|2023
! scope="row"|"Welcome Home"
| align="center"| —
|''Welcome Home''
|-
|2025
! scope="row"|"Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)"
| align="center"| —
|''[[Songs from the Gang]]''
|}

===Guest singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Single
! rowspan="2"| Artist
! Peak positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="65"| [[Canada Country|CAN Country]]<br /><ref name="Canada Country">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/dean-brody-feat-alan-doyle/chart-history |title=Dean Brody feat. Alan Doyle - Canada Country|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| 2017
! scope="row"| "Soggy Bottom Summer"
| [[Dean Brody]]
| 18
| align="left"| ''[[Beautiful Freakshow]]''
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020
! scope="row"| "A Tennessee Whisky and a Newfoundland Song"
| Various
| —
| rowspan="2" align="left"| ''Songs From Home''
|-
! scope="row"| "It's OK" (isolation edition)
| Various
| —
|}

===Music videos===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! style="width:14em;"| Video
! Director
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2012
! scope="row"| "I've Seen a Little"<ref>{{cite web|title=I've Seen a Little|url=http://alandoyle.ca/ive-seen-a-little-music-video/|publisher=Alandoyle.ca|access-date=June 18, 2012}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[Margaret Malandruccolo]]
|-
! scope="row"| "Testify"
|-
| 2013
! scope="row"| "My Day"
| Shehab Illyas
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2015
! scope="row"| "So Let's Go"
| Margaret Malandruccolo
|-
! scope="row"| "The Night Loves Us"
| Shehab Illyas
|-
! scope="row"| "1,2,3,4" <small>(with [[Ed Robertson]])</small><ref>{{cite web|title=1,2,3,4 – Alan Doyle|url=http://www.vevo.com/watch/CA72O1500004|website=[[Vevo]]|access-date=October 7, 2015}}</ref>
| Sean Smith/Joel Stewart
|-
| 2017
! scope="row"| "Summer Summer Night"
|-
| 2018
! scope="row"| "Beautiful To Me"
| Steph Young
|-
| 2020
! scope="row"| "It's OK" (Songs from Home) <small>(with [[Fortunate Ones]], Rachel Cousins, [[The Ennis Sisters]], and [[The Once]])</small><ref>{{cite web|title=Alan Doyle - It's OK (Songs from Home)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC5FbFlumHs|website=[[YouTube]]|access-date=November 14, 2020}}</ref>
| Alan Doyle
|-
| 2021
! scope="row"| "Back Home on the Island"<ref>{{cite web|title=Back Home on the Island|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOCV48wmFxQ|website=[[YouTube]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}}</ref>
| Cody Westman
|}

==Honours==
* Canadian Version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alan Doyle's Diamond Jubilee Medal Citation |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/126-267513 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=3 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Order of Canada#Member|Member of the Order of Canada]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-04-19|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Order of Canada#Member|reason= The anchor (Member) [[Special:Diff/457590642|has been deleted]].|diff_id=457590642}} (CM) on May 10, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alan Doyle's Order of Canada Citation |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-10251 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=3 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* Member of the [[Order of Newfoundland and Labrador]] on October 4, 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2022/exec/1004n03-2/|title=Latest Recipients of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Recognized|date=October 4, 2022|publisher=Government of Newfoundland and Labrador}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{IMDb name|0236269}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120117101309/http://www.greatbigsea.com/Images/ABOUT/GBS_Alan2.jpg Photo portrait Alan Thomas Doyle on greatbigsea.com] retrieved November 23, 2011
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917110622/http://www.greatbigsea.com/about/alan_bio.aspx Official Biography]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050420125326/http://www.myhandmyheart.com/ Official site for the album ''My Hand, My Heart''] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120303150201/http://ripitup.co.nz/contentitem/interview-robin-hood-s-merry-men/962 INTERVIEW: Robin Hood's Merry Men | Rip It Up Magazine]
* {{discogs artist|Alan Doyle}}

{{Great Big Sea}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Music|Canada}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Alan}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian singers]]
[[Category:Canadian folk rock musicians]]
[[Category:Canadian folk singers]]
[[Category:Canadian male guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:Canadian rock guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian rock singers]]
[[Category:Canadian male songwriters]]
[[Category:Great Big Sea members]]
[[Category:Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Singers from Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:People from Newfoundland (island)]]