Big Jeff DeSmedt

Big Jeff” DeSmedt is the hardest-working six-foot-six-inch singer-songwriter in family music. His blend of humor, learning and “super-interactive” audience participation has been captivating young audiences across the New York Metropolitan area for the past ten years. Along the way, he’s toured up and down New England and California, sold over 10,000 CDs and DVDs, and has grown a large and loyal family fan base.

Jeff began writing songs for his own young daughters 13 years ago, and started playing them for the children at the New Jersey daycare center where he worked as an aide and bus driver. He developed his material by testing it with various groups of two- to eight- year-olds as he quickly transitioned into a full-time traveling troubadour.

Dozens of daycare classics (”Big Pterodactyl in the Sky,” “The Orange Song,” “Dance on One Leg”) were developed as part of this ongoing dialog with thousands of youngsters at preschools, libraries, parties and concerts.

It all comes together on Big Jeff’s newest CD, “Warm for the Winter.” Jeff’s writing and singing hit new levels of sophistication and accessibility here, and the production is almost unparalleled in family music. “Warm for the Winter” was recorded and mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer John Seymour (U2, Dave Matthews, Santana), and features the Chops Horns section, who’ve played with everyone from The Police to Alicia Keys. This snowy celebration is poised to become a major part of the holiday season for years to come.

Big Jeff’s first CD won a Children’s Web Award for Classic Children’s Recording, and his songs have appeared on compilations alongside favorite kids’ acts like Trout Fishing in America, Sharon, Lois and Bram, Jack Grunsky and Parachute Express. His high-profile shows include Bethlehem Musikfest, Six Flags Great Adventure, Make Music New York at Bleecker Park in Manhattan, Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival, and an ongoing series with the New York Public Library system.