Two guys, let’s call them Randy & Dave, started playing around with writing some silly songs for kids. “Silly” soon morphed into irreverent, over-the-top and often laugh-out-loud funny and became Calling All the Elephants, which charged into the world on April 7, 2015. Randy’s specialty has primarily been country music while Dave has worked almost exclusively in children’s pop music. The combination of the two genres and their two vocal styles gives Calling All the Elephants a wacky, seesaw feel, moving effortlessly between a country stroll where the wry wit of the lyrics sneaks up on you and a rock ‘n’ roll sprint where an outrageous lyric slams right into you.
Randy & Dave amble into the fun with “Last Word” – deceptively simple and bouncy until you listen to the lyrics – then rush headlong into the enigma of a little girl known simply as “Puzzle.” The absurdity of “Hum” unfolds as we learn that the hapless hummer got into his predicament by mixing up a tube of toothpaste and a tube of glue. The Cubanesque “Squish it Up” is pure hip-swinging, sing-along fun. “Good Day for Spiders” introduces devoted spider couple Duke and Deb and their particular taste for assorted insects. For kids who know what it’s like to have a bad day, there is “Woke Up Cranky;” and those who have very specific rules of behavior will appreciate “Never Ever.” As for “Miriam’s Muse,” you just have to hear it to believe it.
In real life, Randy is Grammy®-winning songwriter Randy Sharp. Randy has had seven #1 country singles and has written songs for country luminaries including Reba McEntire and Marty Robbins, Dixie Chicks, Emmylou Harris, Clay Walker, Dolly Parton, as well as other music stars such as Linda Ronstadt, Edgar Winter, Blood Sweat and Tears, Art Garfunkle, Patti Page and Big Bird, and Glen Campbell. Randy has such a rich history in music that it would take many more press releases to cover it all.
Dave is Dave Kinnoin, whose previous eight children’s recordings have racked up an impressive list of over 20 awards including Parents’ Choice Gold, NAPPA, Academics’ Choice, Mom’s Choice, KIDS First and Creative Child. But Dave is not the only one who records his music. Chances are if you have enjoyed songs by Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog, Winnie the Pooh, Big Bird, Bear in the Big Blue House, Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Sebastian the Crab, and Larry the Cucumber, you know Dave Kinnoin, songwriter for some of the most beloved characters in television and movies. His last three recordings focused on good character, so Calling All the Elephants is quite a departure and moves him back to his earlier, silly-song roots.
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