Photo of Magoo leaping while playing the uke
Magoo leaping while playing the uke

Magoo possesses a lot of hats, and he wears them all quite well. Singer/songwriter, host, family performer, guitar teacher, backyard shed builder, and fashion plate (suits to suit the hats) all come quickly to mind. He has hosted the legendary Blue Skies Music Festival in Clarendon Ontario for since 1978 and MC’d hundreds of events over the past four decades. He  is a Past President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals and a recipient of a prestigious Porcupine ‘Off Beat ’ Award.

Magoo is the 2017  recipient of Folk Music Ontario’s Estelle Klein Award.

Since 2003 he has travelled regularly to Indigenous communities with ArtsCanCircle. Founded by harmonica ace Mike Stevens , ArtsCanCircle collects and distributes instruments, and brings music and visual art to youth in the north.

Versatility makes him a ‘Folky Utility Player’, of the first order, but it is his songwriting and live performance that is central to everything else.

It’s the moon, it’s the most,
It’s emotional, it’s a ghost.
It’s an amulet that you never want to lose.
Imagination’s enlarged,
You’re guilty as charged.
It’s a wonderous waltz along luminous avenues,
When you find your muse.

The Muse © Magoo/KBM

Listen to a clip of The Muse on the Shirt Pay album.

Testimonials

“We rarely bring anyone across the country purely for their participation in our Little Folks program, but we just couldn’t resist Magoo.”

Vancouver Folk Music Festival

“His spontaneous shenanigans have been the surprise highlight of many an evening.”

Northern Lights/Festival Boreal

“Magoo has followed good fortune in his career, maybe that’s why he’s such a multi-faceted performer. He’s a folksinger, stellar children’s performer and an ace host and MC.”

Kingston Whig-Standard