Inspired by Children
The beginning of Alex Mahé's career has roots on a small farm in northeastern Alberta. The middle of 10 children, Alex often found himself singing and telling stories to his brothers and sisters to keep them occupied and out of trouble. These earliest performances must have been well received, as attentive audiences encouraged the young performer to expand his horizons and create new lines and lyrics. These eager supporters unknowingly (to all) "set the stage" for Alex's future career choice. Alex picked up a guitar and a few chords throughout his school years, but it wasn't until after high school that he coordinated the instrument with his singing and writing ability and taught himself to play. At this point, however, his audiences remained family and friends and his performances, a hobby.
His love of children dominated Alex's life and pursuing a career in early childhood education was a natural extension. Alex graduated in 1981 from Grant MacEwan Community College, the
first male in Alberta to enroll and graduate in this field of study. He was able to keep up his musical endeavors through
his teaching as he often brought his guitar to classes and entertained the children with singing and storytelling.
He was so encouraged by the responses he received from these amateur performances and from the support of adults who heard his own
compositions, that he decided to turn this passion into a career.
In 1985/86, Alex hosted and co-produced a children's television program called Alex Mahé's Goodtime Train
that was broadcast on Shaw Cable and QCTV (now Videon), based in Edmonton. It was this program that inspired the recording of his first cassette by the same name..
Since then, Alex has released 4 more albums, Railroad Rendez-vous, Zim Zam Zoom, Maïs Soufflé, and Wakin' Up The Sunshine and is continuously working on new material
for future performances and albums. In December of 2001, the month of the official release of Maïs Soufflé, Alex was voted 5th in the Top 10 Best French Children's Album in Canada category by the programmers of GalaxiePlus and has yet to submit his 2007 release.
His efforts have also been recognized by the Alberta Recording Industry Association (ARIA) by nominations for Best Children's Artist on Record. Alex has shared the stage with well-known performers
such as Charlotte Diamond, Norman Foote, and Paul Hann, and his growth as an entertainer
over the past 20 years is evident in his performances.
In Alex's spare time he enjoys skydiving, puzzles, gardening, wine-making and most of all, spending time with his children and grand-children.