In an earlier post I covered the top 3 rockin’ family bands bands which included The Jonas Brothers, Hanson and of course The Jackson 5 (perhaps the most talented musical family out there simply because of Michael’s awesome voice and moves). Now it’s time to look at the next batch. This line-up is similar in that it encompasses both recent acts who have hit it big and those classic groups that were big when I was a kid. Both lists offer two things: they are an excellent reminder of great music that you can listen to with your kid and they show that families who stick together can sometimes accomplish great things. So here we go, round two of the top rockin’ families!
3) The Bacon Brothers
You may know Kevin Bacon from Apollo 13, A Few Good Men and Footloose. In his spare time Kevin has a pretty serious career as a musician with The Bacon Brothers. The band formed in 1995 (although they had known each other much longer) and consists of Kevin and his brother, Michael. They’ve released five albums with the most recent being New Years Day in 2008. Their rock / folk sound might not appeal to everyone but the cool thing about these guys is that they’re not just in it to make money. They appear on Sandra Boynton’s CD Dog Train and recorded the title track for Philadelphia Chickens, both of which will appeal to your kids. Check out “New Years Day,” from when they stopped by Daryl Hall’s house to play.
2) Kings of Leon
Brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew are all Followill boys. They are also known as the Kings of Leon (named after their father Ivan “Leon” Followill.) The band formed in 1999 in Nashville with a southern rock sound that progressed to more of an arena rock vibe. If you haven’t heard Only By The Night, their 2008 hit album, you might be the only person in the U.S. who hasn’t. While I wouldn’t play the whole album for my kids, unless you want to be asked a lot of questions about “Sex on Fire,” definitely play “Use Somebody,” their Grammy winning single. The song is catchy and builds a wall of a sound that would make Phil Spector proud.
1) Bee Gees
How the these guys went from the brothers Gibb to being named Bee Gees is still confusing to me, but their music launched a movement in the late 70’s and is still toe-tapping today. Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb were well-known songwriters and pop stars as well as disco pioneers and their music on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack is still classic. “How Deep is Your Love,” “Night Fever” and “Stayin Alive” all hit #1. It is estimated that the Bee Gees have sold more than 200 million records (40 million alone from Saturday Night Fever.) It’s never too late to introduce your kids to disco, even if you might think it’s dead. Play them “Stayin Alive” and watch the magic happen.
They say the family that plays together stays together. When it comes to musical families this doesn’t always ring true. It’s always easier to rock out with your siblings since they’re around anyway, but what happens if everyone wants to be the lead singer? What happens if you don’t always see eye to eye about the direction of your music? Sometimes it’s harder to tell a brother or sister that you don’t like their playing than another band member. Just making it in a family band is a challenge, let alone making musical history.
Remember what Vito Corleone told Sonny in The Godfather? “Never let anyone outside the family know what you’re thinking.” That might not really tie into a list of the top rockin’ families, but it is a great quote. So here, without further ado (or more random family quotes), are the top rockin’ family bands:
3) The Jonas Brothers
These three brothers from New Jersey seem to have it all going for them. They’ve released four albums since 2006, have dated celebrities like Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift and had the full force of the Disney machine behind them. With this much money and fame you might think these guys are jaded superstars who lack manners. Well, I actually met these guys once and I can tell you that Nick, Kevin and Joe are three of the most polite young men I have ever come across. Perhaps it’s their upbringing because their father is a former pastor. The Jonas Bros. also give 10% of their earnings to charity. Aside from their good work, these kids know how to craft a pop hit. Check out “S.O.S.” off their 2007 Jonas Brothers album. Hey, 81 million hits on YouTube can’t be wrong.
2) Hanson
When you say Hanson, the first response you usually get is, “Wait, those three brothers from MMMBop?” I’m happy to report that those three kids have grown up into fine musicians who are all dads now. They got their start in 1992 at the Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa. They launched “MMMBop” off of Middle of Nowhere in 1997 and a phenomenon was born. But the three brothers, Taylor, Isaac and Zac, grew into their music comfortably and veered away from the immature sound and lyrics of “MMMBop.” Check out “If Only” from 2000 to see what I mean. It’s a great track and if you can get your kids hooked on Hanson with “MMMBop” they just might go for this one too. Also, check out Hanson’s latest offering, Shout It Out.
1) Jackson 5
No family list would be complete without the Jackson 5. I can promise you that every kid will love “I Want You Back” and “ABC”, while parents won’t be able to stop tapping their feet at the same time. Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine and Michael started in 1964 and never really quit. The funny thing about the Jackson 5 isn’t that their lead singer was the most talented–that’s often the case with some bands–the unusual thing about the Jackson 5 was their lead singer was eight years old and sang and moved like he had been doing it all his life. He owned whatever stage he performed on. Check out the classic “ABC” and make sure you play it really loud for the kids.
To say that Elvis Presley’s music is timeless is as big an understatement as saying Jimi Hendrix knew how to play guitar. The man was bigger than life and his music transcends time and generations. There’s a reason that Graceland is still a destination vacation decades after his death. My parents grew up on Elvis, they taught me about his music, and I in turn have been teaching my kids about his songs. Even youngsters, who don’t understand the real history of Elvis can’t stop shaking their hips when they hear “Jailhouse Rock.”
There’s a good reason Elvis is still popular with kids, and it’s because those handling his affairs make his music and legacy accessible to children too. Check out Elvis’ official website and you can find plenty of things to do with your kids pertaining to the King.
The first thing I found was a section called Print and Color that offers you Elvis facts to be colored in by the kids. There are five different pictures to print and then color.
This section also offers a memory match game called Find Elvis. My kids love this one ,and funny enough, Thomas the Tank Engine has a similar game on their site. After that we played Surf Elvis, where you direct Elvis on a surfboard and try to pick things up while avoiding sharks. It helps to blast “All Shook Up” while you play this one.
I also found a downloadable Graceland activity book that repeated the coloring pictures but it also had 40 facts about Elvis with upside down answers to keep you guessing and an Elvis Word Find where you circle names like Hound Dog.
Finally, no true fan should let their kid leave the Elvis site without checking out the kids’ apparel. They have t-shirts, fleeces and my favorite, Elvis socks.
So check out the official Elvis website and keep the King’s memory alive.
Can’t get enough baby Elvis? Listen to an exclusive full-length sneak peek of “Love Me Tender” (lullaby style) here. Learn more about our newest release, Lullaby Renditions of Elvis Presley.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, the only son of Gladys and Vernon Presley. His twin, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. It was in the middle of the great depression and times were hard. Gladys worked at a garment factory and Vernon performed odd jobs. Vernon built a home on Old Saltillo Road for the new family. When he was eight, Elvis sometimes sang on a local radio broadcast called Saturday Jamboree that let the audience participate. At age ten his school teacher entered him in a children’s talent contest at the state fair where he sang “Old Shep” and later got a spanking from Gladys for going on a carnival ride. Gladys gave him his first guitar for his eleventh birthday. He wanted a rifle. Elvis occasionally performed for his classmates throughout junior high, but when his idol Mississippi Slim invited him to perform on his show, Elvis apparently had acute stage fright. He eventually got over it and the rest is history. Here are some remarkable images of The King as a wee prince.
Elvis with his parents, 1938
A very young Elvis Presley, 1939
Elvis, Age 6, 1942
With His Parents in 1943
Elvis, 1943
Elvis and Gladys Presley
Elvis in the 7th Grade, Milam Junior High
In honor of Lullaby Renditions of Elvis Presley, out yesterday, it’s Elvis week on the blog. Stop by each day for fun stuff including a free Rockabye Baby Elvis coloring page, activities, and more!
Can’t get enough baby Elvis? Listen to an exclusive full-length sneak peek of “Love Me Tender” (lullaby style) here.
Oh, and by the way, we’re giving away five Lullaby Renditions of Black Sabbath CDs! Enter here.
Has the time come to teach your children about the early years of rock? Elvis.com has an awesome section for kids, including a video tour of Graceland hosted by twelve-year-old boy named Curtis with highlights such as Lisa Marie’s favorite chair, Elvis’ preferred spot for watching Saturday morning cartoons, the Graceland stables, and the archives of personal items including boyhood photo-booth snapshots.
Don’t miss exploring the way-cool virtual tour of Elvis’ dressing room in 1969. Click on the guitar to hear it play, or on the scrapbook to see newspaper clippings from his legendary career. You can even rifle through his stage costumes.
Our favorite part is the free children’s activity book, with coloring pages, word puzzles, trivia and more! Download here.
In honor of Lullaby Renditions of Elvis Presley, out today, it’s Elvis week on the blog. Stop by each day for fun stuff including a free Rockabye Baby Elvis coloring page, and more!
Can’t get enough baby Elvis? Listen to an exclusive full-length sneak peek of “Love Me Tender” (lullaby style) here.
Oh, and by the way, we’re giving away five Lullaby Renditions of Black Sabbath CDs! Enter here!
Ex-Black Sabbath frontman and prominent foul-mouthed madman Ozzy Osbourne recently decided to dedicate his body to science when he dies because, in his words, “It’s amazing I’m still alive.” Before the dark prince bit the heads off doves, bats, and whatever else he could get his hands on, the man was known as John Michael Osbourne.
Ozzy received his nickname in primary school and refused to go by John for the rest of his days. He suffered some learning problems early on, which he claimed were based on dyslexia, and often said that he was molested by older classmates. He attended Prince Albert Road Junior School and Birchfield Road Secondary Modern School during this time period. He would meet Tony Iommi at Birchfield, and would many years later go on to put together Black Sabbath with the future guitarist.
Ozzy always loved music, however, and starred in many school plays. At 14, he became obsessed with the Beatles, which would lead him to leave school at 15 to break out on his own. He was quoted as saying, “”When I left school I wanted to become a plumber. When I heard the Beatles I wanted to become a Beatle.”
He’d take on many odd jobs, such as construction site laborer, apprentice toolmaker, car factory worker trainee plumber, and slaughterhouse worker. He also spent six weeks in jail after not being able to pay a fine for a burglary charge at a local clothing store. Later he would be back again for punching a cop in the face. It was in Winson Green Prison where he tattooed the now famous letters O-Z-Z-Y across his left knuckles, which he did with a sewing needle and graphite.
Soon, after playing in various bands that would go nowhere, Ozzy found success with Iommi by forming Black Sabbath. The rest, as they say, is history.
Born in Canada 1984 in Belleville, Ontario, Avril’s mother recognized talent early in wee Avril. They performed a duet in the church choir when Avril was only two. At the age of five the family moved to Napanee, Ontario, which as anyone in the music industry knows is where you go to be discovered. Somehow it worked out. She was discovered by her first manager while singing country covers at a bookstore.
In 2000 she was signed to Arista Records as an artist, but when she was pitched songs to record she informed the label she wanted to write her own. Her debut album Let Go was released in 2002 and sold over sixteen million copies worldwide. Check out her hit “Sk8er Boi” from that album, but even catchier is her single “Girlfriend” from her third album The Best Damn Thing.
To say that Elvis Presley’s music is timeless is as big an understatement as saying Jimi Hendrix knew how to play guitar. The man was bigger than life and his music transcends time and generations. There’s a reason that Graceland is still a destination vacation decades after his death. My parents grew up on Elvis, they taught me about his music, and I in turn have been teaching my kids about his songs. Even youngsters, who don’t understand the real history of Elvis can’t stop shaking their hips when they hear “Jailhouse Rock.”
The first thing I found was a section called 
Finally, no true fan should let their kid leave the Elvis site without checking out the 
Born in Canada 1984 in Belleville, Ontario, Avril’s mother recognized talent early in wee Avril. They performed a duet in the church choir when Avril was only two. At the age of five the family moved to Napanee, Ontario, which as anyone in the music industry knows is where you go to be discovered. Somehow it worked out. She was discovered by her first manager while singing country covers at a bookstore.
