Peter Combe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Combe OAM
Combe performing in July 2008
Background information
Birth name	Peter Charles Combe
Born	(1948-10-20) 20 October 1948 (age 76) Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Genres	Children's
Occupation(s)	Entertainer, musician
Instruments	Vocals acoustic guitar piano ukulele
Years active	1969–present
Labels	ABC, Rascal Records
Associated acts	Juicy Juicy Green Band

Peter Charles Combe is an Australian children's entertainer and musician. He was born on October 20, 1948. He is famous for his fun and catchy songs for kids. Peter Combe has won three ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album. These awards are a big deal in Australian music!

Some of his most famous songs include "Toffee Apple", "Spaghetti Bolognaise", "Mr Clicketty Cane", "Juicy Juicy Green Grass", and "Newspaper Mama". His Christmas Album even made it into the top 50 on the Australian music charts in 1990.

About Peter Combe

Early Life and Music Beginnings (1948–1979)

Peter Charles Combe was born in Adelaide, Australia. He was the third of four children. Growing up in the 1950s, he loved listening to groups like the Springfields. He learned how to sing in harmony from a young age.

In the 1960s, folk singers like Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan inspired him. He started his own folk group and taught himself to play the guitar. Later, he also became a big fan of the Beatles and Billy Joel.

By 1969, Peter was working as a primary school teacher. In the early 1970s, he became a special music teacher. He taught music to younger students at Prince Alfred College. During this time, he started writing songs for his students. In 1973, he wrote his first "operettas," which are like short musical plays, for them. One of these was based on the Robin Hood story.

In 1975, Peter moved to Sydney, hoping to become a famous singer-songwriter like Paul Simon. He performed in pubs and clubs. He also wrote a children's musical called Frederick WhatsHisName & his TwoLegged Six String Guitar. Another musical he wrote was based on the popular Australian book, The Magic Pudding.

In 1977, Peter moved to England. There, he became a presenter on Music Time, an educational TV show for the BBC. He and his co-presenter, Kathryn Harries, taught music in a fun way. This show was used by teachers in Britain for six years and was also shown on ABC TV in Australia. In late 1979, Peter and his family moved back to Australia. He then hosted Let's Have Music, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio show for primary school music education.

Becoming a Children's Music Star (1980–1992)

In 1980, Peter recorded his first album, Vagabond, which was for adults. After teaching for two more years, he released his second album, Songs for Little Kids, in 1982. This album was recorded and produced by Peter himself.

Back then, most children's albums only had simple nursery rhymes. Peter wanted to do something different. He believed that songs for children should be funny and interesting for both kids and their parents. He used modern instruments and styles, drawing on his Music Time experience to introduce children to different kinds of music. Peter started performing concerts in schools, doing about 200 shows a year for three years! His next album, Spaghetti Bolognaise (1985), quickly became very popular.

In 1986, he went back to England for eight months to write songs for his next album, Toffee Apple (June 1987). When he returned to Australia, he worked with Diana Manson from ABC Music. They made Australia's first children's music video for the song "Toffee Apple." This video was shown on ABC TV during children's programs. It helped make Peter Combe Australia's first big kids' pop star! People even called him the "King of the Kids." In 1988, Toffee Apple won the very first ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.

He won his second ARIA Award in 1989 for Newspaper Mama (1988). A newspaper called him "the master of loony tunes for kids." His album, Peter Combe's Christmas Album (November 1990), was very successful and reached the top 50 on the Australian charts. In 1992, his live album, The Absolutely Very Best of Peter Combe (So Far) Recorded in Concert (1991), won him his third ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.

Peter's tours were a huge success. He sold out the Sydney Opera House twice and performed at big Christmas events like Carols in the Domain. His albums have received 7 gold and 3 platinum awards, meaning they sold a lot of copies!

From 1989 to 1991, Peter also hosted a radio show called Ticklepot on ABC Radio National. He and his co-presenter, Henry Salter (who played a monkey!), shared songs and stories. This show was even voted the best children's radio program in the world in New York in 1991.

Continuing Success (1993–Present)

Combe in Adelaide, 2005

In 1993, Peter created a musical version of May Gibbs' famous book "Snugglepot & Cuddlepie." It was performed with an orchestra and choirs. This musical was recorded and is still available today.

He continued to release new albums, including Spook (1993), Little Groover (1996), and Best Friends (1999). He also released some picture books with CDs, like Wash Your Face in Orange Juice and Juicy Juicy Green Grass.

From 2003 to 2006, Peter read and sang classic fairy tales, releasing them as a series of CDs.

Combe performs his classic songs to an audience of adults in 2012 during a pub show in Melbourne.

Since 2005, Peter Combe has started playing special concerts for young adults. These are for people who grew up listening to his music. It's fun to see a crowd of grown-ups singing along to songs like "Wash Your Face in Orange Juice" and "Belly Flop on a Pizza? Ewww!".

His album Live It Up was released in 2017, and he toured Australia to perform it. In 2018, Peter performed his entire 1990 Peter Combe's Christmas Album on a national tour.

Personal Life

Peter Combe lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also enjoys spending time at his holiday house in Carrickalinga.

Peter and his wife Carol have four children: Joni, Alice, Emily, and Thomas. All of them have performed with him over the years. They also have seven grandchildren.

When Peter was growing up, his dad would wake him up early to play tennis. He says he's quite good at it!

Peter's favorite artists are Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, and The Springfields.

Discography

Peter Combe has released many albums throughout his career. Here are some of his studio albums:

• Songs for Little Kids (1982)
• Spaghetti Bolognaise (1985)
• Toffee Apple (June 1987)
• Newspaper Mama (1988)
• Chopsticks (September 1989)
• Peter Combe's Christmas Album (November 1990)
• Spook (1993)
• Little Groover (1996)
• Best Friends (1999)
• Live It Up (May 2017)
• Planet Earth: 3rd from the Sun (September 2023)

He has also released live albums and compilation albums with his greatest hits.

Awards and Nominations

Peter Combe has won several awards for his music.

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Awards celebrate songwriting and music performance in Australia and New Zealand.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are Australia's biggest music awards, celebrating excellent music.