For nearly 45 years, Fred Penner has toured all over North America, has made countless appearances on kids TV shows, and has warmed the hearts of thousands of children and families. The Canadian singer-songwriter is a regular at CityFolk, and The Charlatan had the chance to catch up with him ahead of his two performances on Sept. 16 to talk about performing for kids and adults, his musical beginnings and “Fred Heads” (long-time loyal fans).
The Charlatan (TC): What brings you back to CityFolk or Ottawa, in general?
Fred Penner (FP): You know, it’s always the buyer. If they see me as being a fit in their particular event, then I’m happy to consider it and make sure that it fits in with my schedule so I’m not playing here today and Vancouver Island tomorrow, which has happened on occasion. At this point in my life, I’ve been doing this for so long and the foundation that I work with is vast, where it’s not just festivals, but it’s soft-seat concerts, it’s early childhood conventions, it’s just being part of that world of singing and performing and speaking to families and educators and children across the country. And as long as the phone keeps ringing, I’ll keep coming.
TC: What got you into performing music for kids and families?
FP: I started performing professionally in 1972 . . . and then towards the end of that decade, through a number of connections, I started working in the children’s dance theatre company, which led to recording the first album, The Cat Came Back, in 1979, which led to working with Raffi’s company for five years, and led to four other CDs and then that foundation of five years of traveling and touring across the country was enough to give CBC an awakening and say “Oh here’s a guy, we like what he’s doing, maybe he would be up for doing a TV series…” The energy I bring to whatever audience that I’m with is all about inclusion, it’s about participating, it’s about speaking of values through the music, using whatever foundation I have, creatively, to actually get into the lives and say, “here are some things that are important to me, and maybe they’re important to you as well.” So that just led to families and children quite organically.
TC: How are your “grown-up” shows different from your children’s shows?
FP: Not substantially, oddly enough. “The Cat Came Back” will certainly be there, “Sandwiches,” my number two request will be there, and then there’s songs that I love to do that I wouldn’t do in the average family show, songs that I bring from my own background. I’ll do some Beatles material or maybe some Cat Stevens along the way, songs that have stood the test of time, or maybe some Joni Mitchell even, because those are icons from my musical background and I know the audience still connects with that. So it is, again, about inclusion and bringing the audience together., and let’s sing together, let’s share this music, as I’ve done through the folk era, through the sixties world. It was all about participation, so I try and bring that forward and engage the audience and entertain the audience the best I can.
TC: How often do you meet “Fred Heads” and do they tell you stories about their experiences listening to you?
FP: That’s pretty much a daily occurrence, unless I’m sitting at home with the phone off. There’s constant connections from people all over North America that come forward because [Fred Penner’s Place] aired on Nickelodeon in the States for three years from 1989 to 1992, so that link was made, and when I’m out, and I’m shopping or wherever I am, somebody will recognize me and come forward and apologize for interrupting, which is totally fine, I’m totally cool with the interaction with the audience or with the fans, and they’ll come forward and they’ll give me a story. In Winchester last night . . . there were a number of folks there who I’ve seen before and they came back and told me about what’s happened in their lives, and going back to whatever influences I’ve had on them over the time. It’s really a very gratifying and unexpected thing. From a career point of view, I never knew it would get this far, but I’m really delighted that it has.
TC: You put out a new album this year, do you want to talk about it?
FP: Yes, it’s called Hear The Music. It’s a project that has had its roots over the last number of years. I started working with Hawksley Workman back a few years ago and we talked about a duet style of album, and then we both got really busy and that didn’t find finality. And then through my label, Linus Entertainment, they were excited about doing this duets concept, and so we started talking to young performers who had a connection with “Fred Heads” . . . So, all of these links with people that I’d met along the way, and they were very very excited to lend their voice to this project, so we came up with 14 songs, all original.
TC: Is there anything else you’d want to add?
FP: The optimism that I have for this country, for this world, is being shown through the festivals that are happening. I’ve played festivals from coast to coast and it’s really gratifying to know that the public out there is not just sitting at home watching TV or playing with their computers, but they are excited about bringing the family together, and getting outside, and coming to an event where it’s real people who have developed talents to share with the audience. And that’s always been the excitement of festivals, and that’s growing stronger and stronger every day, so I’m really, really pleased, certainly to back at CityFolk, and I encourage people to come out and share the music.
Photo by Emily D’Orazio
