Penner headlines children's festival

Revered children's entertainer's 40th anniversary tour show headlines the Vancouver International Children's Festival

As he heads out across Canada to celebrate four decades since releasing his debut album, The Cat Came Back, Fred Penner is reflecting on a successful career in children's music. The revered 75-year-old singer has some sage advice for any artist choosing to follow in his footsteps.

“Kids aren't always as discriminating as you might think about knowing what they want,” he says.

“That makes it all the more important to strive to give them something that really asks them questions, prods their imaginations or goes deeper into making them feel something. Anyone can dress up in bright colours, dance around and make some funny faces and engage an audience, but what is it you are trying to say?”

The multiple Juno Award winner has 13 albums to his credit that support the contention that substance succeeds better than flash.

Quality albums, steady touring and broadcast TV made him a household name across North America.

His CBC series Fred Penner's Place ran from 1985 to 1997 in Canada and 1989 to 1992 on Nickelodeon in the U.S. and made songs such as Company Coming, Proud and Take Good Care of Each Other soundtracks to listeners' early lives and in-demand in concert.

Dubbed “Fred-heads,” these young fans grew up to become parents themselves and carried the positive and happy message of his music forward to their own children. After seeing the benefits of using music while working with mentally and physically challenged children, he set a goal to use it to both entertain and educate audiences.

“I had a sister born with Down syndrome who had always benefited from listening to music,” says Penner. “When she and my father passed very close to one another, my world was rocked and I knew I had to pursue something to find my bliss, so I went to the only thing that had ever given me any personal delight: making music. I had been involved in choirs and such in my extracurricular activities for some time, but when I went after it professionally, it eventually led me from coffee houses to performing for families and children, which I loved.”

A member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, the Winnipeg born-and-raised artist is a spokesperson for organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the National Conference on Down Syndrome and remains committed to making music that inspires positivity in the lives of his audiences. His most recent release, 2017's Hear the Music, includes a who's who of collaborating Canadian players ranging from Ron Sexsmith and Basia Bulat to Alex Cuba and his four children. He sees performing as a similarly collaborative experience.

“Every new crowd is joining me every set to help create whatever musical journey I want to go on with them,” he says. “As I look at how a set is going to unfold, if I want to do a quieter song or have a more focused moment, then I'll precede that with a hit like Sandwiches. Setting the vibe and having the awareness of the flow is something I pay a lot of attention to so I can carry the audience along. It's a complicated and complex trip to make it really work with the audience, and I delight in that.”

When things go awry for some reason, such as a child being disruptive, Penner has honed skills to interact with them and turn negative energy positive. Sometimes, he tells a story. Other times, he pulls out one of the classic vaudevillian hat tricks he showcases on a video on his website. Always, he approaches his subjects with kindness and caring.

“I always try to go deep enough that I can twinge a bit of an emotional thread in my performance and in my songwriting,” he says. “Integrity in making art is very important to me. I think that it has to be.”

Asked if he hears that in the music made by up-and-coming children's musicians, he diplomatically says he isn't always feeling what he looks for in the music of some of the newer artists.

But he thinks that acts such as Splash'n Boots are on the right path and he looks forward to hearing others hitting their stride.

In the meantime, Penner aims to keep playing and making his unique brand of meaningful music.