Fred Penner

One of the premier children's entertainers of his era, Fred Penner was a popular singer as well as the host of his own long-running television series. A native of Canada, he often made up his own songs as a child, and after teaching himself how to play the guitar, regularly performed in school choirs and pageants. Penner's understanding of music's therapeutic powers was forged through his experiences with a sister stricken with Down's Syndrome, and after graduating university he began working with mentally and physically challenged children; during the 1970s, he also toured as...