Cry 'Woof'
Most people, I suppose, know Sandra Boynton from her line of greeting cards with Recycled Paper products, and her vast output of picture books for small children. (If I had a dollar for every time I read Barnyard Dance to my kids at bedtime, I’d be a wealthy man.)
But I’m not sure how many people know that Boynton is something of a songwriter. She started releasing albums in 1996 with Grunt, an album of Pigorian chant. Someone gave me a copy, and though it was pleasantly silly I admit I never listened to it a second time. Then, some years later, a family member gave me Philadelphia Chickens, and I was hooked. We have since acquired each of Boynton’s following albums, with the exception of last year’s, Frog Trouble, which I just discovered while researching this post, and have now ordered.
The songs are silly and goofy and fun…and starting with Philadelphia Chickens, Boynton began to attract quite a stellar line up singers and musicians to perform them. For example, here’s blues legend B.B. King singing the “One Shoe Blues” from Blue Moo, an album of 1950’s and early 1960’s jukebox hits that never were:
Boynton got a shocking line up of musicians who were in the jukeboxes of that era to play on the album. Here’s Neil Sedaka singing a dog’s ode to his beloved’s nose—and sounding no different than he did in the 1950’s.
You’ll also find Brian Wilson, Patti Lupone, Davy Jones of the Monkees, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Steve Lawrence, and Sha Na Na.
Then there’s Meryl Streep singing “Nobody Understands Me”, from Philadelphia Chickens. Be sure to keep listening; it gets better and better.
There are many others; I’d love to have put up a video of “Wave Bye Bye”, but it doesn’t seem to be available on YouTube.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In