Dublin-born Colin Buchanan is an ARIA, APRA and 9 times Golden Guitar winning singer/songwriter whose diverse career includes being a beloved ABC TV Play School presenter, sought-after hit song collaborator, Australia's #1 Christian kids artist and regular panelist on ABC Sydney Drive's "Thank God It's Friday" with Richard Glover and the cream of Australia's comedy community.
In 1988 the Sydney-raised primary school teacher spent a life-shifting year living in a Christian community in outback Bourke with his then new bride, Robyn. The following year the couple moved to the NSW Central West sheep and wheat town of Grenfell. "Our time with Cornerstone Community was all about giving our faith legs, shaping our lives and hearts. But it turned out that the bush was holding a lot of songs in her belly. It was all so new and rich and the tunes just tumbled out of me over those two years."
With a background in teaching and a love of working with kids, an ABC canteen chat became an audition which became a regular role for Colin as presenter on ABC's iconic Play School. "From the first moment, I loved doing Play School." he says. "My first shoot was on location in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. I skipped out of the gates that evening swinging my guitar case like Maria in The Sound Of Music - I loved every second! I was on air from 1993 to 2005 yet I'm still experiencing the deep and lasting affection kids and families have for the presenters...and the toys!"
1993 saw the release of Colin's first kids album, the hilarious classic I Want My Mummy. Says Colin, "That album was a collection of songs I'd written during my teaching days. I think the connection that Mummy made between my earlier creative life and my "professional" career was important." That connection strengthened when Colin created a simple cassette as a Christmas gift for the preschoolers in his local church.
"People started asking for copies for their neighbours and cousins but we'd only run off about 50 or so. The thing was, a lot of those songs went back to the mid 80's - a time when I was writing songs for Sunday School and never imagined I'd be a recording artist. I decided it was time to pull those threads together. In 1996 I booked a studio and recorded my first kids Christian album, Remember The Lord."
That decision added a formidable string to Colin's bow. With what he admits was no great aspiration other than to sing some of his homegrown Bible songs, 20 years later Colin's kids Christian music is a worldwide phenomenon, his shows sell out, his songs have crossed a generation. Colin Buchanan is Australia's most successful solo Christian artist.
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