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RAFFI'S BACK AND THERE'S GONNA BE BELUGAS; LEGENDARY CHILDREN'S PERFORMER RETURNS TO THE STAGE AFTER 10 YEARS
CanWest News Service, Canada
October 18, 2012 Thursday 11:00 AM EST
by Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist
IN CONCERT
Raffi
Where: McPherson Playhouse
When: Two shows: Saturday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.
Tickets: call 250-386-6121
Thrilling news for Baby Beluga devotees. After a decade-long hiatus,
Raffi is back on the concert stage.
And the comeback's launch is in Victoria.
His string of Western Canadian dates will be launched with back-to-back
shows at McPherson Playhouse on Saturday. The 64-year-old children's
entertainer says this marks his official return to the family-concert
circuit
"It's been 10 years," said Raffi. "The last family concert in a
theatre I did was January 2002 in Seattle. ... Now it's a return to
the feeling of enjoying the buzz of a family concert."
If Raffi Cavoukian was a rocker, the comeback would be akin to the
return of Bruce Springsteen or even the Beatles. When it comes to
children's entertainment, Raffi is a superstar.
The Washington Post deemed him "the most popular children's singer
in the English-speaking world."
He's sold more than 15 million albums and DVDs in North America. His
megahits include Bananaphone, Down by the Bay and Baby Beluga (that
latter is arguably the kiddie equivalent of Stairway to Heaven).
Raffi kept himself busy this past decade launching his Child Honouring
Centre project, headquartered on Saltspring Island. The centre is a
charitable, non-profit organization advancing his notion of "child
honouring," that is, nurturing children and treating them with respect.
This initiative included a book of essays, Child Honouring: How to
Turn This World Around, co-edited by Raffi.
The Child Honouring Centre has offered educational art programs for
children, and hosted such speakers as author Annie Leonard (The Story
of Stuff) and physicist Fritjof Capra.
Aside from the odd casual appearance, Raffi took a complete vacation
from the concert stage. But he didn't completely shy from the
limelight.
This summer, he was quoted in news reports about the death of Kavna,
the beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. Kavna was the whale that inspired
Raffi's Baby Beluga song in the late '70s.
"I wrote an impassioned blog about it," Raffi said. "I said it felt
like losing a member of my extended family."
There were other Raffi media sightings. After federal NDP leader Jack
Layton died last year, the entertainer wrote a song using Layton's
final inspirational letter as lyrics. The composition received a
positive endorsement from Olivia Chow, his widow.
Raffi was also publicly critical of sports commentator Don Cherry,
saying he acts like a "bully" and sets a poor example for children.
He even called for hockey fans to mute their TVs during Cherry's
Coach's Corner segment.
"His shtick has outgrown its usefulness," Raffi told the Times
Colonist. "And it didn't set a good example to the kids about the
spirit of the game."
Born in Cairo, Egypt, to Armenian parents, Raffi started as a
folksinger in Toronto and Montreal before turning to children's
entertainment.
His career was launched in 1976 with the album Singable Songs for the
Very Young, one of the most popular children's recordings of all time.
Back then, children's records were typically cut-rate offerings
relegated to bargain bins. Raffi says he deliberately charged the same
list price for Singable Songs for the Very Young as "adult" recordings.
"People responded to it," he said. "They liked the idea of quality
music for children."
Throughout his career, Raffi refused to compromise his ideals for
commercial gain. He was once approached by the producers of the
animated film Shrek.
They proposed making a movie based on the Baby Beluga song. Raffi
turned them down, partly because merchandising spinoffs were part of
the deal.
"We said, 'We won't stand for that, it's not in the children's best
interest.' Well, they'd never heard anybody say those things before,"
he said.
Raffi believes there are as many as 10 million people in North America
between the ages of 18 and 40 who grew up on his music. He calls them
"beluga grads."
"My favourite line they say is, 'You were the soundtrack of my
childhood.' It's a very wonderful thing to hear. Holy smokes."
CanWest News Service, Canada
October 18, 2012 Thursday 11:00 AM EST
by Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist
IN CONCERT
Raffi
Where: McPherson Playhouse
When: Two shows: Saturday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.
Tickets: call 250-386-6121
Thrilling news for Baby Beluga devotees. After a decade-long hiatus,
Raffi is back on the concert stage.
And the comeback's launch is in Victoria.
His string of Western Canadian dates will be launched with back-to-back
shows at McPherson Playhouse on Saturday. The 64-year-old children's
entertainer says this marks his official return to the family-concert
circuit
"It's been 10 years," said Raffi. "The last family concert in a
theatre I did was January 2002 in Seattle. ... Now it's a return to
the feeling of enjoying the buzz of a family concert."
If Raffi Cavoukian was a rocker, the comeback would be akin to the
return of Bruce Springsteen or even the Beatles. When it comes to
children's entertainment, Raffi is a superstar.
The Washington Post deemed him "the most popular children's singer
in the English-speaking world."
He's sold more than 15 million albums and DVDs in North America. His
megahits include Bananaphone, Down by the Bay and Baby Beluga (that
latter is arguably the kiddie equivalent of Stairway to Heaven).
Raffi kept himself busy this past decade launching his Child Honouring
Centre project, headquartered on Saltspring Island. The centre is a
charitable, non-profit organization advancing his notion of "child
honouring," that is, nurturing children and treating them with respect.
This initiative included a book of essays, Child Honouring: How to
Turn This World Around, co-edited by Raffi.
The Child Honouring Centre has offered educational art programs for
children, and hosted such speakers as author Annie Leonard (The Story
of Stuff) and physicist Fritjof Capra.
Aside from the odd casual appearance, Raffi took a complete vacation
from the concert stage. But he didn't completely shy from the
limelight.
This summer, he was quoted in news reports about the death of Kavna,
the beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. Kavna was the whale that inspired
Raffi's Baby Beluga song in the late '70s.
"I wrote an impassioned blog about it," Raffi said. "I said it felt
like losing a member of my extended family."
There were other Raffi media sightings. After federal NDP leader Jack
Layton died last year, the entertainer wrote a song using Layton's
final inspirational letter as lyrics. The composition received a
positive endorsement from Olivia Chow, his widow.
Raffi was also publicly critical of sports commentator Don Cherry,
saying he acts like a "bully" and sets a poor example for children.
He even called for hockey fans to mute their TVs during Cherry's
Coach's Corner segment.
"His shtick has outgrown its usefulness," Raffi told the Times
Colonist. "And it didn't set a good example to the kids about the
spirit of the game."
Born in Cairo, Egypt, to Armenian parents, Raffi started as a
folksinger in Toronto and Montreal before turning to children's
entertainment.
His career was launched in 1976 with the album Singable Songs for the
Very Young, one of the most popular children's recordings of all time.
Back then, children's records were typically cut-rate offerings
relegated to bargain bins. Raffi says he deliberately charged the same
list price for Singable Songs for the Very Young as "adult" recordings.
"People responded to it," he said. "They liked the idea of quality
music for children."
Throughout his career, Raffi refused to compromise his ideals for
commercial gain. He was once approached by the producers of the
animated film Shrek.
They proposed making a movie based on the Baby Beluga song. Raffi
turned them down, partly because merchandising spinoffs were part of
the deal.
"We said, 'We won't stand for that, it's not in the children's best
interest.' Well, they'd never heard anybody say those things before,"
he said.
Raffi believes there are as many as 10 million people in North America
between the ages of 18 and 40 who grew up on his music. He calls them
"beluga grads."
"My favourite line they say is, 'You were the soundtrack of my
childhood.' It's a very wonderful thing to hear. Holy smokes."