Newfoundland's Alan Doyle learned piano and drums as a child, soon moving on to guitar (and eventually mandolin, bouzouki, and pretty much anything with strings). Following a series of informal jam sessions with members of the Celtic rock band Rankin Street, Doyle joined forces with them and Great Big Sea was born. Mixing traditional Newfoundland music with a fresh pop sensibility, and with Doyle handling lead vocals, the band released a self-titled album independently in 1992, and then signed with Warner Canada, which promptly reissued the debut. Some ten studio albums followed as Great Big Sea grew into one of Canada's biggest and most respected bands. Doyle issued a solo album, Boy on Bridge, in 2012. ~ Steve Leggett