Peter Combe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Combe
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Combe performing in July 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Charles Combe |
| Born | 20 October 1948 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Children's |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainer, musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | ABC, Rascal Records |
| Associated acts | Juicy Juicy Green Band |
Peter Charles Combe is a famous Australian children's entertainer and musician. He was born on October 20, 1948. Peter Combe has won three ARIA Music Awards for Best Children's Album. These awards were for his albums Toffee Apple (1988), Newspaper Mama (1989), and The Absolutely Very Best of Peter Combe (So Far) Recorded in Concert (1992). He was also nominated for four other ARIA Awards. Some of his most well-known 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.
Contents
Peter Combe's Early Life and Music Journey
Growing Up and Discovering Music
Peter Charles Combe was born in Adelaide, Australia, on October 20, 1948. He was the third of four children. When he was young in the 1950s, he loved the music of the Springfields and learned how to sing harmonies. In the 1960s, folk singers like Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan inspired him. He taught himself to play the guitar and started his own folk music group. Later, he became a big fan of the Beatles and Billy Joel.
From Teacher to Songwriter
By 1969, Peter Combe 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 in the late 1970s. During this time, he began writing songs for his students. In 1973, he wrote his first "operettas," which are like short operas, for them. One of these was called Bows Against the Barons, based on a book about Robin Hood. A song from this musical, "Robin Hood's Dream," appeared on his 1988 album, Newspaper Mama.
In 1975, Combe moved to Sydney, hoping to become a famous singer-songwriter like Paul Simon. He performed in pubs and clubs and even appeared in a rock musical called Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. He also wrote a children's musical, Frederick WhatsHisName & his TwoLegged Six String Guitar, which included the song "Spangle Road." Another musical he wrote was based on the classic Australian book, The Magic Pudding.
Working with the BBC and ABC
In 1977, Peter Combe moved to England. There, he became a presenter on Music Time, an educational TV show for the BBC Television. He explained that he simply called a BBC producer and got an audition. On the show, Peter and his co-presenter, Kathryn Harries, taught musical ideas in a fun way. Teachers used Music Time in their classrooms, and it was shown in Britain for six years. It was also broadcast again on ABC TV in Australia. In late 1979, Peter and his family moved back to Australia. He then hosted Let's Have Music, a radio show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that helped teach music in primary schools.
Peter Combe's Rise to Stardom
Creating New Children's Music
In 1980, Peter Combe released 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 and released on ABC Records.
At that time, most children's albums only had simple nursery rhymes. Peter Combe 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 different musical styles, just like he did on Music Time, to introduce children to new sounds. He started performing concerts in schools, doing about 200 shows a year for three years! His next album, Spaghetti Bolognaise (1985), quickly became popular because of its catchy title track.
Becoming the "King of the Kids"
In 1986, Peter Combe went back to England for eight months to write songs for his next album, Toffee Apple, which came out in June 1987. When he returned to Australia, he worked with Diana Manson from ABC Music to create the first children's music video ever filmed in Australia for the song "Toffee Apple." This music video was shown during children's programs on ABC TV and helped Peter Combe become Australia's first children's pop star. People even called him the "King of the Kids"!
At the ARIA Music Awards of 1988, Peter Combe won the very first ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for Toffee Apple. The next year, in 1989, he won his second ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for Newspaper Mama (1988). A newspaper called him "the master of loony tunes for kids." His album Peter Combe's Christmas Album (November 1990) even reached the top 50 on the Australian music charts. In 1992, his first 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 Combe's tours were very successful. He sold out the Sydney Opera House twice and performed at big Christmas carol events in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart. He also performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Many of his albums have sold enough copies to be certified gold or platinum, showing how popular they are.
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 character named Monkey), shared songs and stories. The show was so good that it was voted the best children's radio program in the world in New York in 1991.
Peter Combe's Ongoing Success
Musicals and New Albums
In 1993, Peter Combe created a musical version of May Gibbs' famous book "Snugglepot & Cuddlepie." It was performed at the Adelaide Festival of Arts with an orchestra, choirs, and singers. This musical was recorded and is still available on CD. It has been performed many times across Australia since then.
He continued to release new albums, including Spook (1993), Little Groover (1996), and Best Friends (1999). He also released 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 on three CDs called Classic Fairy Tales, Classic Fairy Tales Vol 2, and Classic Fairy Tales Vol 3.
Performing for Adults
Since 2005, Peter Combe has started performing at pub gigs for young adults. These are people who grew up listening to his music and now want to hear his classic songs again. Videos of these shows, like one from the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, show crowds of adults 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 April 2017, and he toured Australia to promote it. In 2018, Peter Combe performed his 1990 Peter Combe's Christmas Album in full on a national tour. His most recent album, A Frog in My Cheese Sandwich, was released in August 2024.
Peter Combe's Personal Life
Peter Combe lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He and his wife, Carol, have four children—a son and three daughters—who have all performed with him over the years. They also have seven grandchildren. When he was growing up, his father would wake him up early to play tennis, and Peter says he's quite good at it! His favorite artists are Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, and The Springfields.
Awards and Recognitions
Peter Combe has received several awards for his music.
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are big awards in Australia that celebrate great music. Peter Combe has won and been nominated for several of these:
- 1988: Won Best Children's Album for Toffee Apple
- 1989: Won Best Children's Album for Newspaper Mama
- 1990: Nominated for Best Children's Album for Chopsticks
- 1992: Won Best Children's Album for The Absolutely Very Best of Peter Combe (So Far) Recorded in Concert
- 1996: Nominated for Best Children's Album for Little Groover
- 2017: Nominated for Best Children's Album for Live It Up
- 2023: Nominated for Best Children's Album for Planet Earth 3rd from the Sun
