Justin Roberts is a Chicago-based American singer-songwriter of children's music. He performs with the Not Ready for Naptime Players. In 2010, his album ''Jungle Gym'' was nominated in the "Best Musical Album for Children" category for the
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...
, ''Recess'' was nominated in the same Grammy category in 2013, for the
56th Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid compe ...
, and "Lemonade" was nominated in 2017 for the
60th Grammy Awards
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongch ...
.
Justin Roberts released a ''Greatest Hits'' album in August 2016, and his new album of acoustic original songs, featuring guest
Robbie Fulks
Robert "Robbie" Fulks (born March 25, 1963) is an American alternative country singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and long-time Chicago, Illinois resident. He has released 13 albums over a career spanning more than 30 years. His 2016 record ''Up ...
, was released in October 2016.
History
Justin Roberts was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. As a child, he sang in choruses and had an early love of music. Roberts attended
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...
at Gambier, Ohio, where he was a member of the Kokosingers, the college's male a cappella group. He formed the indie-folk band Pimentos For Gus with Mike Merz and Tracy Spuehler at Kenyon when he was a freshman in 1988. In 1992, the three members graduated from Kenyon and moved to Minneapolis, where they gained moderate popularity in the Minneapolis indie music scene of the 1990s. Roberts began a second job as a
Montessori
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
preschool teacher in 1992, and it was here where he learned his love of children's music. He wrote and performed his first children's songs for the preschool students. When Pimentos For Gus broke up in 1996, he moved back to his hometown of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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to attend graduate school, where he was a religious studies major. In December 1996, Roberts sent Liam Davis a tape of original children's songs as a Christmas present. He didn't think much of them, but Davis wanted to record them. In 1997, Roberts quit graduate school to instead focus on children's music and record his first album, ''Great Big Sun''.
He graduated in 1992. He began his music career in the Minneapolis-based indie-rock band Pimentos for Gus, of which he was a founding member. Pimentos for Gus released three separate albums in the 1990s. Roberts decided to moonlight (during the day) as a
Montessori
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
preschool teacher. It wasn’t long before Justin began writing and singing songs for a new generation of fans: his students. The kids immediately responded and inspired Justin to record some of his new songs and send them out to a few friends for Christmas. One of the gift recipients was Liam Davis, a college pal and music producer, who suggested that they record the songs professionally.
In 1997, Justin released his first CD, ''Great Big Sun'', and the critics took note. Justin's music was soon being compared to everyone from Elvis Costello and
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before e ...
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Symphony Space, DC's National Geographic Live, Los Angeles'
Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa.
The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fe ...
, Seattle's
Moore Theatre
Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater ...
Ravinia Festival
Ravinia Festival is an outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September. The first orchestra to perform at Ravinia Festival was the New York Philharmonic unde ...
.
Discography
With Pimentos For Gus
*''Musica Psycoustica'' (1993)
*''The 17-Minute Workout EP'' (1995)
*''East of Sweden'' (1996)
As solo artist
*''Bright Becomes Blue'' (1999)
Children's albums
*''Great Big Sun'' (1997)
*''Yellow Bus'' (2001)
*''Not Naptime'' (2003)
*''Way Out'' (2004)
*''Why Not Sea Monsters? Songs From The New Testament'' (2004)
*''Why Not Sea Monsters? Songs From The Hebrew Scriptures'' (2006)
*''Meltdown!'' (2006)
*''Pop Fly'' (2008)
*''Jungle Gym'' (2010)
*''Lullaby'' (2012)
*''Recess'' (2013)
*''Greatest Hits'' (2016)
*''Lemonade'' (2016)
*''Wild Life'' (2020)
*''Space Cadet'' (2022)
Awards and acknowledgements
Roberts is the winner of eight National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Gold Awards, and eight Parents' Choice Gold Awards.
''Not Naptime'' was included in the Parents' Choice list of the 25 best children's CDs of the past 25 years, and ''Jungle Gym'' was MetroKids' top children's CD of 2010. ''Meltdown'', ''Pop Fly'' and ''Jungle Gym'' were each chosen as the "Number One Children's CD of the Year" by Fids and Kamily, and Roberts' albums have been among Amazon's "Top 10 Children's CDs of the Year" four times. ''Meltdown'' was given as an example of the "Best Children's Music of the Past 30 Years" at Time Out NY Kids.
''Jungle Gym'' was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for best album for children in 2010; ''Recess'' was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for best album for children in 2013; ''Lemonade'' was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for best album for children in 2017.''
''Wild Life'' was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Best Children's Music Album in 2021.