Hello Children Everywhere

Classic Children's Records

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Here are the children's record pages for adults. My intention in these pages is to look back to the 1950s and 1960s, and where appropriate to even earlier, to examine the records that were played to children.

Whereas today, children are largely faced with having to listen to adult pop music, some care was taken in earlier radio broadcast to play children's music to children.

At the bottom of this page, I provide a check list of the types of records that were played to children on Junior Choice. The pages that follow this one provide further examples.

Please read this page. Then please go forward to Children's Records Page 2

ORDER "HELLO CHILDREN EVERYWHERE"

New CD From EMI to be released on 27 May 2002
Please pre-order from Amazon UK

This traditional collection of children's classics follows the hugely successful "Hello Children Everywhere" released some years ago. Many of these tracks are timeless and are widely recognised for their use on radio shows aired throughout the 60s.

1._ Nellie the elephant - Miller, Mandy
2._ Runaway train - Delhart, Vernon
3._ Middle of the house - Cogan, Alma
4._ Grandfather's clock - Radio Revellers
5. _Owl and the pussycat - Hayes, Elton
6. _Puffin' Billy - Melody Light Orchestra
7. _All things bright and beautiful - Uncle Mac
8. _Robin Hood - James, Dick
9. _How much is that doggie - Pinky & Perky
10. I've lost my mummy - Harris, Rolf
11. Laughing policeman - Penrose, Charles
12. My boomerang won't come back - Drake, Charlie
13. You're a pink toothbrush - Bygraves, Max
14. I taut I taw a puddy cat - Blanc, Mel
15. Teddy bear's picnic - Hall, Henry
16. Ballad of Davy Crockett - Ford, 'Tennessee' Ernie
17. Hippopotamus song - Flanders & Swann
18. Jake the peg - Harris, Rolf
19. Gilly gilly ossenfeffer katzen... - Bygraves, Max
20. Woody woodpecker - Blanc, Mel
21. Who's afraid of the big bad wolf - Pinky & Perky
22. Ugly duckling - Cribbins, Bernard
23. I know an old lady - Pertwee, Jon
24. Bee song - Askey, Arthur
25. When I see an elepahnt fly - Peterson, Clive

ORDER "HELLO CHILDREN EVERYWHERE"

Sparky's Magic Piano and Other Stories

Here's a particularly striking image. Can you recite large chunks of Sparky's Magic Piano?

"It is I, Your piano, I'm going to show you what it is like when you can play the piano well, Sparky."

1. Sparky's Magic Piano Intro: "Le Secret"
2. Sparky's Magic Echo
3. Sparky and the Talking Train
4. Sparky's Magic Baton

Sparky CD Available from Amazon UK

Derek McCulloch
"Uncle Mac"

Uncle Mac

A Day in the Life of Uncle Mac

For generations of children Saturday morning was one of the great highlights of the week. Although the weekday "Children's Hour" provided rich entertainment for those between the ages of potty and puberty , Uncle Mac's selection of record requests was something very special: you might even hear your name being read out! Sheer bliss!!!

Larry the Lamb and Norman and Henry Bones the Boy Detectives were all very well in their way, but to have your spine chilled by the evil Troll in The Tree Billy Goats Gruff or listen to The Runaway Train blowing its erratic way down the track - now that was a different thing entirely.

Why, you could even bear sitting through those ghastly, relentlessly cheerful Austrian children fal-da-reeing their way through The Happy Wanderer [when I hear them I can only think of the Hitler Youth]. Or "dear" little Christopher Robin kneeling down at the foot of his bed in order to say his prayers for the keenly anticipated pleasures of The Tree little Fishes and Arthur Askey's Bee Song.

Derek McCulloch (Uncle Mac) was the presenter of choice. One of the old school BBC men, he was rather like a favourite elderly relation, firm but friendly; and a certain decorum was expected.

As spotty adolescents caused hormones to run riot and began to turn a young man's fancy to pursuits rather more visceral than logarithm tables or the county cricket averages, the tenor of the programme changed as well. While Nellie the Elephant continued to trundle back to the jungle, new presenters had taken over and faint stirrings of the embryonic "teenage revolution" could be detected as ultra-modernists like The Beetles and Gerry and the Pacemakers began to invade the territory previously occupied by Sir Hamilton Harty and the Manchester Children's Choir. Requests for Terry Scott singing My Brother or any other old favourites were usually from conservative parents who disapproved of the cacophonous, electric-guitar-based sound that their easily deluded offspring liked to refer to as music.

In 1967 Radio One was launched in an attempt to fill the gap left by the demise of pirate ship wireless. Many of the older programmes and presenters were jettisoned to make way for the thrusting young teen idols like Jimmy (Man from Laramie) Young and (Sir) Jimmy Saville. One of the few survivors was, in fact, the second programme on the station - the re-christened "Junior Choice".

Following the initial difficulties in finding the right presenter, the show settled down under the aegis of the former Radio London DJ Ed "Stewpot" Stewart. The atmosphere was far more informal than in the old days with the ultra-professional Stewart proving an inspired choice. Musically there was greater emphasis on chart singles than ever before, although many of the tried and tested favourites still got an airing.

With "Stewpot" becoming as big a hero amongst the youngsters as "Uncle Mac" had been with the parents, the show enjoyed a renaissance, attracting listening figures that compared favourably with any of the other programmes on "Wonderful Radio One". But for anyone growing up in the 'fifties or early 'sixties many of our "favourites" will carry their own resonances, while older listeners will also know and love the songs.

"Young at Heart" available from Amazon UK

Christopher Robin

Animal crackers

Little man you've had a busy day

Horsey horsey

Mickey Mouse's birthday party

Little drummer boy

On the good ship Lollipop

Mommy I don't want to go to bed

Wedding of Jack and Jill

Runaway train

Trains

Bee song

Teddy bears' picnic

It's my mother's birthday today

Three little fishes

When the circus comes to town

Hush hush hush here comes the bogeyman

Laughing policeman

Lion and Albert

Buckingham Palace

"You must rememnber this, Classic Children's Favourites"

Puffin' Billy

Teddy bear's picnic

Swinging on a star

I've got no strings

Grandfather's clock

One little raindrop

Policeman's holiday

Dicky bird hop

Laughing policeman

One two button your shoe

Buckingham Palace

Rhythm in the alphabet

Little boy bubbles

Animal crackers in my soup

Parade of the tin soldiers

Runaway train

Pied piper of Hamelin

Owl and the pussy cat

I'm Popeye the sailor man

Three little fishes

Wedding of the painted doll

Ragtime cowboy Joe

Portrait of a toy soldier

Balloons

Little man you've had a busy day

Everything stops for tea

Goodnight children eveywhere

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Classic Children's List

Got a copy at last! Fuzzy Wuzzy Wuz a Bear