Raffi
Sign in to saveRaffi Cavoukian (, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is an Armenian-Canadian singer-lyricist and author born in Egypt best known for his children's music. In 1992, The Washington Post called him "the most popular children's singer in the English-speaking world". He developed his career as a "global troubadour" to become a music producer, author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, an initiative focused on promoting children's rights and well-being. He has also been involved in advocacy for environmental and social causes, often ad
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1948-07-08
- Works
- 79
Top works
- Wheels on the Bus
- Kaytser; Volume 2
- Kaytser; Volume 1
- The Fool
- Raff Children's Favorites
via Open Library + Wikidata
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 245,989
- Total plays
- 7,781,068
Tags
childrensCanadiancomedymetalhumor
1) Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC (born July 8, 1948), usually known simply as Raffi, is a popular children's entertainer in Canada, the United States, and the English speaking Western world at large. Some of his best known songs are "Bananaphone," "Baby Beluga," "Down by the Bay," "Shake My Sillies Out," and "All I Really Need." Born in Cairo of Armenian parents, he spent his early years in Egypt before emigrating with his family to Toronto in 1958. Today, Raffi resides on Mayne Island near Victoria
via Last.fm · Raffi
Key facts
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.name
- Raffi
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.image
- RaffiSpeaking.jpg
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.caption
- Raffi in 2007
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.birth_name
- Raffi Cavoukian
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.birth_place
- Cairo, Egypt
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.origin
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Musical artist <! for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] >.years_active
- 1970s–present
via Wikipedia infobox
Key dates
- Born
- 8 July 1948
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Egypt
- Place of birth
- Cairo
- Sibling
- Ann Cavoukian
- Occupation
- lyricist
- Languages spoken
- Egyptian Arabic
- Native language
- Egyptian Arabic
- Instrument
- voice
- Record label
- A&M Records
Article
29 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Career
- Children's entertainer
- Advocacy
- Child Honouring
- Personal life
- Awards and memberships
- Works
- Discography
- Studio albums
- Compilations
- Singles
- ''Singable Songs for the Very Young'' (1976)
- ''More Singable Songs'' (1977)
- ''The Corner Grocery Store'' (1979)
- ''Baby Beluga'' (1980)
- ''Rise and Shine'' (1982)
- ''Raffi's Christmas Album'' (1983)
- ''One Light, One Sun'' (1985)
- ''Everything Grows'' (1987)
- ''[[Evergreen Everblue]]'' (1990)
- Non-album singles
- Filmography
- Bibliography
- Adult
- Children
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Raffi Cavoukian (, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is an Armenian-Canadian singer-lyricist and author born in Egypt best known for his children's music. In 1992, The Washington Post called him "the most popular children's singer in the English-speaking world". He developed his career as a "global troubadour" to become a music producer, author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, an initiative focused on promoting children's rights and well-being. He has also been involved in advocacy for environmental and social causes, often addressing issues like commercial exploitation of children and climate change through his music and public appearances.
==Early life== Raffi was born in Cairo, Egypt, to Armenian Christian parents who fled Turkey during the Armenian genocide. His mother Lucie Cavoukian named him after the Armenian novelist Raffi. He was exposed to music at a young age, as his mother sang to him and his father sang and played accordion. In a 2024 interview, he noted that "In my early childhood, growing up in a fairly authoritarian family, my parents loved me greatly. But it was at times a coercive love, not exactly a respectful love". The family left Egypt in 1952, living in Jerusalem and Syria before immigrating to Canada in 1958, eventually settling in Toronto, Ontario.
Connections
Categories
1948 births20th-century Canadian guitarists20th-century Canadian male singers20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters21st-century Canadian guitarists21st-century Canadian male singers21st-century Canadian singer-songwritersA&M Records artistsBLP articles lacking sources from January 2022Canadian autobiographersCanadian children's musicians