Charlotte Diamond, (born July 31, 1945), is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

musician, best known for her children's music.

Biography

Charlotte Diamond was born and raised in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She graduated from

North Delta Secondary School North Delta Secondary is a public high school in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. It is part of School District 37 Delta. North Delta Secondary School, when it was opened in 1957, was originally a secondary school designed to accommodate approxim ...

in 1963, and she graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

with a

Bachelor of Secondary Education A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

in 1969, majoring in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

and French language. She took further studies in French language at

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Lux ...

, in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. Diamond taught science, French and music at

New Westminster Secondary School New Westminster Secondary School is a secondary school in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the largest high schools in British Columbia. Enrollment of students is open to those within grades 9 through 12. The school is hom ...

for ten years. She has spent most her life in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, but now lives in

Sechelt Sechelt (, Shishalh language chat'lich) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry tr ...

, on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.

Music career

Diamond has recorded fourteen albums including the Juno Award-winning ''10 Carrot Diamond'', a double-platinum record. Some of her most popular songs include "Four Hugs a Day", "I Am a Pizza", "Octopus (Slippery Fish)", "Each of Us Is a Flower", and "

May There Always Be Sunshine "May There Always Be Sunshine" (russian: "Пусть всегда будет солнце!" or ) is a popular Soviet children's song created in 1962. The music was composed by Arkady Ostrovsky and the lyrics written by Lev Oshanin. Korney Chukovsk ...

". Diamond is trilingual and has recorded songs in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and French, including "Soy una pizza" and "Qu'il y ait toujours le soleil", and she also performs songs in American Sign Language. Her son Matthew is also a musician, joining her for their 2015 album ''Diamonds by the Sea'', as well as touring with her. Diamond has toured in North America, Central America, and Europe.

Awards and recognition

On June 30, 2016, Diamond was made member of the Member of the Order of Canada by

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

for "her contributions as a children's entertainer who, through music, helps develop creativity and self-expression in youth." * 1986 – winner, Juno Award, Best Children's Album, ''10 Carrot Diamond'' * 1987 – nominee, Juno Award, Best Children's Album, ''Diamond in the Rough'' * 1989 – nominee, Juno Award, Best Children's Album, ''Diamonds and Dragons'' * 1989 – nominee, Juno Award, Best Children's Album, ''Qu'il y ait toujours le soleil'' * 2001 – nominee, Juno Award, Best Children's Album, ''Charlotte Diamond's World'' * 2003 – nominee, Juno Award, Children's Album of the Year, ''Nous sommes tous comme les fleurs'' * 2019 – Special Distinguished Service Award
British Columbia Music Educators' Association

Discography

*1985: ''10 Carrot Diamond'' *1986: ''Diamond in the Rough'' *1988: ''Diamonds & Dragons'' *1988: ''Qu'il y ait toujours le soleil'' *1990: ''The Christmas Gift'' *1992: ''My Bear Gruff'' *1993: ''Bonjour l'hiver'' *1994: ''Soy una Pizza'' *1995: ''Sing-Along with Charlotte Diamond and Friends'' *1996: ''Diamonds & Daydreams'' *2000: ''Charlotte Diamond's World'' *2001: ''Nous sommes tous comme les fleurs'' *2006: ''Todo el Mundo Come Banana!'' *2011: ''24 Carrot Diamond: The Best of Charlotte Diamond'' *2015: ''Diamonds by the Sea''

Personal life

Diamond met her husband Harry in 1971. Harry was a salmon fisherman before he joined Charlotte to work for their company, Hug Bug Music. Diamond has two sons and three grandsons.

References

External links

* 1945 births Living people Canadian children's musicians Canadian women singers Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year winners Members of the Order of Canada Musicians from British Columbia People from Richmond, British Columbia University of British Columbia alumni {{gvrd-stub