B.C.’s own children’s music legend Charlotte Diamond is coming to the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre this Saturday for a special family concert with her son, Matt Diamond.
Diamond, who was born and raised in Vancouver, and lives in Richmond, B.C., has been involved with music for most of her life, including playing opening sets for folk legends Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton. She moved away from folk to children’s music when she had kids of her own and quickly developed as one of the province’s most in-demand performers. She developed a preschool music program in her community and traveled the province performing and leading children’s music workshops.
She formed the Hug Hug Band and released her debut album, 10 Carrot Diamond, which won a Juno Award in 1986 and has since gone double-platinum. Since then, she has released 13 more recordings, won five Parents’ Choice Awards and three American Library Association Awards.
Her biggest hits include Four Hugs a Day, I am a Pizza (Je suis une pizza, Soy una pizza), Octopus (Slippery Fish), La Bamba and Dick Dinosaur. Her song Octopus was published as a children’s book. She has toured throughout North and Central America and Europe, performing in English, French and Spanish. For this Revelstoke performance, she brings new songs from her 14th studio recording, Diamonds by the Sea, which was recorded last year with her son Matt.
Diamond received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal for her support of UNICEF and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International for her performances around the world. She was appointed to the Order of Canada earlier this year for her contributions to children’s music, is an internationally-recognized recording artist, composer and singer.
At the concert on Oct. 1, Diamond will be accompanied by her son Matt on electric guitar. Matt has been performing on his own for several years, but is also his mother’s main accompanist.
Charlotte Diamond plays the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, available at ArtFirst, the Visitor Information Centre and the Revelstoke Arts Council website.
