Fred Koch

Fred Koch has had a steady career singing simple yet appealing folk songs for kids. In addition, Koch has contributed to a great variety of efforts for children -- as a composer, producer, performer, and teacher. His unembellished style has consistently appealed to Midwestern preschool children and their families. Koch was born in South Haven, Michigan in 1951. After graduating from the National College of Education in Evanston, Illinois in 1975, Koch began a teaching career as a music specialist for preschool to primary grades. Two years later, Koch started performing professionally. Koch created Red Rover Records in 1981 and released This Little Cow. The album featured Koch's voice and autoharp, and was very well received among preschool teachers. Two years later, Koch released the aptly named Children's Record, which featured classic preschool folk songs such as "Tingalayo" and "Alouette." In 1989, Koch realized a longtime dream and created a celebration of the work of Ella Jenkins. The result was Did You Feed My Cow?, which featured some of the most beloved folk songs popularized by Jenkins, including the title cut and "You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song." Did You Feed My Cow? won two awards from the Parent's Choice Foundation. Five years later, Koch signed with the Melody House label and began work on an album that departed from his simple autoharp-oriented style. The result, a rich album of holiday songs called Tis the Season, featured highly produced and musically varied songs, often sung by children. Tis the Season won another Parent's Choice Award and made Koch a sought-after producer and arranger. ~ P.J. Swift