‘I’m still winning’
Vancouver music manager Bruce Allen turns 75
VANCOUVER — On May 19, music manager, radio personality and force of nature Bruce Allen turned 75 years old. But don’t expect him to slow down or — God forbid — retire.
“People say, ‘75 years old, why don’t you stop?’” Allen said. “I say ‘To be honest, I’m still winning. What else am I going to do?’”
So he’ll continue to guide the careers of Bryan Adams , Michael Buble , Bob Rock and Jann Arden , among others. And the legendary loudmouth will continue to do his daily “Reality Check” commentaries on CKNW, which tend to stir the pot.
“Do I like getting people angry?” he said.
“I like getting them to think. I don’t care if you agree with me. They say ‘Bruce, do you want to see any of your mail?’ Never. Never. I try so hard to try and get my artists not to look at social media, because it’s crippling.”
This interview was done before Bryan Adams set off a social media firestorm with an Instagram post blaming the COVID-19 crisis on “bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards.”
Normally it’s Allen that’s making the controversial statements. He may be 75, but he can still be quite fearsome if you get on the wrong side of him. It’s been his stock in trade for decades, and it’s worked, from his days guiding Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Loverboy to Adams and Bublé.
“It’s been a long run, a very successful run, and I’m blessed to have the talent that I’ve had,” he said.
“Bryan’s sold 60 million records, Michael Bublé’s up real close, 60 million, too. Loverboy sold a lot of records, had a lot of big hits. I want to stay around till I can hit the 200-million mark.”
He laughs. “I’m not that far away, but we’re not selling records like that anymore. (The music business has) completely changed.”
Growing up in Dunbar in the 1950s, Allen fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll. In the mid‘60s he dropped out of University of B.C. to become a music agent, eventually running an agency that booked 17 clubs.
ENTER BTO
Allen’s big break was in the early ’70s, when Randy Bachman exited The Guess Who and moved west with his new band Brave Belt, which became Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Allen became their manager, and they built up a following by touring incessantly.
When BTO scored massive hits with songs like Let It Ride and Takin’ Care of Business, they toured the world.
“It was a really good learning experience,” Allen said. “BTO went international, so I went to London, went to Europe, went to Australia, went to Japan. I got a really good base.”
In 1972 he became partners with Sam Feldman , who took over the booking agency when Allen concentrated on management. To say they’ve had a tempestuous relationship is an understatement — in 1979 Feldman split to form his own office, taking the staff with him. But Allen and Feldman remain financial partners.
THEN LOVERBOY AND BRYAN ADAMS
When BTO broke up, Calgary bar owner Lou Blair asked Allen to co-manage Loverboy. Allen used his BTO experience and contacts to turn them into his second huge act.
Then came Adams, who went to another level, and shares Allen’s work ethic.
“Here’s a stat — Bryan Adams has done 10 shows a month for 15 years,” said Allen. “Add it up, 120 shows a year, every year. But he can go anywhere. Pick a market, throw a dart, OK we’ll go there.”
This is no idle boast. Adams is a huge international star, and has played all over the place, from Asia to the Middle East, Africa to South America.
“When you stand in front of the pyramids playing a gig it kind of gets surreal — you can’t actually believe you’re there,” said Allen.
Some gigs have been a bit stressful. In Pakistan, “we’ve been taken in by armoured car, with armed guards beside you in front and back, to get to where you’re going to play.” The gig itself was crazy. “We were playing on a golf course and people were going wild,” said Allen. “I remember cops were hitting (fans) with batons and rope to keep them back from the barricade. Adams comes over says, ‘Jesus Christ, this is terrifying.’”
There was a surprise after the show — they couldn’t leave because Pakistan’s thenpresident Pervez Musharraf insisted that they stick around for a big dinner the following night.
“It was all the pomp and circumstance those things can be, and all of a sudden Musharraf got up to make a speech to his people, and said ‘Now Bryan would like to come and speak,’ Allen relates.
BUBLÉ BACKSTORY
He decided to manage Bublé at the urging of producer David Foster.
“The record came out, and I remember (the agent) calling me from the States,” said Allen.
“Let’s go over the (ticket) counts. Phoenix, 13. Seattle, 86. But you know what, the kid worked his arse off. There’s not a more personable guy on TV or radio than Michael Bublé. He can sell himself. He’s a great performer live, and all of a sudden it started to happen.
“I remember the record company head that sat in front of me and Michael, Tom Whalley. Tom says ‘I already have Frank Sinatra. Why do I need (another one)?’ And Michael said ‘Yeah, but Frank Sinatra’s dead.’ Then he said, ‘Don’t let the music die with him, Tom.’ He said it, not me. Brilliant in a way.”
Bublé is now one of the most popular live performers in the world. He took three years off to be with his family when his son battled cancer but started touring again last year. He was about to go back on the road when COVID-19 hit.”