New record from Sharon, Lois and Bram offers a nostalgic look back

TORONTO -

Canadian children's entertainers Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison say creating their first album in decades was a trip down memory lane.

Their new record, released Friday, is called "Sharon, Lois & Bram: Best of the Best Live" and features 22 ever-before-heard tracks recorded at the group's concerts between the years of 1989 and 1995 in venues across Canada and the United States.

Hampson told CTV's Your Morning on Friday that they are "proud and thrilled" of the recording, which she fondly calls her "new baby."

"We love the way we sounded then and the spirit and the excitement of the band and being with Lois was a special treat," Hampson said.

The Toronto-based group spent half of their 40 years as the trio Sharon, Lois and Bram singing wholesome childrens' songs including "Skinnamarink," "The Muffin Man" and "One Elephant," among many others.

The group has won the Juno Award for Best Children's Album three times during their career, and were made members of the Order of Canada in 2002. They've also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

While Lois Lilienstein stopped touring more than a decade before dying of cancer in 2015, Hampson and Morrison continued touring until 2019, spreading their music to new generations of kids.

"It was nostalgic and it was terrific," Morrison said on creating the new album. "We love being together, and it's like being back there, which is great because that was a lot younger then."

Hampson and Morrison initially worked on curating the album, but then two superfans, along with their co-producer and Hampson's daughter Randi Hampson took over and sifted through hundreds of recordings to capture the ultimate Sharon, Lois and Bram live experience.

"The three of them spent a lot of time listening to a lot of songs until they narrowed down the list," Hampson said. "We did some listening along the way too… but the final result reflects all the care and opinions of all of us."

Morrison said some of his fondest memories from those concerts were seeing the excited expressions on childrens' faces -- and even some parents -- when the group came out to perform.

While the response from the audience is what gave the group "the most pleasure and the most satisfaction," Hampson says being a part of a hard-working, supportive team was also special.

"We always felt like a team -- the band and the crew and us. We hung out together, we went out for meals together, so it's nice to be part of something where everyone is happy to be participating," she said.

Compared to other music tours of rock 'n' roll bands of the time, Morrison says their stories from the road are rather tame.

"We were out doing bad things, we were doing good things," he said.

With the help of Hampson's daughter, the duo also recently launched a TikTok account that they say has given them and their music a new audience.

Hampson acknowledged that neither her nor Morrison knew much about TikTok before sharing videos on the platform, but says the responses have been heartwarming.

She said their popular songs are a hit not only with the new generation of kids, but also parents who listened to the tunes when they were young.

"People they send lovely messages, they talk about memory unlocked, so people really want to hear that music," she said.

@sharonloisandbram #fishandchips #theelephantshow #childhoodmemories #retrocanada #childhoodtvshows #canadiantiktok #sharonloisandbram #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Sharon, Lois & Bram