"Best of Raffi" on CD in February

Rounder Records has announced the forthcoming release of Best Of Raffi, a career-spanning

collection, celebrating 40 years of hits from the legendary, beloved children’s entertainer. Releasing February 10, 2017, Best Of Raffi will mark the first, curated collection of Raffi’s music to be released outside of his native Canada. Best Of Raffi will include such classics as “Down By The Bay” (1976), “Bananaphone” (1994), and, perhaps his most iconic hit, “Baby Beluga” (1980).

Having released nearly 30 children’s albums, beginning with 1976’s Singable Songs For The Very Young, pioneering troubadour Raffi Cavoukian (better known simply as “Raffi”) is one of the world's best-selling and most influential children's entertainers, having brought joy to successive generations of kids—and their parents—with his playful, exuberant personality and his irresistibly infectious songs. Along the way, he has performed countless sold-out shows at concert halls across North America and beyond, and has received a string of Platinum and Gold certifications by the RIAA.


Raffi has also emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children and the Earth, lending his voice, insight and experience to a number of issues, often through his Centre For Child Honouring. The Centre advocates a children-first approach to healing communities and restoring ecosystems, promoting the idea that early childhood is the gateway to building more humane societies. Child Honouring has found high-profile recognition, connecting Raffi with such luminaries as Nelson Mandela and The Dalai Lama, as well as being the focus of 2012 TEDx Talks by Raffi. The artist has also published several books – including 2013’s Lightweb Darkweb, which focuses on the need to reform social media, especially for young users. Over the course of his career, Raffi has received recognition for both his musical achievements and his tireless advocacy work, including the prestigious Order of Canada in 1983, numerous Parents’ Choice awards and Grammy nominations, a Juno Award for Best Children’s Album (Bananaphone, 1994) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

The liner notes for Best Of Raffi confirm Raffi’s cross-generational appeal: “There are now millions of ‘Beluga Grads’—adults who grew up with Raffi’s music and are now experiencing it through their childhood memories and through their own children and grandchildren.”

Raffi’s albums consistently make the U. S. sales charts, and he continues to perform and record actively: his most recent title, Owl Singalong, was released earlier in 2016 to critical acclaim, and he is currently in the midst of an extensive North American tour. With 40 years’ worth of favorites, Best Of Raffi will bridge the gap between parents who grew up with his music, and their children, discovering many of these classics for the first time.



Best Of Raffi track list:
Baby Beluga
Down By the Bay
Apples and Bananas
Shake My Sillies Out
Wheels On the Bus
Day O
Bananaphone
Let's Play
Everything Grows
Mr. Sun
Love Bug
Owl Singalong
One Light One Sun
Rise and Shine
If You're Happy and You Know It
Thanks a Lot