Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner, known as Fred Penner, was born on November 6, 1946, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was a professional folk musician by 1972 and released his breakthrough album, The Cat Came Back, in 1979, featuring the hit song "The Cat Came Back". He appeared on the children's television show The Elephant Show in 1984 and was later given his own show, Fred Penner's Place, which aired in Canada from 1985 to 1987 and on Nickelodeon in the US from 1989 to 1993. The show won several awards, including a Juno Award in 1989. Penner has released numerous albums, such as Polka Dot Pony (1981), Special Delivery (1983), and A House For Me (1985). He received the Order of Canada in 1991 for "using music and song to entertain and educate his young audience".
