SHARON LOIS & BRAM ONE ELEPHANT DEUX ELEPHANTS SEALED LP RARE LP.1978 ELEPHANT RECORDS.TRACKS;

"Cookie Jar" "" "Flea, Fly, Mosquito" "Five Little Monkeys" "Going to Kentucky" "" "Candy Man, Salty Dog" "Bee, Bee Bumblebee" "The Old Sow" "The Wind" "Skinnamarink" "Gavotte" (by ) "Michaud" "Inky Pinky Ponky" "Tingalayo" "Elephant Rhyme" "One Elephant, Deux Elephants" "Ho Ho Watanay" "Little Tommy Tinker" "One Potato, Two Potato" "Old John Braddelum" "Is There Anybody Here?" "Paw-Paw Patch" "In the Land of Oz" "Looby Loo" "John, John the Leprechaun" "Shoo Be De Doop" "Monday Night the Banjo" "Yes Sir, You're My Baby" "I'm Not Small" "Star Light, Star Bright / Bye 'n Bye / " "Bed Bugs"

Sharon, Lois & Bram (currently performing as Sharon, Bram & Friends or Sharon & Bram) is a Canadian children's musical trio composed of Sharon (Trostin) Hampson (born March 31, 1943 in Toronto), Lois Ada (Goldberg) Lilienstein (born July 10, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois), and Bramwell "Bram" Morrison (born December 18, 1940 in Toronto) that formed in 1978 in Toronto. Lilienstein retired from touring but continues to play benefit shows and record with the group.

Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstein, and Bram Morrison began their singing careers as individuals, and met while performing for the "Mariposa in the Schools" program.[1] The three performers quickly discovered that they shared a common philosophy about creating quality music for children. In 1978, armed with vision, talent and $20,000 borrowed from family and friends, they recorded their first album One Elephant, Deux Éléphants, released by Elephants Records distributed by A & M.[2] The folk-style album, with its eclectic musical mix, was an instant success, becoming one of the fastest-selling children's albums ever produced in Canada.

The group began touring Canada in 1979, in The Greatest Little Touring Super Show, and then appeared in the United States at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival in New York in 1980. The group had a diverse musical sound and themed songs. It ranged from folk songs, school yard chants, pop tunes, camp songs, singing games, rounds, and nonsense rhymes that were performed in diverse styles such as jazz, calypso, rock’n roll, country and folk. Their music was for families and leaned heavily towards participation and sing-along styles. This style was further developed in their television show The Elephant Show, which began airing on CBC in 1984.

Their unique singing style can be attributed not only to themselves but also to producer Bill Usher.[2] Usher was looking for a more energetic twist to children’s music and a shift away from the previous traditional folk style. Usher used a technique in which songs were no longer filtered through personalities and trademark sounds of the performer. Instead, songs drew upon various musical styles, such as rock ‘n roll, Broadway or calypso. This sound was regarded as completely new. Sharon, Lois, and Bram's appeal crossed a variety of demographics.[3]
During the 1980s, the trio starred in The Elephant Show on CBC. The series was later aired in reruns on the U.S. cable network Nickelodeon, through 1995. Each thirty-minute installment featured episode-length storylines, in addition to songs and sketches, featuring the trio alongside a human-sized elephant puppet and children's entertainer, Eric Nagler. Special guests, which included Fred Penner, Ann Mortifee, Louis Del Grande, Jayne Eastwood, Andrea Martin, The Nylons, Murray McLauchlan, Jan Rubes, Sneezy Waters, The Shuffle Demons, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and many more, also appeared on each 30 minute episode.

A second series, titled Skinnamarink TV, featured a different format and two new puppet characters. The series ran for 52 episodes on the CBC in Canada and The Learning Channel in the USA from 1997 to 2000.

The group won the Juno Award for best children’s album in 1979-named Smorgasboard, their 1980 album Singing ‘n’ Swinging and in 1999 Skinnamarink TV Sing-along album. These three albums had record sales exceeding 100,000 copies in Canada alone, this also brings to exception three additional albums who achieved the same successful records sales, Mainly Mother Goose, In the Schoolyard and Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show Record. Their influence on Canada’s children’s records became an international influence, with their international sales above 2.5 million dollars in 1991.[2]

 

 Sharon, Lois & Bram 1986
They know and respect children; each had an extensive background in children’s music prior to the group uniting.[1] Since 1988, Sharon, Lois & Bram have been members of UNICEF. They began by supporting the Trick-Or-Treat for Unicef campaign. In 1989, the trio were appointed National Ambassadors by UNICEF Canada. They were involved in events, education, and public service materials, special appearances and fund raising. Through their work, they have reached children, educators, parents, the media and heads of government. In 1996, Sharon, Lois & Bram were appointed by UNICEF Canada, the spokespersons for its 50th Anniversary Year Celebration.[4]

The White House Annual Easter Egg Roll & Hunt in 1994 featured Sharon, Lois & Bram. The trio performed a concert in the Ellipse and were invited into the White House to have breakfast with President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In 1995, the trio was approached by Collective of Western Canada Planetariums and asked to produce a "Laser Sharon, Lois & Bram" multi-media presentation. This was so that children at an early age could be introduced to the solar system by way of education through entertainment. Make A Wish with Sharon, Lois & Bram premiered in June 1995 for extended runs in Vancouver's H. R. MacMillan Space Centre and Toronto's McLaughlin Planetarium, which no longer exists.

Also, in 1995, the song Old John Braddelum which was on their 1978 album, One Elephant, Deux Éléphants appeared in the feature-film Billy Madison starring Adam Sandler.

In 2000, after the death of her husband and deciding that life on the road was too hectic, Lilienstein retired from touring with the group, which now often performs as Sharon, Bram & Friends (friends referring to life-size animal puppets that appear alongside them). Lilienstein has continued to play benefit shows and record with the group.

In 2002 the three were made members of the Order of Canada, making the Chicago-born Lois one of the few non-Canadians to receive the honour. Video clips of the ceremony can be seen on Sharon, Lois & Bram's 25-year anniversary movie titled "25 Years of Skinnamarink".

In 2005 Bram announced on CBC News that he had been found to have a benign tumor which was causing deafness in one ear. He underwent an experimental procedure to prevent further hearing loss.[5]

Sharon's husband Joe Hampson died on November 30, 2006. Joe played with the folk group The Travellers for more than 40 years. Lois stepped in and performed with Bram during Sharon's time of mourning.

Sharon, Lois & Bram reunited on stage at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival on May 4, 2008 for a rare performance featuring all three singers and a viewing of their 2004 concert titled "25 Years of Skinnamarink".

In 2009, the trio was awarded the Estelle Klein Award for their significant contributions to Ontario's folk music community. Sharon, Lois & Bram received their award at the 23rd Annual OCFF Conference held in Ottawa from October 15–18, 2009. The Saturday evening gala dinner on October 17 included a short video presentation of their life’s work. On Sunday, October 18, the OCFF continued its tradition of the award recipient being interviewed by Richard Flohil.[6]

In August 2012, Sharon & Bram appear on Toronto's morning news show CP24 to discuss their special guest appearance at the Ashkenaz Jewish Festival scheduled for September 2, 2012 at the Harbourfront Centre. The duo continue to tour and are currently represented by Jeff Andrusyk at JMA Talent

The original album was only issued on cassette and record featuring a picture of the trio in the park and Elephant on the set of a television. But when Drive Entertainment began re-releasing the trio's albums, they changed the cover, featuring only Elephant. The 1986 release came with a color picture fold-out that had words to all the songs.

Originally the title was Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show, but when it was re-packed and re-released in 1993 under Elephant Records, the name was changed to The Elephant Show Volume 1 and then again in 1994, under Drive Entertainment, they cut out Volume 1 and the title became just The Elephant Show.

 1986 (Elephant Records) LP Record/Cassette
 1993 (Elephant Records) Cassette/CD
 1994 (Drive Entertainment) (USA) Cassette/CD

Casablanca Kids Inc. recently re-released the original album under the same name. The CD is out in stores in Canada as of the week of August 17, 2009. The cover art features the same picture as the 1986 (original) release, but a new font for the trio's names will replace the original text. This will be the first time this album has been released onto CD under its original name, "Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show Record".

One Elephant, Deux Éléphants is the first album by popular children's entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, originally released in 1978. Throughout their career, the album has been re-released many times under various titles.

1978 (Elephant Records/A&M Records) "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants"
1985 (A&M Records) "One Elephant" (Cassette & CD)
1990 (A&M Records) "One Elephant" (LP Record)
1995 (Elephant Records) "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants"
1995 (Drive Entertainment) "One Elephant Went Out to Play"
2002 (Casablanca Kids Inc.) "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants" (25th Anniversary Ed.)
2004/2005/2008 (Casablanca Kids Inc.) "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants"

The Casablanca Kids Inc. edition featured three additional extra songs that did not appear on any of the previous releases. The three songs added to the 25 Years Anniversary Edition were: "A, You're Adorable", "Five Little Fishies", and "Skinnamarink" (1998 Version