Graham Walker seemed destined to be a children’s entertainer.
“When I was studying English literature and education in university, I discovered that Dr. Seuss was my favourite author,” he said. “And I always wanted to grow up to be Mr. Dressup. Plus, I was the oldest of six kids in my family, so I always had to entertain the younger kids.”
Soon, Walker began self-publishing children’s books at craft fairs, writing “whimsical” poems and learning to play the guitar. It wasn’t long before those poems turned into songs, and then Walker was selling self-produced albums at the craft shows along with his books. Things kind of took off from there,
he said.
“I started playing at festivals and schools,” he said. “It was great.”
It wasn’t long before he became a regular performer at festivals across the country, earning awards and accolades for his humorous and entertaining style.
The Sunshine Coast-based performer brings that award-winning whimsy to Quest University on Saturday (Oct. 4) for a free concert from 4 to 5 p.m.
“I’ll be bringing a bag of friends,” said Walker. “I have a lot of puppets I use in the show. I’ll also be wearing my silliest socks. And the kids are invited to bring and wear their own silly socks. That’s why I like to call my concerts ‘Silly Sock Hops.’”
When not playing with puppets or singing for kids, Walker performs as a drummer in a jazz band. But he said both forms of music are equally challenging.
“You still need to be just as skillful and entertaining a musician for both children’s music and jazz,” he said. “I love doing both.”
The free concert on Oct. 4 is part of the university’s Continue Your Quest program, with Quest offering different events and courses that range from one-day weekend happenings to one-night-a-week classes running for three to six weeks.
The show is aimed at pre-school and early elementary children, and will be held in Quest’s Multi-Purpose Room.
For more information on Walker, go to grahamwalker.ca. For more on Quest’s Continue Your Quest program visit www.questu.info/continuing-education.html.
