Jack Grunsky (born July 1, 1945) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, he came to Canada as an infant. His singing and performing began in high school in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, but after graduating he returned to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

where his music career began. In 1966 he formed the successful but short-lived

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singing group, Jack's Angels who were signed to Amadeo Records of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. After the group disbanded, Grunsky recorded three solo albums for the label, one of which was produced by

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major i ...

. The album, ''Toronto'', was recorded in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and featured tracks with

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

. He was subsequently brought on board the progressive

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

label,

Kuckuck Records Kuckuck Schallplatten (engl.: ''Cuckoo Records'') is a German record label founded in August 1969 by Eckart Rahn, Mal Sondock and the advertising agency ConceptData in Munich, growing out of his music publishing company E.R.P. Musikverlag which ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, 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'' on Austrian radio

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the g ...

. 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 been well known for his children's music. His eleven recordings for children have received prestigious awards in children's media including two

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

s for Best Children's Recording, several U.S. Parents' Choice Gold Awards, multiple placements on the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

'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 (commonly known as Treehouse) is a Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary specialty channel that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from sister network YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV's former programming b ...

have broadened his appeal both in Canada and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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 Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner (born November 6, 1946) is a Canadian children's entertainer and musician known for the song "The Cat Came Back" and his television series, ''Fred Penner's Place'', which aired on Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

's 2002 CD, ''Sing With Fred'', which won Children's Album of the Year at the

2003 Juno Awards 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 (now Canadian Tire Centre) and televised on CTV. The 2003 Juno Awards wer ...

. Jack Grunsky released his first

NuJazz Nu jazz (also spelt nü jazz or known as jazztronica, or future jazz) is a genre of jazz and electronic music. The music blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, electronic music, and free improvisation. Nu jazz typically ve ...

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.prologue.org
Cosima Grunsky
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Awards and recognition

* 1992: nominee,

, Best Children's Album, ''Children of the Morning'' * 1993: winner,

, Best Children's Album, ''Waves of Wonder'' * 1994: nominee,

, Best Children's Album, ''Dream Catcher'' * 1997: nominee,

, Best Children's Album, ''Jumpin' Jack'' * 2001: winner,

, Best Children's Album, ''Sing & Dance'' * 2004: nominee,

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

References

External links

Jack Grunsky official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grunsky, Jack Living people 1945 births Austrian emigrants to Canada Canadian children's musicians Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year winners