Robert C. "Rob" Evans is an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

children's songwriter and performer best known for his performances as The Donut Man. He is known for his many sing-along audio and video tapes produced with Integrity Music. His DVDs have received six gold and two platinum sales awards from the RIAA. He is called the Donut Man in reference to one of his first songs that included the line "Life without Jesus is like a donut; there's a hole in the middle of your heart".

Early life

Evans was born in Paoli, Pennsylvania to

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

parents. At age 6 his parents divorced (which was later referenced in one of his videos, ''The Donut All-Stars''). He graduated from high school in 1971. He met his future wife at age 19, when he was

born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

into a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Bible church. Evans attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, but did not graduate, instead becoming a carpenter."He Became a Catholic When He Read Aquinas"
, ''National Catholic Register'', 19 December 2006

The Donut Man

The "Donut Repair Club" started in 1981 with Evans as "The Donut Man". Evans used the donut's hole as a metaphor for something that was missing, a hole which Jesus could fill and repair. Over the following years, Evans and his Donut Repair club would sell more than 6 million CDs and DVDs, and held appearances at more than 2,500 church concerts. Evans also sings in churches as a children's Bible story songsmith and presents concerts to children and families. His first-person songs put the audience into the shoes of the biblical characters he sings about. The Donut Man's sidekick is Duncan the Donut, a foam donut puppet built by professional puppet company Axtell Expressions, voiced by its creator Steve Axtell. Evans' most recent incarnation of The Donut Man, ''Massterpiece Donut Shop'', runs on

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...

Conversion to Catholicism

Evans, his wife, and one of their daughters were

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

of 2006. Since then, Evans has completed a Catechetical Diploma from

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania that is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Philadelphia region, the school ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. As a child of divorce, he equates that with the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

'divorce' of

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

from Catholics. Since his conversion, he has continued to produce and perform Christian music oriented toward families with small children.

Personal life

Evans is married to Shelley Tait with 6 children, including an adopted girl, Tonya, from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. His daughters Jen and Mary and his son Andy were on several of the Donut Repair Club videos. His son Jesse and daughter Sarah were in "Donut Hole 1" and "Donut Hole 2". Evans currently lives in

Merion Merion Station, also known as Merion, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia to its west and is one of the communities that make up the Philadelphia Main Line. Merion Station is part of Lower Me ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Discography and videography

*''Donut Hole 1'' (1990) *''Donut Hole 2'' (1990) *''On Tour'' (1991) *''The Celebration House'' (1992) *''The Best Present of All'' (1992) *''At the Zoo'' (1993) *''Barnyard Fun'' (1993) *''The Resurrection Celebration'' (1994) *''Video Sampler'' (1994) *''Camp Harmony'' (1994) *''The Donut All-Stars'' (1995) *''On the Air'' (1995) *''The Donut Repair Shop'' (1996) *''After School'' (1996) *''Duncan's Greatest Hits'' (1997) *''Active Time Songs'' (1997) *''Quiet Time Songs'' (1997) *''Paul in a Basket'' (1998) *''Bible Songs, Volume 1'' (1999) *''Bible Songs, Volume 2'' (1999)

External links

The Donut Man
- Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Rob Living people American performers of Christian music Converts to Roman Catholicism from Evangelicalism American children's entertainers People from Paoli, Pennsylvania Catholics from Pennsylvania 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American male actors 21st-century male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)