Because of my age and not having children, I had never heard of Raffi. It wasn't until I started working in the library that this work became known to me; we have several CDs and videos of his.

For those who are like I was, with no clue, his music is very familiar to millions of children and parents. As told in this autobiography, Raffi (782.42 RAF in the Biography section), Raffi Cavoukian is of Armenian descent and lived his early life in Egypt. His father's photography talents became world-known. The family eventually moved to Canada.

Raffi's own career began as a folksinger in coffee houses. With his rising fame, his concerts began to sell out - even at Carnegie Hall and on Broadway. He has dozens of platinum and gold records - and the majority of the records have been through his own independent record company. When he did negotiate a contract with MCA to sell his music, he was able to get MCA to get rid of the cardboard "longboxes" that were about 12" long that would contain only one small cassette.

If you have an interest in Raffi's music, here are a few of the titles we have in youth: "Baby Beluga," "Raffi in Concert with the Rise and Shine Band," and "Raffi on Broadway."

c Waterloo Public Library 2007