Barry Allen

Canadian rock musician Barry Allen launched his professional path as a supporting vocalist and guitarist alongside Wes Dakus and the Rebels during the 1960s. Once he parted ways with that group, his subsequent solo efforts yielded several chart successes, a gold-certified release, and a Juno Award. When those independent releases lost momentum, Allen joined additional ensembles throughout the 1970s and eventually established his own facility, Homestead Recorders.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Allen developed an early passion for music that intensified through exposure to emerging rock and roll broadcasts. Small-scale performances soon supplied the seasoning needed to secure a touring role with Wes Dakus and the Rebels. In the early 1960s, producer Norm Petty noticed Allen’s vocal approach and assisted with initial solo recordings. Capitol Records signed him to a contract around 1965, the same year he issued the singles “It’s All Right With Me Now” and “Easy Come Easy Go” plus the album Goin’ Places. The following year the title track from Love Drops climbed to the top of the charts for multiple weeks, delivering Allen’s first gold record.

Two further Capitol singles appeared in 1967—“I Know You Don’t Want Me No More” and “Armful of Teddy Bears”—yet neither matched the commercial performance of prior releases. The label subsequently dropped him. Allen responded by assembling the band Barry Allen and the Lords. By 1970 he had moved to Molten Records and joined the group Painter, which released one single and a self-titled album before his departure. He later founded Homestead Recorders in his hometown.