Fred Penner
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Fred Penner | |
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Born | Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner November 6, 1946 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner, CM (born November 6, 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian children's entertainer who gives appearances throughout North America. His television show, Fred Penner's Place, aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from 1985 – 1997, and once aired on Nickelodeon.
As early as the age of four, Penner would make up songs while traveling on the bus with his mother. He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was in grade school, and performed in school choirs and pageants. Through his experience with his sister Suzy's Down Syndrome, he recognized the therapeutic value of music.
After graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and psychology, he spent time working with mentally and physically challenged children, using music to comfort and entertain. In 1977, he met choreographer and future wife Odette Heyn, with whom he started a children's dance theatre company. Penner accepted an offer to do a recording, which resulted in the album The Cat Came Back, which launched his career and established him as a premiere Canadian children's entertainer.
In 1991, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada for "using music and song to entertain and educate his young audience".[1]
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- Why Am I So Small (1980)
- I Have No Friends (1981)
- I Hate Sands Secondary (1983)
- A House for Me (1985)
- Welcome to Fred Penner's Place (1988)
- Collections (1989)
- The Season (1990)
- Happy Feet (1992)
- Ebeneezer Sneezer (1993)
- Moonlight Express (2001)
- Where In The World (2008)
[edit] References
- Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry. Retrieved on May 8, 2006.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Order of Canada. Governor General of Canada. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.