Raffi (Cavoukian)
Raffi (Cavoukian) 
| |
|---|---|
 ' | |
| Birth name | Raffi Cavoukian |
| Other names | Raffi |
| Birthplace | Cairo |
| Birth date | 8 July 1948 |
| Lived in | Cairo, Ontario, Vancouver, Montreal, Mayne Island |
| Resides in | Mayne Island |
| Profession | Musician |
| Languages | Armenian, English |
| Ethnicities | Armenian |
| Dialects | Western Armenian |
| Major works | Baby Beluga |
| Relatives | Onnig Cavoukian, Ann Cavoukian |
Raffi Cavoukian CM, OBC (born July 8, 1948), usually known simply as Raffi, is a popular children's entertainer in Canada and the Western world at large. Some of his best known songs are "Baby Beluga," "Down by the Bay," "This Little Light," and "All I Really Need."
Born in Cairo of Armenian parents, he spent his early years in Egypt before emigrating with his family to Toronto in 1958. In recent years he has devoted himself to Child Honoring, which seeks to create a humane and sustainable world by addressing the universal needs of the very young. He founded the Troubadour Foundation to support this cause, and is working on a book, "Turn This World Around," which argues that Child Honoring can be a potent remedy for the world's most pressing issues. In 1983 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2001. His sister is Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner.
He also sings the popular internet fad Bananaphone, which was made popular partly due to numerous flash animations which use the songs.
The Onion
The Onion[1], a satirical newspaper ran the following article on Raffi in the February 6, 2007 paper.
- Touring Raffi Refuses To Play 'Shake My Sillies Out'
- FORT WAYNE, IN—Raffi, the veteran Canadian children's entertainer, told an audience of 4-year-olds at the Shrine Auditorium last Friday that he would not play his popular hit "Shake My Sillies Out" during the 2007 Raffi Renaissance Tour, no matter how often his young fans requested it. "I wrote 'Sillies' at a completely different time in my life," said Raffi, explaining that he wanted to play "some lesser-known stuff" on the tour, such as "Joshua Giraffe" and "Spider On The Floor." "I appreciate you wearing your 'Shake My Sillies Out' T-shirts, but I like to think that as I grow as an artist, you'll grow with me." Parents attending the concert said their children stopped singing along and closed their eyes during Raffi's final number, a sprawling 20-minute instrumental rendition of "Bananaphone."
Albums
- Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976)
- More Singable Songs (1977)
- Corner Grocery Store (1979)
- Baby Beluga (1980)
- Rise and Shine (1982)
- Raffi's Christmas Album (1983)
- One Light, One Sun (1985)
- Everything Grows (1987)
- Raffi in Concert with the Rise and Shine Band (1989)
- Evergreen Everblue (1990)
- Bananaphone (1994)
- Raffi Radio (1995)
- Country Goes Raffi (2001)
- Let's Play (2002)
External links
This article contains content from Wikipedia, used here under the GNU Free Documentation License.