Chris Hamilton

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TV Appearances Radio Play Online Articles

Images

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	Chris Hamilton colour photo		Chris Hamilton Black & White photo
	NEW! Chris Hamilton jumping w/ electric guitar		NEW! Chris Hamilton 'Boogie Child' CD cover
	Chris Hamilton singing w/ acoustic guitar		Chris Hamilton 'Sticky Situations' CD Cover

Chris Hamilton Bio (short version)

Chris Hamilton is a rising star in the world of children's music. He entertains kids with his funny, bouncy songs and classic children's favourites. Chris' shows are high-energy, interactive, sing-along, clap-along, get-up-and-dance along fun for all ages!

Chris' first CD for kids, Sticky Situations (2004) has14 lively (and silly) songs to get you dancing and laughing. The CD features terrific guest musicians, catchy songs and many quirky characters. Kids and parents both enjoy singing and bopping along to this fun-filled recording. Sticky Situations was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for "Outstanding Children's Recording" in 2005.

Chris was born & raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. In 1994 he moved to Vancouver and soon was performing in folk, rock and folk-rock bands. In 2002, he focused his creativity on making music for kids. He has since performed at dozens of family events in Western Canada.

He lives in Surrey, British Columbia, with his wife Virpi.

Chris Hamilton Bio (long version)

Chris Hamilton is a rising star in the world of children’s and family entertainment.

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Chris enjoyed playing hockey as a child but was never a natural athlete. He found much more pleasure in drawing cartoons, reading comics and playing music. In school he was involved in activities like student council, an environmental-awareness club, school musicals and band. He won several awards for his debating skills, but it was his art that brought him the most notoriety. Before turning 17, Chris was the editorial cartoonist for the local weekly newspaper.

With graduation nearing, Chris wanted a future that would encompass his loves of art and music. He decided to learn the craft of filmmaking. In 1994 he graduated from Confederation College’s Film Production program with an eye on the movie business.

In 1994 Chris moved to Vancouver, BC but found the local music scene more welcoming than the film industry. After playing in several casual bands, he joined the celtic-rock group The Clumsy Lovers in 1996 and spent nearly four years touring constantly with them.

At the end of 1999, it was time to move on. He left the band and spent his first New Year’s Eve in years at home with his girlfriend, Virpi Kangas. A few months later they were engaged. The two were married on June 30, 2001.

During his many free hours touring, Chris had begun writing stories for children. After leaving the band, he took a course in Writing for Children at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Here he decided that this was a dream worth pursuing.

By the fall of 2002, he came to a question similar to the one he had faced ten years earlier: how to combine his children’s writing & illustrating and get back to playing music? The answer came easily: music for kids! He put some of his children’s writing to music and soon was performing at daycares and in classrooms. This lead to putting a band together (The Sticky Jam Band) to perform at events like the Vancouver International Children’s Festival.

In January 2004, Chris and his friends began recording Sticky Situations. It was released at the end of May to great reception from children and parents. Sticky Situations was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for "Outstanding Children's Recording" in 2005.

Chris and Virpi Hamilton now live in Surrey, BC. No kids...yet.

Discography

Boogie Child (2006) Chris' 2nd kids' CD

Sticky Situations (2004) Chris’ first solo and first kids’ CD

With The Clumsy Lovers: Live! (2000), Barnburner (1999), Picture This (1998)

Quotes

"Chris Hamilton plays songs that are as memorable as they are loaded with kids' humor...They're also stylistically diverse but custom-designed to get kids dancing... A party-ready mix"

Nick Jr. Family Magazine

"Hamilton brings interactive, high-energy, singalong music to his performances, which induce dancing, singing and silliness."

Whistler This Week, Whistler, BC

"Children's entertainer Chris Hamilton brought the North Shore Library to life...with loads of laughter and the sounds of children's voices in song."

Kamloops This Week, Kamloops, BC

"A jumpy children's musician...Hamilton's quirky tunes easily stick in the minds of his young audiences."

The Langley Times, Langley, BC

"Kids get into the action with entertainer Chris Hamilton..."

The Abbotsford News, Abbotsford, BC

"...his charming style is likely to make him a popular children's performer."

The NOW Newspaper, Surrey, BC

"...it was natural (for Chris) to turn to writing and performing songs for children. It's clear he loves relating to them..."

Peace Arch News, White Rock, BC

"His songs are usually pretty silly but always fun and lively."

www.KidsMusicWeb.com

TV Appearances

Channel M News, Vancouver, BC

NOW TV, Surrey, BC

"Spotlight", Delta Cable 4, Delta, BC

Radio Play

It Takes a Village CFRO 102.7FM Vancouver, BC

The Kids Show on WTUL 91.5FM New Orleans, LA

HYP: Hip Young Parent Radio

The All-Ages Show (Not Just for Grown-ups) WPRB 103.3FM Princeton, NJ

Online Articles

CM Magazine, May 27, 2005 - Review of Sticky Situations

The NOW Newspaper Surrey, BC May 15, 2004

The NOW Newspaper Surrey, BC July 30, 2003

Chris' Current Calendar

See if Chris will be in your area soon, and where he's been before.

Chris' Shows

Chris entertains kids with his funny, bouncy songs and classic children's favourites. His shows are high-energy, interactive, sing-along, clap-along, get-up-and-dance along fun for all ages! Chris' show is a stage show and requires amplification. For small events, Chris has his own sound system or may perform acoustically. For larger or outdoor events, a sound system is required.

For large events, Chris and his friends perform as Chris Hamilton & the Sticky Jam Band. For smaller events, he can perform solo. Chris plays many styles of music so shows are easily tailored to your event.

Chris has performed at festivals, in school gymnasiums, at community events and in classrooms. Where there are kids, Chris is happy to be there performing.

Please note: Chris is not available to do "roving" entertainment or "wandering minstrel"-style performing. His show requires a designated performance time & space.

For more information, feel free to write or call.

Chris' Workshops

Workshops available for kids, teens and adults on songwriting and cartooning. Also available are workshops for teachers. Visit the teachers section for more information.

References

Happily available on request. Email info@chrishamilton.ca

Chris Hamilton Children's Music, Music for Children, Kids Songs & Family Entertainment. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada