The cat comes back with Fred

Featured performers, Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival –

One of the highlights of Roots and Blues this year will be the much-beloved Fred Penner, host of the renowned children’s TV show of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, Fred Penner’s Place.

From the age of four years, the Winnipeg native made up songs as he traveled on the bus with his mother. He taught himself to play the guitar while he was in elementary school and performed in school pageants and choirs. He used to sing and play for his sister who had Down’s Syndrome and this gave him, at a very young age, a deeply compassionate realization of the therapeutic value of music.

After graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology, Fred began using his musical talents to comfort and entertain mentally- and physically-challenged children.

In the 1970s, Fred explored many musical and theatrical genres, had a stint on the live performance circuit with his own band, Kornstalk, and met his future wife, choreographer Odette Heyn. The pair started a children’s dance theatre company and one night after a performance, Fred was approached by a member of the audience who generously offered to finance an album of his music. The album was named ‘The Cat Came Back’ and it became a classic, launching his career and establishing him as one of the top Canadian children’s entertainers.

Fred and The Cat’s Meow Band travel all over North America, delighting audiences of children and their parents with his dynamic mixes of music and comedy. He has become a legend in the annals of children’s entertainment and in 1991, Fred Penner was made a member of the Order of Canada for “using his music and song to entertain and educate his young audience.”

Be sure to check out Fred’s great children’s website at http://www.fredpenner.com