Children’s music icon Rick Charette announces semi-retirement by Matt Pascarella

Rich Charette in the early 1990s

If you grew up in or around Maine, you probably know who Rick Charette is. He’s been performing in Maine for close to 40 years. Charette is semi-retiring and will no longer perform at schools or travel for gigs, but he will not give up music completely as he still plans to perform at the occasional event.

Charette, a lifelong Mainer from Westbrook, got his first guitar in junior high school and learned to play by ear from a friend. At the time, Charette was very interested in folk music, especially the music of Bob Dylan. He started playing folk songs and songs from other songwriters of the time. He began writing songs in high school and when he was in his early 20s, opened for folk singer Tom Rush.

Charette has a Bachelor of Arts in English, but music was his passion. He began studying classical guitar and obtained a second degree in music education and then taught music for grades kindergarten through sixth grade.

Charette thought folk songs were ok but wanted something more contemporary for children. One of his instructors at college thought Charette might have a talent writing music for younger audiences and believed this was something Charette should explore.

Charette had an opportunity to meet Mister Rogers

Charette wrote a song called “Bubble Gum” and it got a different reaction from children than when he played folk songs. Charette noticed that children had more energy and attentiveness during his “Bubble Gum” song but didn’t know if it was because he was excited to sing it or that they were up and moving around during the song.

In 1980, Charette met Roy Clark through a roommate. Clark was a good musician and worked for Charette’s roommate’s dad at the Frost and Flame woodstove store in Windham to earn extra cash. Clark liked Charette’s songs and they became business partners.

A record company produced Charette’s first album, but Charette and Clark decided shortly after to start their own company, Pine Point Recording Company, “and 12 albums later, here we are,” he observes.

“Bubble Gum” gave Charette credibility and confidence and, as a result, went on to write two other hits, “Alligator in the Elevator” and “Mud”.

There is no doubt Charette has made a difference within Maine and with many children and individuals. Charette recalls performing at Deering Oaks Park before social media and there was a large crowd filling the park.

“That was the beginning; wherever we would go, the place would fill up,” recalls Charette. He recounts a show in Fairfield where he walked by a mother and daughter waiting for his performances and overheard the daughter say, “Mommy, this is a dream come true.” Charette was very moved that he was able to bring so much joy into a child’s world.

Charette has been recognized on a national level as well. He and Clark were at a literacy conference in San Diego in the 1990s where they were performing and conducting songwriting workshops. They bumped into keynote speaker Fred Rogers. Charette was happy to hear that Rogers was familiar with and liked his music.

Charette believes now is a good time to not close all doors but pull back a little. He would like to write a book about what it’s like being Rick Charette. 

There’s a place for everyone when it comes to Charette’s music.

He observes, “It’s been a lot of fun over the years seeing all the smiles and the joy and the laughter and the silliness.”

Concert series at Dundee Park a success - By Elizabeth Richards

The summer concert series at Dundee Park had it all – free music performed by local musicians, swimming, a gorgeous setting and plenty of sunshine.  Opening up the park for this free series attracted many visitors who otherwise might not have experienced all that Dundee Park has to offer.  

In an August 5th memo to the town council, assistant town manager Phyllis Moss said, “The Park[s] and Recreation Summer Concert [Series] was a huge success! It was very well attended and it allowed many people to be introduced to Dundee Park for the first time. Kudos to Linda Brooks and the Park [s] and Recreation Advisory Committee for their efforts in pulling this series together.”

Windham Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks said she heard a lot of feedback regarding the series encouraging people to visit the park. “That seemed to be one of the biggest benefits of this concert series, the discovery or re-discovery of Dundee Park,” she said.  “It was nice to be able to showcase this really lovely facility that the town owns.”

Attendance at the concerts grew each week, Brooks said, and by the fourth show, which was beloved children’s performer Rick Charette, the unofficial count was over 400 people.  And they didn’t just come by car, Brooks said.  People watched from canoes and kayaks in the water as well. Those who did come by car sometimes ended up parking all the way back at the gate, but Brooks said despite the walk in, everyone was in a good mood. “For the most part families just seemed to take it in and enjoy the whole thing,” she said.

Windham resident Kristen Kelley said she attended the last two concerts in the series, and the only reason she missed the first two was that she didn’t know about them.  “It was very nice to bring dinner and hang out with friends on the last two beautiful Wednesday nights,” she said.  

Kelley and her children particularly enjoyed the Rick Charette show.  “Rick Charette was awesome as usual, and got the kids moving and dancing with him on stage,” she said. “The beach was packed and so was the water, and all the kids seemed to have a blast.”  A highlight for her kids, she added, was being able to take a picture with Charette after the show.  

Free entry to the park for the concerts made the series accessible to all. “We love great, free, family fun,” Kelley said. 

The Parks and Recreation Department increased accessibility for senior citizens by providing van transportation, said Brooks. “The combination of plenty of sun and plenty of shade at Dundee made it really suitable for all ages,” she said. 

Becky Ireland, Director of the Be The Influence Coalition, a Windham-Raymond Collaborative which aims to reduce teen substance use, said that community events like the concert series are important because they build connections outside the home.  “Young people who feel that their community cares about them and who are engaged with family and community activities are less likely to experience a variety of things which can impact their safety and success- such as substance use, violence, problems in school and mental health issues,” she said.

The coalition was represented at all four concerts, displaying their "Teen Brain: Under Construction" educational materials.  “We aim for the community to have consistent information that they can use to help support teens in making healthy choices - after all- they are the future parents, neighbors, and workforce which will help keep our communities strong,” said Ireland.

A few community organizations stepped forward to run the concession stand at the concerts, including a local dance studio, Boy Scouts and the American Legion Auxiliary.  Brooks said this was a good model that they plan to continue with for next year, encouraging other community organizations to get involved. Though the concessions are a fundraiser for the organizations, “It’s not just about the money, but also to be able to promote what they are all about,” Brooks said.

The committee wants to build upon the success of the series this year in future years, Brooks said.  The four bands were local performers, each with a different style of music.  They plan to follow the same four concert format for next year, Brooks said.

Brooks said the Dundee Park staff did an amazing job, especially on the hot nights when as many people were watching the concerts from the water as from shore. 

“The concert series was an excellent way for diverse community members to come together and enjoy a variety of music in a beautiful place that they otherwise might not think to go to,” said Ireland.  “I heard many people say they had not been to the park in years or had never been but that they plan to come back to enjoy it again soon.”

Why is six afraid of seven? By Michelle Libby

The answer to “Why is six afraid of seven?” is the title of the first album release in 10 years from local celebrity and children’s musician Rick Charette. The iconic voice that many grew up listening to is excited to share 15 new songs in his Seven Ate Nine album.

“The younger ones love it,” Charette said of the joke the title is based on. “It’s one of the songs on the CD with personification of the numbers.” 

The new songs feature soon to be hits like “I Want to Get My Backpack Back”, “Riding on a Zip Line”, “Bacon on the Bus” and “We Can Make a Difference”. The songs feature the distinctive voice of Charette along with children singers and the Bubblegum Band. The band includes Roy Clark on keyboard, Donna Stearns on drums, John Stuart on bass and Pat Keane as guitarist. 

Charette, known as RickCharette, to his fans, never Rick or Mr. Charette, plays venues from his favorite Casco Days, to Old Orchard Beach Pavilion, Bangor, the Portland Tree Lighting, LL Bean’s early New Year’s Eve party and Dundee Park here in Windham, just to name a few. 

“My favorite part is looking at kids’ faces and the conversations after performing,” he said. He has had kids pretend to be RickCharette and come on stage. “It’s a big part of their childhood,” he said. Parents know all of the words to the songs. “It’s quite flattering to me. I wish that I could write 20 songs like Mud,” he said. Mud is his favorite song mostly for what he sees when he’s performing. Everyone knows every single word, he said.  

Charette got his start back when whole language learning was big in schools. He attended a Vermont teacher’s conference and was asked to sing before the keynote speakers for 15 to 20 minutes. Some schools at the time would sing songs together before school. After that conference, many school systems in many states wanted Charette to come sing with their students, creating music and enriching the curriculum. This was all before the Internet and computers, when teachers wrote everything on large charts, he recalled. 

His first recording was in 1983, when he released Bubblegum. With 12 albums under this belt, Charette is still humbled by the support he receives every time he performs. Alligator in the Elevator is still his top selling CD.  

“I’ve wanted to have a new recording for a while,” Charette said. He waited to make sure the music and lyrics were exactly what he wanted them to be. Many of the songs are fun jazzy tunes, influenced by his love of jazz music with his signature sound and scoring that’s perfect for singing along. “I spend so much time involved with this. It’s where my passion is,” Charette said. 

A few songs that Charette has written have had important messages. Superpower was about keeping kids safe from abuse and was used in York County for 30 years. On Seven Ate Nine, We Can Make a Difference challenges kids without being preachy. He often dedicates the song to the Seeds of Peace camp.

“Let’s look out for our neighbors. Be a volunteer. Those little things that matter will come back to you. Let’s walk that extra mile. Make somebody smile.That’s  what our kindness will do.”

The zip line song challenges the kids by talking about gliding in the sky and stepping out of their comfort zone. “The Deer That Thinks She’s a Cow” came from a trip to Ohio to work collaboratively with pre-kindergarten and kindergarteners. Charette and his writing partner Roy Clark saw a deer playing with the cows in the field. The kids knew the deer and said, “he must think he’s a cow,” and a song was born (two years later). Cranky Frankie is about a boy who can’t wake up in the morning. 

“Kids don’t have a chance to do kid activities,” Charette said. The music speaks to the children and they wiggle and sing along to each song. Whether it’s a new song or an old favorite, RickCharette has captured the hearts of children and adults all over the country.

More about each song can be found on Charette’s website with the words to the songs and a little bit about how the song came about. When it comes to writing music “showing up is the most important thing,” he said.

RickCharette and the Bubblegum Band will play at the Maine Wildlife Park in September. Other  
shows are listed on his website.

Seven Ate Nine is available from Bull Moose, Amazon, Google Play and on the website at www.RickCharette.com.