Parachute Express

Parachute Express
GenresChildren's music
Years active1984[1]-2011
Labels
Past membersRick 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.

  1. ^ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  2. ^ Rees, Brenda (2004-09-16). "How to get The Kids' Reading Room Jumping for Joy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  3. ^ Kaleidoscope concerts. OCLC 29376962 – via worldcat.org.
  4. ^ IDEA Health & Fitness: Inspire Kids and Teens to Fitness. San Diego, California: IDEA Health & Fitness Association, 2003, page 24. ISBN 1-887781-30-7. Accessed 2008-09-27.
  5. ^ McDonald, Margaret Read (2000). "Dancing Tales". Shake-It-Up Tales!. Atlanta, Georgia: August House. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-87483-570-0. Retrieved 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.