Many hats let Chris Burke ‘be all I can be’

Burke and his band travel the country and perform at dozens of events each year.

BOARDMAN — Chris Burke is a man of many talents: actor, singer, motivational speaker and goodwill ambassador perhaps being the ones that fit the best.

“It gives me the opportunity to be all I can be,” said Burke, referring to his acting career.

Burke, 43, who is diagnosed with Down syndrome, spoke before his band performed during Saturday’s Buddy Walk of the Valley 2009 event at the Shops at Boardman Park on U.S. Route 224.

The walk was designed to increase awareness of the condition, raise money for the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley and advocate on behalf of those diagnosed with DS, organizers said.

Burke, of New York City, is perhaps best known for his role as Corky in the TV drama “Life Goes On,” which ran from 1989 to 1993 on ABC. The show, which also starred Patti LuPone and Kellie Martin, followed the challenges of the Thatcher family and was largely centered around Corky, who had Down syndrome. Burke’s performance on the show earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

He also has appeared in several commercials and had parts in the popular series “ER” and “Touched By an Angel.”

While you’re at it, you can add a series of compact discs to his credits.

In the early 1990s, Burke and longtime friends, brothers John and Joe DeMasi, formed their band that plays mainly rock ’n’ roll music, as well as what Joe DeMasi calls “music for children and families.” The three have released four CDs and perform roughly 75 shows across the country annually at similar walks as well as schools, conferences and family events, Joe DeMasi noted.

The brothers, both of whom are also published songwriters, were music counselors at a camp in Lido Beach, N.Y., where they met and befriended Burke when Burke was 13, Joe DeMasi recalled.

The message behind their performances, however, reaches deeper than mere entertainment value, Joe DeMasi continued.

“We want people to know through our music that we’re all a celebration of life, love, friendship and inclusion,” he said.

Burke concurred, adding that his main duties in the band include singing, dancing and improvising.

When he’s not taking to the stage, handling public speaking, signing autographs or traveling the U.S. and Canada, Burke is working part time doing office work at and serving as a goodwill ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society in New York.

Burke and the DeMasi brothers are at work on their next project, “Forever Friends,” which will be a pilot to a children’s show. It is likely to be finished in 2010, Joe DeMasi said.

For more information about Burke, visit his Web site, www.chrisburke.org.