Red Grammer

Red Grammer
Red Grammer
Grammer in 2007
Background information
Birth nameRobert Crane Grammer[1]
Born (1952-11-28) November 28, 1952 (age 71)
East Orange, New Jersey, United States
GenresChildren's, folk
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1981–present
Labels
  • Smilin' Atcha Music
  • DBA Red Note Records
SpouseKathy Willoughby
Websiteredgrammer.com

Robert Crane "Red" Grammer (born November 28, 1952)[2][3] is an American singer and songwriter.

Life and career

[edit]

The East Orange, New Jersey native started college as a pre-med student at Rutgers, but he transferred to Beloit College in Wisconsin, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1975. After several years of performing as a solo artist, he became a member of the folk group The Limeliters, replacing Glenn Yarborough. He was the guitar-playing lead tenor with the group from 1981 to 1988.[4]

Grammer is best known for his music for children, having recorded songs made up for his young sons. His songs teach human values including truthfulness, gratitude, integrity, kindness, and fairness. His album Be Bop Your Best was nominated in the 2005 Grammy Awards for Best Musical Album for Children. cELLAbration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins, won a Grammy Award on which Red was a featured performer.[5]

Teaching Peace, named by the All Music Guide as “one of the top five children's recordings of all time”, was the recipient of a rare Parents' Choice Classic Award.[6] Though it did not win any awards the year it was released, it is now considered one of Grammer's best albums.[7]

Other albums for children include: "Circle of Light: Songs for Bucket Fillers", Hello World, Down the Do-Re-Mi, Can You Sound Just Like Me? and "Red Grammer's Favorite Sing-along Songs." Albums for adults are Soul Man in a Techno World and Free Falling.

Grammer has performed in every state in the U.S. as well as in 22 other countries around the world, including China, Russia, Ukraine, and Israel.

He is often a keynote speaker and performer at national and regional educational conferences in the United States and Canada.

Grammer is a member of the Baháʼí Faith.

He met his first wife, Kathy, when they were students at Beloit College. They have two children, including pop singer Andy Grammer.

Discography

[edit]

Children

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  • Can You Sound Just Like Me? (1983)
  • Teaching Peace (1986) Parents' Choice Classic Award; named One of the top five children's recordings of all time by All Music Guide
  • Down the Do Re Mi (1991) Parents' Choice Gold Award, Best Children's Recording of 1991 Pulse Magazine
  • Red Grammer's Favorite Sing-Along Songs (1993) Early Childhood News Director's Choice Award
  • Hello World (1995) Parents' Choice Gold Award, USA Today Kid Pick, Early Childhood News Director's Choice Award, NAIRD Award
  • Bebop Your Best (2005) Grammy Nominated[8]
  • cELLAbration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins (2005) (Featured artist) Grammy Award for Best Musical Album For Children, 2005
  • "Circle of Light: Songs for Bucket Fillers" (2014) Won an award in 2015

Adult

[edit]
  • Free Falling (1993)
  • Soul Man in a Techno World (2001)
  • Alive in Concert Vols. 1 and 2 (recorded with The Limeliters)
  • Harmony (recorded with The Limeliters)
  • Singing for the Fun (recorded with The Limeliters)

Children's DVD

[edit]
  • Red Grammer Live in Concert: Hooray for the World (2003)

Books

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  • Everybody Up and Stars ESL series-(Oxford University Press Music)
  • Teaching Peace Songbook and Teacher's Guide (Red Note Records)
  • Great Railway Adventure Series (Learning Curve Co.- read-along books: music)
  • Rainforest, Antarctica, Beaver at Long Pond, Box Turtle at Long Pond-(Soundprints- read-along books: music and narration)

References

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  1. ^ "Rolling along, singing a song. By Robert Crane Grammer (Red Grammer) & Kathryn Willoughby Grammer".
  2. ^ Biography at Yahoo! Music, undated, Access date: October 8, 2007
  3. ^ Reprint of Wall Street Journal article: "Red Grammer: He's No Raffi Redux", published January 26, 2006, Access date: October 8, 2007
  4. ^ The Limeliters – Their Musical Career, January 12, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2012
  5. ^ 48th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List January 12, 2004, Access date: October 10, 2012
  6. ^ iTunes Biography of Red Grammer, undated. Retrieved October 16, 2012
  7. ^ P.F. Swift's Biography of Red Grammer, undated. Retrieved October 24, 2012
  8. ^ Family Music Reviews by John Wood, undated, Access date: October 16, 2012
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