Parachute Express was an American band of three

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

-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 Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its r ...

, and Trio Lane Records. They sang the theme song to the popular television series ''

Jay Jay the Jet Plane ''Jay Jay the Jet Plane'' is an American live-action/CGI-animated musical children's television series which aired on The Learning Channel, PBS Kids, TBN and Smile. The series aired for a total of 4 seasons and has 62 episodes. The series is cen ...

'' and have been seen on TV shows

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

's ''

Nick Jr. Rocks ''Nick Rocks: Video to Go'', usually shortened to ''Nick Rocks'', was a music video television series that aired on American cable channel Nickelodeon from 1984 to 1989. It featured pop and rock music videos over a 30-minute timeframe, presented in ...

'' and Disney's ''Kaleidoscope Concerts''. Their music was featured in over 550 Gymboree franchises throughout the world, as well as in preschools, daycare centers, and diverse informal education programs. Parachute Express created a total of twelve albums.

History

In the early 1990s, Parachute Express recorded for Walt Disney Records under the Music Box Artist Series. Since 1995, the trio has its own label, Trio Lane Records.McCormick M: "Parachute Express Is Back." ''Billboard'' 110 (39). Many of their albums have won national awards including NAPPA awards, the Film Advisory Board Award, an Indie Award, a Toy of The Year Award, and several times the Parents' Choice Gold Award. Their long list of honors further included featured performers at the 42nd and 43rd Presidential Inaugural Festivities, performing their "poetic anthem"Heffly L
"Parachute Express Drops In With ‘Looney’s’ Tunes Kids Will Love."
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' 1998-07-23: F49. Accessed 2008-09-24. ''We The Children''. This song was included in the Presidential library by then

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. They performed half a dozen times at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. Their video ''Come Sing With Us!'' won the Parents Choice Video Award and an International Monitor Award. They have been voted "Best Group" by the American Academy of Children's Entertainment. In 2010 and 2011, Parachute Express toured

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, performing in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, and

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

. The group disbanded in late 2011.

Discography

Albums

* ''Shakin' It!'' (1984) * ''Feel the Music'' (1991) * ''Circle of Friends'' (1991) * ''Happy to Be Here '' (1991) * ''Over Easy'' (1992) * ''Sunny Side Up'' (1992) * ''Friends, Forever Friends'' (1996) * ''Who's Got A Hug?'' (1997) * ''Dr. Looney's Remedy'' (1998) * ''Don't Blink'' (2005)

Song collections

* ''Gymbo's Play and Pretend Favorites'' (2007) * ''It's a Gymboree Party!'' (2007)

Singles

* ''Dr. Looney's Remedy'' (1995; The music video of this song is most notable for being on the previews of the VHS version of the 1995 film, ''

A Goofy Movie ''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...

''.) * ''The Coming of December'' (2005)

Tracks in compilations

* ''Disney's Music Box: Disney's Spotlight'' (1992): Smooth Movin' Boogie Express * ''The Man Who Ran Away with the Moon'' (1992): Smooth Movin' Boogie Express * ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

: The Enchanted Songs'' (1995) * ''Exercise Party: Stretchin' and Jumpin' Songs for Young Children'' (2003): Can You Show Us; Reach Up High * ''Hear and Gone in 60 Seconds: One Minute Songs by an Awesome Array of Award Winning Artists'' (2003): Alphabet Soup * ''

: 24 Fun and Inspirational Stories for Kids'' (2003): Jay Jay the Jet Plane theme song * ''Jay Jay the Jet Plane: 12 Fun and Inspirational Stories for Kids'' (2004): Jay Jay the Jet Plane theme song * ''Songs for Little Boys: Trains, Cowboys, Pirates and More!'' (2004): I Like Trucks * ''Songs for Little Princesses: Ballerinas, Best Friends, Dressing Up and More!'' (2004): Polka Dots, Checks and Stripes; Dress Up Queen * ''Dance Party: Movin' and Groovin' Songs for Young Children'' (2006): Don't Blink; Dance, Puppet, Dance * ''Favorite Lullabies: 15 Gentle Songs to Ease Your Baby to Sleep'' (2006): Good Night Moon * ''Classic Animal Songs'' (2007): Me and My Dog * ''Kindergarten Prep: Songs to Get Your Child Ready to Learn'' (2008): Tie a Bow; Red Means Stop

Videos

* 1989 - Live In Concert (Gymboree) * 1995 - Come Sing With Us! (Disney)

Awards

* 1991 - Parents' Choice for Feel the Music * 1995 - Parents' Choice Video Award for ''Come Sing With Us!'' * 1995 - International Monitor Award in the category Best Electronic Effects for ''Come Sing With Us!'' * 1998 - National Association of Parenting Publications of America (NAPPA) Gold Award for ''Doctor Looney's Remedy'' * 1999 - Best Group Award by the American Academy of Children's Entertainment * 1999 - Indie Award in the category Best Children's Album for ''Doctor Looney's Remedy'' * 2005 - Creative Child Magazine's Toy of the Year Award for ''Don't Blink'' * 2005 - NAPPA Gold Award for ''Don't Blink'' * 2005 - Parents Choice Gold Award for ''Don't Blink'' * 2008 - NAPPA Gold Award for ''It's a Gymboree Party''

In popular culture

* Emma Stone mentioned the Parachute Express song "Polka Dots, Checks, and Stripes" as the inspiration to her outfit at the 87th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon.

References

External links

* Parachute Express Bioat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parachute Express Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1984 American comedy musical groups American children's musical groups Comedians from California Musical groups disestablished in 2011