I hadn’t intended to record a children’s album. I had gone into a studio that was advertised in the paper to record an album of folky cover tunes for my family as a Christmas gift. At that time I had 2 or 3 kids songs that I sang to Becky and Ben when they were young and put them on the recording. The recording engineer came out from behind the glass after I had finished one of the songs and asked me if I had enough for a kids’ album. I said I sure could if given a few more weeks. He suggested that I apply for a FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent On Recordings) grant.
Receiving a FACTOR grant is a big vote of confidence from the Canadian recording industry and means that a panel of music industry professionals have listened to a rough demo and believe that you have potential to make a career as a commercial recording/performing artist. I was given a FACTOR grant and together David Jewer and I recorded a fully produced demo with multiple tracks.
We finished the recording having hired some of the best musicians on the west coast. We had an excellent product that I continue to this day to be very proud of. I began performing everywhere I could. Festivals, fairs, and concerts throughout western Canada were the target of my performance activities. I was supposed to open for Fred Penner at the Children’s Hospital Fundraiser at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver, but because of a scheduling hiccup, Fred opened for me. I did open for Charlotte Diamond and met and shared the stage with many other talented Canadian children’s entertainers. One of my last performances was at BC Place Stadium where they set up a stage for me on the 50 yard line and broadcast my performance on the ‘jumbo-tron’ while 650 employees of BC Pavillion Corporation and their families danced on the artificial turf.
I stopped performing because it was taking a toll on my family and told myself I would get back to it one day. I haven’t yet, but what you’ll find here is “the best kept secret in Canadian children’s music.”
I hope you enjoy it!
– David