Parachute Express Explained

Parachute Express
Background:group_or_band
Genre:Children's music

pop, rock, funk, bluegrass, R&B, doo-wop, folk, comedy

Years Active:1984[1] -2011
Past Members:Rick Cunha
Donald "Donny" Becker
Janice Hubbard
Stephen Michael Schwartz

Parachute Express was an American band of three California-based entertainers who performed, wrote, and produced music for children. Members were Stephen Michael Schwartz, Janice Hubbard, and Donny Becker. Parachute Express gained national prominence as recording artists for Gymboree Play & Music, Walt Disney Records, and Trio Lane Records.[2] They sang the theme song to the popular television series Jay Jay the Jet Plane and have been seen on TV shows Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. Rocks and Disney's Kaleidoscope Concerts.[3] Their music was featured in over 550 Gymboree franchises throughout the world, as well as in preschools, daycare centers, and diverse informal education programs.[4] [5] Parachute Express created a total of twelve albums.

History

In the early 1990s, Parachute Express released six albums as part of Walt Disney Records’ Music Box Artist Series.[1] In 1995, the trio formed its own label, Trio Lane Records.[6] Many of their albums have won national awards including NAPPA awards, the Film Advisory Board Award, an Indie Award, a Toy of The Year Award, and several times the Parents' Choice Gold Award.[7]

Their long list of honors further included featured performers at the 42nd and 43rd Presidential Inaugural Festivities, performing their "poetic anthem"[8] We The Children. This song was included in the Presidential library by then First Lady Hillary Clinton. They performed half a dozen times at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn of the White House.

Their video Come Sing With Us! won the Parents Choice Video Award and an International Monitor Award. They have been voted "Best Group" by the American Academy of Children's Entertainment. In 2010 and 2011, Parachute Express toured China, performing in Nanjing, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou,[9] [10] and Shenzhen.[11] The group disbanded in late 2011.

Discography

Albums

Song collections

Singles

Tracks in compilations

Videos

Awards

In popular culture

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search. google.com. 25 May 2016.
  2. News: Rees . Brenda . How to get The Kids' Reading Room Jumping for Joy. . . 2004-09-16 . 2009-07-29 .
  3. Book: Kaleidoscope concerts. worldcat.org. 29376962.
  4. IDEA Health & Fitness: Inspire Kids and Teens to Fitness. San Diego, California: IDEA Health & Fitness Association, 2003, page 24. . Accessed 2008-09-27.
  5. Book: McDonald, Margaret Read. https://books.google.com/books?id=9kFSJgEhfecC&pg=PA51. Dancing Tales. Shake-It-Up Tales!. Atlanta, Georgia. August House. 2000. 51. 978-0-87483-570-0. 2012-10-27. For this I particularly like the song "Tingalayo" as performed by Parachute Express on Shakin' It (Burbank: Walt Disney Records, 1992). I begin by letting the children trot in a circle to the "run little donkey run" refrain. Then, at certain spots in the music, we stop and just shake our hips and dance. It is fun to play the rhythm sticks to this song too..
  6. McCormick M: "Parachute Express Is Back." Billboard 110 (39).
  7. Web site: 'It Came From Beyond' Extends at NYMF. BWW News Desk. 23 September 2005. BroadwayWorld.com. 25 May 2016.
  8. Heffly L: "Parachute Express Drops In With ‘Looney’s’ Tunes Kids Will Love." Los Angeles Times 1998-07-23: F49. Accessed 2008-09-24.
  9. Web site: What'sNew. ycwb.com. 25 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052547/http://www.ycwb.com/ePaper/xkb/html/2010-11/08/content_965236.htm. 4 March 2016. dead.
  10. Web site: 信息时报 - 2010年11月3日 - D5:商周刊·业界版 - 时尚情报 . 2010-11-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101109185341/http://informationtimes.dayoo.com/html/2010-11/03/content_1174969.htm . 2010-11-09 .
  11. Web site: 中信银行举办金宝贝国际音乐节_中国网 . news.china.com.cn . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723123751/http://news.china.com.cn/rollnews/2010-11/03/content_5005212.htm . 2011-07-23.
  12. News: Levine . Evan . 'Parachute Express' Doesn't Fly . Newspaper Enterprise Association . review . Chattooga Press . 1995-09-27 . 6 . 2009-07-29 .
  13. Emma Stone Deserves A Round Of Applause For Mixing Stripes With Polka Dots And Still Looking Cool. The Gloss. 2015-02-03. Elizabeth. Licata. When I was a small child, a music video for a song called “Polka Dots, Checks, and Stripes” from a group called Parachute Express had a big effect on me. It was about a little girl who did not care about style “rules” and just wanted to have fun, so she wore polka dots, checks, and stripes all at the same time, and it was weird but great. That little girl was my first style icon. [...] Emma Stone showed up to the 87th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon wearing this look, which Red Carpet Fashion Awards reports is from the Michael Kors 2015 Pre-Fall collection..

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