Singer/songwriter Alan Doyle chronicles travels with family around Newfoundland and Labrador

In his new book, 'The Smiling Land', singer/songwriter Alan Doyle chronicles his travels with his wife and teenaged son around Newfoundland and Labrador.

To many Canadians, singer/songwriter Alan Doyle is synonymous with Newfoundland and Labrador.

But even he admits his family road trip around the province surprised him.

“I’ve got to tell you, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that it even shocked me how big Newfoundland and Labrador is,” Doyle told CTV News.

His new book is The Smiling Land: All Around the Circle in My Newfoundland and Labrador.

Doyle chronicles his travels with his wife and teenaged son around the province in a Honda Odyssey minivan.

“We figured it was the last time we were probably ever going to convince him to go on a road trip with his mother and father,” Doyle said.

Doyle even took his family to the Squid Jigger, the restaurant on Newfoundland’s southern shore where he performed his first paid gig in 1985.

“Terrified. I was terrified,” Doyle said.

“In retrospect, it was such an excellent apprenticeship in music, right? To be thrown into the lobster pot and try to make something of it. And I’m so glad that most of my musical education came on the job like that, as opposed to being in a recital hall.”