Meet the Band

DEAN JONES - guitar, trombone, singing
Dean Jones likes blueberries, avocados, potato chips, chocolate, vegetables and pupusas. When he's not playing with Dog on Fleas he's playing music with the Arm-of-the-Sea Theatre or recording other musicians at his straw bale recording studio. In fact, he won the Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Children's Album for the album he recorded and produced for The Okee Dokee Brothers!

JOHN HUGHES - bass, guitar, singing
I love to make things - food, music, forts, and sometimes trouble. I mostly love to make things for other people. Toast anyone? On my birthday I plan to be dancing. When it's hot I'll be in the water with my family and maybe a bunch of other people. The sweetest things in my life do not get plugged in or require batteries. I love the smell of the street vendor's food in India and New York City. You smell nice too.

CHRIS CULLO - drums and cymbals
Chris is the fastest drum setter-upper we know. He can also drive his drums pretty fast because he has them on wheels. Now he also has the smallest kick drum we've ever seen, so he can drive even faster.
Chris has many great qualities: he can talk with some degree of knowledge about almost anything. He has a cool family and likes to go on adventures with them. and he's the best drummer because he can drive the band along while remaining almost undetectable, or totally kick butt if he has to.

Blending a background in creative writing, an MFA in poetry, & decades of hip-hop production, his music is regularly featured on Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live, as well as a handful of Grammy nominated and winning albums. Drawing on 18 years & 5 albums of original material universally praised in the family music community, MCJ oozes positivity, & love, while embracing the inner child and fostering unique individual expression.

Cookie’s songs keep the party jumpin’ while easing the vibe on down to admire life’s beauty. Settle in as Mista Cookie Jar mixes a rock star excitement with the warmth of family music.

Their songs have been featured on Children’s Music radio shows and websites including Spare the Rock, The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, Radio Active Kids, Goober Hour, Funky Kids Radio. In 2021 they won the Folk Music Ontario Songs From the Heart Award, Children's category for their song “A Successful Career as a Dog.”  In Fall 2022 they were nominated for the Canadian Folk Music award for Best Children's Album and in 2023 they won Global Album of the Year from the Australian network Funky Kids Radio.

Drawing inspiration from everything from The Beatles and Electric Light Orchestra to The Muppets and The Wiggles, The Relative Minors offer a fresh take on the Children’s Music genre by combining the indie rock band format with catchy and clever lyrics, sophisticated instrumentation and an enduring respect for their audience. The Relative Minors believe in the power of play and imagination, and they hope to inspire a generation of young people to keep learning, keep playing and keep those toes tapping.

They thought kids wanted and deserved music that spoke to them, not down to them. So, they started gathering after their kids’ bedtimes to write songs and brainstorm ideas about a children’s television show. 

Smash cut - the Movers are celebrating over 20 years of entertaining families; you can watch the 76 episodes of their Emmy-winning “Imagination Movers” TV show on Disney+ or listen to the Movers’ songs, a catalog of more than 250 original compositions, which continue to populate the playlists of families everywhere.

In the last three years, the Movers entered the Top 10 of Billboard’s Kid Albums Chart, received multiple songwriting honors, released a compilation album entitled Coveralls: Songs from the Imagination Movers, featuring indie artists reinterpreting classic Mover songs, and hit virally with their song Watermelon Meow Meow.

In 2023, the Boys in Blue performed at Lollapalooza, all across the Mediterranean and Europe, as part of Armed Forces Entertainment and tons of festivals, including Beignet, Abita Fall Fest, and Family Gras.

In 2024, the Movers have already performed internationally, including Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Spain as well as the US at Festival International as well as their first 18+ shows. Moreover, they released Blue Skies on June 18, 2024 (their official unofficial birthday) with many of their songs are populating editorial playlists, garnering awards, and being featured on satellite radio.

Already in 2025, the Movers have released a string of successful singles, including standouts like Take Time and Kindergarten Graduation (The Swell Version). Plus, shows in Bahrain, Greece, and of course favorites like Spain and Italy. 

A gentle giant with kind eyes and an undeniable ability to make you feel good about yourself, this musical master brings 45 years of commitment, consistency and depth to a career that skillfully blends the many genres of performing and communication. Dubbed “Mr. Multi-Media” by Billboard Magazine, his diverse repertoire includes a prolific 12 Children’s Albums, countless energetically packed live shows for throngs of eager audiences across North America, composing the music for APTN/YTV’s Tipi Tales, and writing the score and hosting the TV documentary The Simple Way (focused on the relevant, world-wide topic of voluntary simplicity). He has, without a doubt, established himself as a fundamental part of the North American family entertainment scene. And whether it’s through CDs, videos, books or television, his cornerstone philosophy remains the same: absolute trust that his work can make a difference.

The first children’s entertainer to headline at the Los Angeles Amphitheater, this four time recipient of the Parents’ Choice Award and the man Los Angeles Parent called the “Canadian Minister of Positivity” has successfully transformed children’s entertainment into a family affair. Offering his broad talents to speak to the family unit and express his feelings about where the world is going and what children are learning. A devoted father of four, lessons learned through the challenges and rewards of parenthood are translated into all that he does.

His pre-music experience working with troubled youth set the stage for what was to come; providing an understanding of the trauma of child abuse and the ability of music to heal. Those learnings, along with the untimely passing of his 12- year-old sister with Down’s Syndrome and subsequent passing of his father a year later, sparked a period of deep soul-searching and life-changing decisions. Inspired by his sister’s pure love of music, the man who had planned to become an economist, made a choice to become a performer. Lucky for us, he did.

More than the music, the two-time Juno winner (equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Children’s Album, Fred Penner’s Place (1985) and Sing with Fred (2004) and eight-time nominee’s body of work is about energy and emotional connection. The guy who crawled magically out of that hollow log for 12 seasons and more than 900 episodes in the hit CBC TV show Fred Penner’s Place receives fan mail to this day from some of the 55 million American viewers where the show ran for four years on the Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr.. Always building on a common theme rooted in integrity and a “belief in what I can do” he has created a lasting impact that crosses the generations and continues to grow.

From the small screen to the live stage; from writing songs to composing scores; this seasoned performer’s ability to blend his considerable talents has garnered critical acclaim and a host of awards. Like the precious ingredients in your favourite feel good soup, his combination of warmth, ease, enthusiasm and grace bring nourishment too often lacking in these turbulent times.

In 2000, the Canadian Institute of Child Health honoured Fred for his contribution to the well-being and safety of children. He is also a humble recipient of the Order of Canada, the highest recognition given to a Canadian citizen and the Order of Manitoba, a similar award from his home province. One of his albums, Happy Feet was named Best Children’s Album of the Year by the U.S.A’s Entertainment Weekly and he is the first ever winner of the Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Children’s Recording.

His visibility has allowed him the privilege and joy of using his voice to “bring something of value” as a spokesperson for organizations like UNESCO, World Vision, UNICEF and the National Conference on Down Syndrome. In 2005, Fred journeyed to Zambia, Africa with World Vision to host a program for Child Sponsorship in the Western World.

Here and now, the family entertainer called “an American hero” by Long Island Parenting News is planning to expand his writing and performing abilities more into the genres of film and theatre. With extensive stage experience, including serious drama (Death of a Salesman), musicals (The Music Man) and family theatre (Captain Hook in Peter Pan to name just one), he looks forward to more involvement in the acting side of the film world. In addition, he looks to creating a new family album of “strong songs, with strong messages for the family and child” that speaks to what’s happening in the world and the importance of positive messages in these trying times.

To that end, his latest album, “Hear The Music” is set for release in April 2017. The album was produced by long time collaborator Ken Whiteley and recorded in Toronto, where Fred lives with his spouse, voice/acting coach and director Rae Ellen Bodie (whom he married in 2016 and who co-wrote two of the songs on the album). “Hear The Music”, which Fred created for three generations of his fans, includes guests such as Ron Sexsmith, Terra Lightfoot, Alex Cuba, Basia Bulat, Jackie Richardson, The Good Lovelies, Fred’s four children and a wealth of Canada’s best musicians.

Standing on an already firm footing in television and always excited about where the mystical journey will take him next, Fred is also making room for the possibility of another series or documentary.

A humanitarian always conscious of the “delicate balance required to create a positive influence that fosters healthy self-esteem in the life of a child”, his work is infused with a steadfast commitment to communicating with children and families in a clear, non-condescending way. “More than just fun”, this multi-talented artist has the wisdom and humility to know that the importance and the meaning of what he does can reach deeply into the lives of others.