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Not long after I moved to Madison, I found myself at the Pooh Corner Bookstore shopping for some music for my kids, who were pretty little at the time—roughly 3-1/2 and and 18 months, I think.
Now, call me an old grump if you must, but I can take about 10 minutes of Raffi before I have to leave the room, and I won’t go into the room in the first place if there’s any reason to believe Barney’s lurking in there.
But as I was browsing the cassette offerings, I spotted this odd-looking orange tape. It was called The Circus Kenlando by somebody named Ken Lonnquist, and it contained a bunch of songs that sounded interesting enough, with titles like Guru Guy and X-Ray Specs. I brought the tape home, and within a few minutes I had to rethink my whole attitude towards children’s songwriting.
The tunes on this recording were not just good
children’s songs—they were good songs, period. Expertly crafted, and
performed with extraordinary
charm and skill. I soon found out that most of Madison, and
the rest of the region, already knew how good Lonnquist was. He had
been a
mainstay of the children’s entertainment scene for years, and was also
well-known
for his outstanding work as a songwriter and performer for the general
adult audience.
—Bob
Jacobson, Kids Magazine
"I listen to his CDs even when the kids aren’t in the car!" —Parent, Brookfield, Wis.
”You are a treasure in the realm of
music for children. Kids love your songs—they are fresh, relevant,
musically sound, imaginative. Your work runs circles around
the likes of children’s music gurus such as Raffi and Greg & Steve.”
—Milwaukee
Music Teacher
Ken Lonnquist: The Fifth Beatle
Music Review by Sally Russell
Minnesota Parent Magazine
more...