Drew Burns

For 27 years Drew Burns added to the richness of Vancouver’s nightlife as owner of The Commodore Ballroom. He wanted to bring to Vancouver young and upcoming artists representing the full spectrum of musical styles. He presented thousands of artists, both famous and emerging, local and international. The Police (now Sting), U-2, REM, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Bryan Adams and Blue Rodeo and many others performed at the Commodore before they were internationally famous. Among those who were already stars were Tina Turner, James Brown, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Del Shannon, Eartha Kitt, k.d. lang, Roy Orbison, Stan Keaton, Village People and Wynton Marsalls. Under Drew’s management, The Commodore was acclaimed internationally, named # 5 among live music clubs in the world by the London Times and honoured in Canada as “Best Live Music Venue Under 1900 Seats” for four consecutive years by the National Music Industry in conjunction with the Juno’s.  He passed away in late September, 2014.