Until I started featuring children’s albums on my blog Way Out Junk, I never realized how many of them were compilations of other miscellaneous albums. This is one such album; the record cover doesn’t even list a title, just a picture of this (admittedly adorable) little boy. I’d be willing to bet that these songs were not only recorded by different people at different times, but some were probably even recorded in different decades! That doesn’t mean there’s not some pretty fun stuff here, though. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find.
We start with the upbeat theme to the show You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, performed by Connie Zimet and Ron Marshall. The only reason I know they’re singing it is because I own the album it was taken from. This children’s album doesn’t identify anybody.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Next we go back probably a good 20 years or so for this performance of ”Happy to Be Me.” I’d love to tell you who’s singing this, but the record doesn’t say. She sounds like she sang a lot of radio jingles in her time.
Next at about the same vintage we have ”Big Rock Candy Mountain.” I like this one because it doesn’t shy away from the real lyrics of the song, mentioning things like cigarette trees and a lake of gin. Pretty daring for a kid’s record, don’t you think?
Finally we have the song ”The Sidewalks of New York,” sung by a very enthusiastic children’s chorus. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I love choruses like this, that just sound like a bunch of kids singing their lungs out and having a great time. And then, as if they hadn’t won me over already, they bring out the kazoos!
If you’d like to hear some more from this fun album, you can find it here!
And speaking of an adorable little boy (which I was way back in the first paragraph), let me give you an update on Brenden Baker from my last column. As a quick review, Brenden is a sweet little boy that suffers from a rare form of dwarfism. His teacher nominated him to win a trip to Morgan’s Wonderland, an amusement park specially set up for special needs kids. Firstly, thanks to all of you that went to the website and voted for him, as well as my fellow Popdosers who plugged the contest on your Twitter feed. That meant a lot to me and to his family.
At the original deadline for the contest, Brenden had lost by 30 votes. However, after the votes were verified, it turns out that Brenden was the top vote-getter after all! Now the fine print on the contest stated that a committee would choose a grand prize winner from the top ten candidates, but it was still nice to see my buddy Brenden get first place. Thanks again to all of you for helping to make that happen!
UPDATE: I just wanted to let you all know that I found out this evening that Brenden won the trip! Again, thank you all for your votes and good thoughts.
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