Submitted photo Akron-area children’s entertainer Mr. Jeff will perform Sunday at Westside Bowl in Youngstown.

The transition from singer-songwriter Jeff Klemm to children’s music maker Mr. Jeff started with a simple goal.

“I’m going to make music that my generation of parents actually want to hear, but direct it and aim it towards the children, so both the kids and the parents get something out of it,” Klemm said.

“I didn’t want to make annoying kids music. I wanted to make interesting kids music that a musician parent like me would like and that respected the kids enough to say, ‘Hey, you don’t need to listen to something that is not good.'”

Mr. Jeff will play a brunch show on Sunday at Westside Bowl in Youngstown.

While he’s performed at some schools and private functions locally, this will be the first Mr. Jeff show in the Mahoning Valley by the Akron-area musician that’s open to the public.

Klemm played bars and clubs with different acts for years and worked as a sound engineer. After becoming a parent for the first time in 2016, he decided to get sober and look for a different career path that didn’t involve late nights in bars.

A friend who was a preschool teacher had been posting videos of the things she did in her classroom.

When Klemm told her it looked like a cool job, she encouraged him to apply, and he was hired.

“It was just a trial, and I ended up falling in love with it,” he said. “It really unlocked that paternal part of me. I mean, having my son certainly unlocked that, but it really unlocked my fascination for childhood development.”

When they found out he was a musician, Klemm started bringing his guitar to school and learning the standard children’s music repertoire

He wasn’t impressed.

“The mainstream children’s music that was popular seven years ago when I started, it wasn’t very good,” Klemm said.

“It didn’t respect the listener. It didn’t respect the kids that they could have real taste in music.”

Klemm was content making music for his preschoolers and played a few public gigs as Mr. Jeff, but he didn’t commit fully to the concept until 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Livestreams he did while performance venues and schools were closed started drawing thousands of viewers.

“As a musician, it’s tough when all of your work is considered non-essential,” he said.

“But the parents and the kids gave me permission to feel essential. They were like, ‘This is what everyone needs. We need you. We need this.’ And so that’s where I decided, ‘This is the way. This is my thing.’ And in a time of darkness, I leaned on one of my strongest qualities, which was optimism, and it was a bright light for people, and it was a bright light for myself, while I dealt with the emotions of what was happening in the world.”

Klemm released his first Mr. Jeff album, “Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful,” (which won children’s album of the year from the World Entertainment Awards and other accolades) in 2024 and a second collection, “Slumberful Slumberful Slumberful,” the same year.

“Big Kid Stuff” came out last year, and he’s working on his fourth album, which he said is influenced by a show he did at a Youngstown school.

The school had a program where second graders had pen pals who were high school sophomores, and he was supposed to talk and perform for both age groups.

He was stumped by what to do that would appeal to students eight years apart in age.

He delivered what he described as a motivational speech, and after seeing their reaction, he started writing songs about dedication, perseverance and how character counts.

“I really have leaned into that on this next record,” Klemm said.

“I don’t want to alienate my toddler base, because I love the toddlers and playing the silly songs for toddlers, but it’s just pouring out of me. I’m eight songs done with my fourth record, and they’re all kind of along those lines. It’s really made me inspired.”

Klemm now has three children and two are preschoolers / toddlers, but the son who started him on this career path turns 10 this year.

“I guess my music is growing up along with my kids,” he said.

“I got inspired to make music from my children, so I guess that’s the natural progression.”

For Sunday’s show at Westside Bowl, Klemm promised a high-energy performance.

“There’s lots of movement. My wonderful jellyfish puppets are coming. I have an interactive and engaging video component, which is new this year. There will be bubbles. There’s always bubbles. There will be some education, and there will be lots of silliness and just learning how much fun it is to rock out at a concert venue.

“Ultimately, as a teacher and as a musician, turning kids on to music, exposing them to what it is like to be at a place with other people listening to people play music is really important. I love the idea of getting them out to experience live music and do it together with a group of people. It’s what made me fall in love with music.”

If you go …

WHO: Mr. Jeff

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. Sunday

WHERE: Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $22.50 and available in advance through Eventbrite.