Jack Grunsky
Encyclopedia
Jack Grunsky is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 singer and songwriter. Grunsky's musical career has spanned two continents. More than three decades of recording and touring have earned him a wide following from both adult and children's audiences.

Folk music

Born in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, he came to Canada as an infant. His singing and performing began in high school in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, but after graduating he returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 where his music career began. In 1966 he formed the successful but short-lived folk singing group, Jack's Angels who were signed to Amadeo Records of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. After the group disbanded, Grunsky recorded three solo albums for the label, one of which was produced by Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...

. The album, Toronto, was recorded in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and featured tracks with Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...

 on slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...

.

He was subsequently brought on board the progressive German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 label, Kuckuck Records of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, where he produced three more albums of original material. Grunsky was a featured guest on many radio and TV specials and even hosted his own half-hour weekly radio show called, Folk With Jack an Austrian radio ORF
ORF (broadcaster)
Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...

.

In 1974 he moved with wife and young daughter back to Canada where he connected with record producer Chad Irschick and released an independent album titled, The Patience Of A Sailor.

Children's music

In the early 1980s Grunsky developed a keen interest in music for children. Since then, he has well known for his children's music. His eleven recordings for children have received prestigious awards in children's media including two Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...

s for Best Children's Recording, several U.S. Parents' Choice Gold Awards, multiple placements on the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....

's "Notable Recording Lists" and a Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award.

He tours extensively, performing in theatres and family concert settings, international children's festivals, and Early Childhood Educational conferences. Numerous television appearances on Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel with programming targeted towards preschoolers that was launched on October 17, 1997. Its name comes from YTV's old children's programming block, The Treehouse...

 have broadened his appeal both in Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Grunsky has also performed his symphony show for young audiences called Welcome to the Orchestra with most major Canadian orchestras.

Other music production credits include Fred Penner
Fred Penner
Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner, is a Canadian children's entertainer who gives appearances throughout North America. His television show, Fred Penner's Place, aired on CBC in Canada from 1985 to 1997. It was co-produced by Nickelodeon in 1989 and 1990.Penner was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba...

's 2002 CD, Sing With Fred, which won Children's Album of the Year at the 2003 Juno Awards
Juno Awards of 2003
The Juno Awards of 2003 were presented in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on 6 April 2003. The primary awards ceremony was hosted that evening by Shania Twain at the Corel Centre and televised on CTV.- Ceremony highlights :...

.

Jack Grunsky released his first NuJazz instrumental CD, Coastlines, in 2006. He released a follow-up album, Room To Move in May 2008. He continues to focus on both jazz and children's performances. His most recent children's album, Hoppin' Socks was released in 2011.

His daughter Cosima is a singer-songwriter who often performs music with her father. She has released three independent recordings to date.

Awards and recognition

  • 1992: nominee, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 1992
    The Juno Awards of 1992, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 29 March 1992 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Rick Moranis was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television from 9 pm Eastern.Nominations were...

    , Best Children's Album, Children of the Morning
  • 1993: winner, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 1993
    The Juno Awards of 1993, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 21 March 1993 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Celine Dion was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television at 8 pm Toronto time...

    , Best Children's Album, Waves of Wonder
  • 1994: nominee, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 1994
    The Juno Awards of 1994, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 20 March 1994 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Roch Voisine was the host for the ceremonies, which were taped that afternoon for broadcast that evening on CBC...

    , Best Children's Album, Dream Catcher
  • 1997: nominee, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 1997
    The Juno Awards of 1997, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 9 March 1997 in Hamilton, Ontario at a ceremony in the Copps Coliseum. Jann Arden was host for the major ceremonies which were broadcast on CBC Television.Nominations were announced on...

    , Best Children's Album, Jumpin' Jack
  • 2001: winner, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 2001
    The Juno Awards of 2001 were held in Hamilton, Ontario Canada during the weekend of 3-4 March 2001.The primary ceremonies were hosted by Rick Mercer at Copps Coliseum on 4 March 2001 and broadcast on CBC Television...

    , Best Children's Album, Sing & Dance
  • 2004: nominee, Juno Award
    Juno Awards of 2004
    The Juno Awards of 2004 were presented on April 4, 2004 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and were hosted by Alanis Morissette.Singer-songwriters Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, and Nickelback led the nominations with five nominations each...

    , Children's Album of the Year, Like a Flower to the Sun

External links

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