Dan Zanes and Friends
After Dan Zanes and his wife, Paula Zanes, had a baby, Anna Zanes, they mov… Read Full Bio ↴After Dan Zanes and his wife, Paula Zanes, had a baby, Anna Zanes, they moved to New York City. Zanes subsequently began playing music with a group of other fathers that he had met in West Village playgrounds who were also there with their kids. These fathers playing music together eventually became The Wonderland String Band, which played at parks and parties and on a tape of songs that Zanes recorded at his home.
The tape was a hit locallyāi.e. on the playgrounds where he and his daughter playedāand Zanes realized that he liked making music that families could enjoy together, as opposed to music that is just for children or just for adults. So, he added a small number of women to his band, renamed it the Rocket Ship Revue, and began making a full-length homemade album, enlisting the help of some people he had met when he was a Del Fuego--Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and Simon Kirke, the drummer for Bad Company.
The album, Rocket Ship Beach (2000), was also a hit. The New York Times Magazine called it "cool", and added, "Mostly, though, Zanes' kids music works because it is not kids music; it's just musicā-music that's unsanitized, unpasteurized, that's organic even." Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega made guest appearances on the album. The second album, Family Dance (2001) is composed of dance songs from a wide variety of musical traditions and features Loudon Wainwright III and Roseanne Cash. The third recording, the more mellow Night Time! (2002), features collaborations with Aimee Mann, Lou Reed, John Doe, Dar Williams, and other established musicians.
The fourth album in the family series is House Party (2003), a rambunctious 20-song collection with a diverse instrumentation that, in addition to the usual guitars, banjos, upright bass and drums, includes such instruments as tuba, accordion, pump organ, djembe and saw. House Party was nominated for a Grammy in the Musical Album for Children category. Music video selections from the House Party album play during the Disney Channel's morning program suite known as Playhouse Disney.
In 2007, Zanes received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children for Catch That Train! and produced a children's reggae CD with Father Goose called "Its a Bam Bam Diddly", which also features songs performed by Sister Carol and Sheryl Crow.
In early 2009, Zanes' Ā”Nueva York! won in The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Children's Music Album.
The tape was a hit locallyāi.e. on the playgrounds where he and his daughter playedāand Zanes realized that he liked making music that families could enjoy together, as opposed to music that is just for children or just for adults. So, he added a small number of women to his band, renamed it the Rocket Ship Revue, and began making a full-length homemade album, enlisting the help of some people he had met when he was a Del Fuego--Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and Simon Kirke, the drummer for Bad Company.
The album, Rocket Ship Beach (2000), was also a hit. The New York Times Magazine called it "cool", and added, "Mostly, though, Zanes' kids music works because it is not kids music; it's just musicā-music that's unsanitized, unpasteurized, that's organic even." Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega made guest appearances on the album. The second album, Family Dance (2001) is composed of dance songs from a wide variety of musical traditions and features Loudon Wainwright III and Roseanne Cash. The third recording, the more mellow Night Time! (2002), features collaborations with Aimee Mann, Lou Reed, John Doe, Dar Williams, and other established musicians.
The fourth album in the family series is House Party (2003), a rambunctious 20-song collection with a diverse instrumentation that, in addition to the usual guitars, banjos, upright bass and drums, includes such instruments as tuba, accordion, pump organ, djembe and saw. House Party was nominated for a Grammy in the Musical Album for Children category. Music video selections from the House Party album play during the Disney Channel's morning program suite known as Playhouse Disney.
In 2007, Zanes received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children for Catch That Train! and produced a children's reggae CD with Father Goose called "Its a Bam Bam Diddly", which also features songs performed by Sister Carol and Sheryl Crow.
In early 2009, Zanes' Ā”Nueva York! won in The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Children's Music Album.
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Dan Zanes and Friends Lyrics
All Around the Kitchen All around the kitchen cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo All around t…
Down in the Valley down in the valley two by two two by two, baby…
Goodbye Old Paint good bye old paint i'm leaving cheyenne good bye old paint…
How Do You Do The surface tension mounts, Iām drawn without a trace A pape…
How Do You Do? The surface tension mounts, I'm drawn without a trace A pape…
Jump Up jump up day is breaking jump up let's get shaking i know…
Loch Lomond By yon bonnie banks, by yon bonnie braes Where the sun…
Shining Star They didn't own a house, no crib no toys were…
Side by Side Well we ain't got a barrel of money We may look…
Smile Smile Smile You took over my life You took control of me You took…
The Farmer Is The One You say you want Diamonds on a ring of gold You say…
Tonight Tonight Time is never time at all You can never ever leave Without…
What a Wonderful World I see trees that are green red roses too I watch…
Wild Mountain Thyme oh, the summertime is coming, and the trees are sweetly bloo…