MP3 Jonathan Sprout - American Heroes #3
A fully produced lush rock, pop and folk blend of edutaining original songs about some of America''s greatest heroes
12 MP3 Songs in this album (44:23) !
Related styles: KIDS/FAMILY: Educational, ROCK: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
People who are interested in James Taylor Journey Bon Jovi should consider this download.
Details:
SPECIAL NOTE: We''re taking advance orders here at CDBaby. Order now and we will ship your American Heroes #3 CD to you on Friday, January 2, 2009!
AMERICAN HEROES #3
Third in the series of American Heroes CDs, this album educates and inspires children with original songs about some of America''s greatest citizens. Award-winning singer/songwriter Jonathan Sprout''s careful research, creativity and performance experience in nearly 6,000 concerts have led to this top-notch collection of pop-rock tunes.
Produced by Jonathan Sprout, Joe Mennonna & Jimmy Hammer
Engineered by Joe Mennonna
Additional engineering by Jimmy Hammer & Leslie Chew
Mixed by Joe Mennonna
Technical Consulting by Leslie Chew
Recorded at Hunter Sound, NY; Hammersongs Studios, CA; & Red Studios, CA
Background vocals arranged by Jimmy Hammer & Joe Mennonna
Mastered by Leslie Chew at Red Productions, Los Angeles, CA
Illustration by Randy Hamblin
Photography by Hillary Black
Accounting by Marge Innavera
Musicians:
Jonathan Sprout: Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Joe Mennonna: Piano, keyboards, drum programming, bass, electric guitar, mandocello, percussion, trumpet, saxophones, euphonium, flute, tuba, clarinets, accordion, background vocals
Jimmy Hammer: Drum programming, keyboards, guitar, harmonica, vocal arrangements, background vocals
Leslie Chew: Electric and acoustic guitars
Susie Stevens: Background vocals, all songs
Tyger McNeal: Drums (Si Se Puede)
Johnny Mennonna: Bass (Si Se Puede) & mandolin (Come Back Home)
Ernest Poccia: Bass (Peanut Man)
Al Renino: Bass (Chocolate King, Come Back Home, Doctor, The Least I Could Do, Pocahontas)
Lucyane Bouchardet – Background vocals (Si Se Puede)
Randy Crenshaw – Background vocals (Peanut Man)
Linda McCrary – Background vocals (Peanut Man)
Cathy Riso – Background vocals (Can’t Stop Running)
Alissa, Leanna & Elaina Crenshaw -- Kid background vocals (Chocolate King, He Will Not Give Up, What He Wrote)
**********************************
CHOCOLATE KING
(By Jonathan Sprout & Dave Kinnoin)
Milton Hershey (1857-1945) was a philanthropist and visionary who found the courage to make his greatest dreams come true. He was committed to the highest standards of honesty, fairness and integrity. Those who worked with him were inspired by his imagination, drive, perseverance, and concern for others. His generosity was as sweet as the chocolate bar he created. In 1918, Hershey gave his entire fortune to a school for orphans he established with his wife, Catherine. A statue of him at the Hershey School includes these words: “His deeds are his monument. His life is our inspiration.”
“Give them quality. That''s the best kind of advertising.” -- Milton Hershey
Hard work, clear vision,
A stubborn refusal to fail.
Flat broke but not broken.
How does a dream prevail?
Hope’s hurting but it’s far from gone.
Sometimes you gotta keep keeping on.
Refrain:
Believe and never stop.
Keep your eyes on the mountaintop.
A little bump in the road doesn’t mean a thing
To the Chocolate King.
Success tastes sweeter
When shared with another kid.
You feel satisfaction
The way Mr. Hershey did.
Each day is bright and new
When a kind heart is leading you.
Refrain
Bridge:
One boy whose lofty aim is
To make it big some day
Becomes the man whose claim to fame is
He gave it away.
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP) & Song Wizard Music (ASCAP)
******************
COME BACK HOME
(By Jonathan Sprout & Dave Kinnoin)
John Muir (1838-1914), the most influential conservationist and naturalist America has ever known, is recognized as “the father of our national parks.” An ingenious inventor who was blinded by an injury, he vowed that, if his sight were restored, he would devote himself to the study of the inventions of nature. Gradually, his vision returned, and he courageously took a stand against the destruction of America’s great western forests. With his poetic writing, he taught us that wild places are precious and fragile spiritual resources that must be preserved. A compassionate dreamer, he forever changed the way we see our mountains and forests.
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” -- John Muir
I dream of mountains.
I hear them calling me back home.
I hear them calling, calling, “Come back home!”
Far from the reach of the city,
Where mountains give way to the sky,
This is where I long to wander,
Watching the seasons go by.
Nothing could feel more exciting
Than being there, ready to roam.
No place could be more inviting.
It’s calling me, “Come back home.”
Refrain:
Let me stand in the heart of a redwood grove
Lightly sprinkled with fresh white snow.
May I just catch a glimpse of a mountaintop
Awash with alpenglow?
Let me live out a dream on Yosemite Stream,
Where my wilderness joys abound,
To discover the truth of eternal youth
Upon that sacred ground.
Nature awakens my senses
When I walk among whispering trees,
Smelling the sweet-scented cedar,
Breathing the crisp glacial breeze,
Hearing a soft creature chorus
Under a star-sparkled dome.
Now, who will preserve it all for us
So we can come back home?
Refrain
Bridge:
High flowery meadows,
Sheer canyon walls,
Huge boulder dams,
Lacy white waterfalls.
Refrain
I dream of mountains.
I hear them calling me back home.
I hear them calling, calling, “Come back home!”
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP) & Song Wizard Music (ASCAP)
*******************
DOCTOR
(By Jonathan Sprout)
Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) overcame great opposition to become the first woman doctor in America. After receiving 28 rejections from medical schools, she was accepted by Geneva Medical College, but only because it was believed her application was a joke. In spite of the prejudice she experienced, she graduated first in her class. Later, Miss Blackwell fought an uphill battle to open the first hospital staffed by women physicians and the first medical college to train women doctors. It was her dedication to creating a medical community for women, children and the poor that ultimately distinguished her as a true medical pioneer.
“If society will not admit of woman''s free development, then society must be remodeled.” -- Elizabeth Blackwell
A young girl with a dream to heal
Grows up in an unjust world
Where only men can operate.
As smart as the brightest man,
She learns everything she can,
But her dream will just have to wait.
Refrain: She wants to be a doctor.
“How can she hope to succeed?”
She wants to be a doctor.
“A mental contusion, indeed!”
Twenty-seven, twenty-eight rejections…
At last an acceptance note.
So many say she’ll never pass.
She proves she can make the cut,
Opens doors that had once been shut,
Graduates first in her class.
Refrain: She wants to be a doctor.
“What a bizarre request!”
She wants to be a doctor.
“How can she pass the test?”
She wants to be a doctor.
“Only a man can endure.”
She wants to be a doctor.
“Only a man, for sure!”
Such a narrow thought:
“Doctor” has to be a man.
Then along comes Bessie with her plan.
Refrain: She wants to be a doctor.
“The medical world is inflamed!”
She wants to be a doctor.
“Maybe we should feel ashamed.”
She wants to be a doctor.
“Nothing will be the same.”
She wants to be a doctor.
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP)
****************************
HE WILL NOT GIVE UP
(By Jonathan Sprout & Dave Kinnoin)
Jonas Salk (1914-1995), “the man who saved the children,” developed a vaccine for polio, a terrifying disease that crippled and killed people. In the 1950s, when tens of thousands of children were infected each year, Dr. Salk worked in his laboratory sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, searching for a way to stop the epidemic. Volunteering to be among the first “human guinea pigs,” he injected himself with his experimental vaccine to prove it was safe and effective. Fueled by remarkable idealism, he refused to patent his vaccine so that it could be distributed freely around the world.
“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” -- Jonas Salk
Polio sweeps through the cities --
It frightens and cripples and kills.
This virulent virus is sneaking inside us,
Completely resistant to pills.
It’s hard to detect this invader
That seems to come out of thin air.
A doctor works late
With a crushing weight
On his shoulders he chooses to bear.
Refrain:
He will not give up,
He will not give in.
He will find the answer
Through thick and thin.
Every day and night,
He will fight the fight,
And he’ll win.
He will not give up!
There in his lab he is working.
Seldom takes time to relax.
His focus is keen to find a vaccine
To stop this disease in its tracks.
His family suffers his absence.
They know he must finish the race.
But the children roll by and the parents cry,
And he knows he must keep up the pace.
Refrain
So little time,
“The future lies in imagination
So much to do.
And in the courage of those who will dare.” *
Refrain
He will find the answer
Through discipline.
*Jonas Salk
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP) & Song Wizard Music (ASCAP)
****************************
THE LEAST I COULD DO
(By Jonathan Sprout & Dave Kinnoin)
Jane Addams (1860-1935) established a settlement house for poor immigrants in Chicago when she was 29 years old. The success of this community center, known as Hull House, inspired the creation of hundreds of centers across America. Though sometimes harshly criticized by the newspapers, she worked tirelessly for more than forty years, teaching the less fortunate how to help themselves. A national women’s rights advocate and an international leader in the peace movement, she was eventually known as America’s greatest living woman. In 1931, this “First Lady of Peace” became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
“America''s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.” -- Jane Addams
On an early fall day, she first opened the door
At Hull House, Chicago’s west side.
With the hungry, the helpless, the sick and the poor,
That’s where she would reside.
She became Sister Jane to the immigrants there
As she taught them the skills to survive.
Bringing strength to the weak with respect and great care,
Miss Jane Addams came alive.
Finally there was laughter.
And the love in that neighborhood grew.
And if you’d asked why she moved there,
She’d probably say
Refrain:
It was the least I could do,
The most I could give.
In my heart, I knew
It was the only way I could live,
The least I could do.
In the year 1917, the world was on fire
As battle cries blazed through the land.
But her passion for peace was so strong a desire,
She made a lonely stand.
And when all the fighting was over,
And the winds of war no longer blew,
If you’d asked why she stood her ground, she’d probably say
Refrain
Always working for justice,
And one of the few who would say,
If you asked,
Why she lived life that way…
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP) & Song Wizard Music (ASCAP)
**********************
PEANUT MAN
(By Jonathan Sprout, Dave Kinnoin & Jimmy Hammer)
George Washington Carver (1864?-1943), known as the Peanut Man, helped countless poor Southerners survive as farmers. Born a slave, he overcame harsh racial prejudice to earn two college degrees, becoming one of the most famous scientists of his time. His research reportedly led to the development of 300 products made from peanuts. From the sweet potato, he found more than 100 uses. A soft-spoken, modest man, Professor Carver donated his savings near the end of his life so his research could continue. On his gravestone is written: “He found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.”
"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." -- George Washington Carver
Refrain:
Hey, Mr. Peanut Man!
I said hey, hey, Mr. Peanut Man!
You sure knew what a peanut could do.
It was you who’d pursue every new nutty clue.
Here’s to the Peanut Man!
Cocoa, cooking oil, peanut beverage flakes,
Flour, milk & lard, tasty peanut cakes,
Lotion for your skin, nitroglycerine…
What would he dream up…
What would he dream up next?
Refrain
Wall board, diesel fuel, Tutti Frutti cheese,
Pickles, shaving cream, cattle feed and grease,
Laxatives and paste -- nothing went to waste.
Oh, what would he dream up…
What would he dream up next?
Refrain
He could serve a truly scrumptious meal.
The salad, soup and chicken had delectable appeal.
The candy, cake and ice cream were, in fact, ideal.
Then he would reveal, with zeal, none of it was real.
Well, actually, it was made entirely from peanuts.
Refrain
Coffee, vinegar, cream and glue,
Buttermilk, dandruff cure, shampoo,
Rubber, Peanut Lemon Drink,
Salad oil, curds and ink,
Quinine, metal polish, dye,
Insecticide! I testify!
Mayonnaise and chili sauce,
Carver is the peanut boss!
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP), Song Wizard Music (ASCAP) & Sync Track (ASCAP)
********************************
CAN’T STOP RUNNING
(By Jonathan Sprout)
Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) overcame severe physical handicaps to become one of America’s greatest athletes. As a young girl living in poverty, she was often sick. At the age of six, she was fitted with a metal leg brace and told she might never walk again. Through determination, dedication and great courage, Wilma Rudolph turned her life around to become the “fastest woman in the world” as well as the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. In her soft-spoken, calm and gracious manner, she taught us that we must not allow our circumstances to hinder our success.
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” -- Wilma Rudolph
Good Dr. Coleman arrives out of breath,
Examines the girl, turns to Momma to say,
“Wilma’s so sick. She may not walk again,
But we must have hope, anyway.”
At twelve years, she’s healthy and finally walking,
Once and for all, free at last of that brace.
All over town, you can hear people talking,
“Wilma has run in a race,
Sweet grace!”
Refrain:
She can’t stop running.
After all she’s been through.
Can’t stop running.
A golden dream come true.
She can’t stop running! Yeah! Yeah! Yes!
That’s what Wilma loves to do.
Coach Temple trains her to work on her stride.
She runs for the Tennessee Tigerbelle Team.
Soon she is confident, glowing with pride,
Hard on the heels of a dream.
It seems…
Refrain
Bridge:
Inside that stadium in Rome,
At the Olympics, far from home,
She calmly waits for the starting gun.
A flash of lightning down that track --
The others only see her back.
And so the gold is won.
Wilma loves to run!
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP)
**************************************
WHAT HE WROTE
(By Jonathan Sprout & Dave Kinnoin)
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote the most influential document in American history -- the Declaration of Independence. As president, he more than doubled the size of the United States and sent explorers Lewis and Clark to the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. He was a dreamer with a passion for books and knowledge, concerned above all with ideas. A farmer, scientist and philosopher, he found the words to express the highest of human aspirations, becoming the leading spokesman in the revolution of ideas that transformed America. Jefferson changed the world with what he wrote.
“We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniabe: that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” -- Thomas Jefferson
Seventh & Market Street, Philadelphia, PA,
Second floor apartment, a hot summer day.
Young Mr. Jefferson, thoughts swirling in his head,
Holds high his hopes and dreams that freedom isn’t dead.
History is on the brink.
His pen dips into the ink.
Refrain:
It was a declaration
Of an emerging nation.
What he wrote!
It was a declaration
Of an emerging nation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident.
All men are created equal. And on it went.
Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness…
He spelled democracy and nothing less.
He made it crystal clear
So all the world could hear
What he wrote.
Refrain
Let justice kick the King out and send his troops away.
Let freedom bells ring out our Independence Day!
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP) & Song Wizard Music (ASCAP)
******************************
POCAHONTAS
(By Jonathan Sprout, Dave Kinnoin & Jimmy Hammer)
Pocahontas (1595?–1617) was a legendary Native American princess who, at the age of about eleven, may have saved the life of English explorer Captain John Smith. She was a brave, compassionate girl who later helped the colonists by bringing them food. Without her, Smith claimed, the English would not have survived. She inspired a rare peace between two nations with her vision of cooperation between the European settlers and her own people. A distinguished ambassador, peacemaker and trusted friend, her legacy lives on with the survival of a colony that led to the birth of a nation.
I was captured by Algonquin warriors,
Taken to the Indian King,
Brought forth in a crowded longhouse.
She sat, listening.
Thrown down on my knees, they bound me.
I gasped for my final breath.
She rose, threw her arms around me,
Saving me from certain death.
Braves were pacing.
My heart was racing.
How would I survive?
Refrain:
Pocahontas, Pocahontas
Saved my life that night!
Pocahontas, Pocahontas
Saved my life that night!
One cold winter I returned
To Werowocomoco.
She rushed to my hut, concerned
With secrets I must know.
Stern whispers and teary eyes
Warned me of a night attack.
I left ‘ere the moon could rise,
Gave thanks, and safely made it back.
I do confess her thoughtfulness
Kept this man alive!
Refrain
Chief Powhatan’s daughter
Secured my release.
Princess of friendship and peace.
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP), Song Wizard Music (ASCAP) & Sync Track (ASCAP)
************************
Si Se Puede! (Yes We Can!)
(By Jonathan Sprout, Dave Kinnoin & Jimmy Hammer)
Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), one of America’s greatest labor leaders and civil rights activists, dedicated himself to improving the lives of America’s poorest workers. Through an organization he helped to establish that eventually became known as the United Farm Workers, he used nonviolent strikes and boycotts to get higher wages and better working conditions for Mexican American migrant workers. His ultimate weapon in his fight for justice against the rich and powerful California growers was truth. An intelligent man of soft-spoken humility and constant hope, he taught us that with cooperation and respect, we can accomplish the impossible.
“True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.” -- Cesar Chavez
In these hot, dusty fields, we harvest the grapes.
From dawn until dark, we are locked in our fates.
These jobs are like prisons.
Nobody escapes. Oh, no.
A dollar an hour is all they will pay.
It’s hardly enough to survive through the day.
We live for the hope
There must be a better way.
But now, campesinos, they talk of a man
Who says we must stand and unite.
Refrain:
Si se puede! We can do it – yes, we can.
Si se puede! Cesar Chavez has a plan.
Si se puede! We can do it – yes, we can.
He’ll help us unite as we stand for what’s right.
He’s our man!
Si se puede – yes, we can!
We strike, huelga, boycott -- we picket the gate.
The growers, they fight and they retaliate,
But Cesar says truth is much stronger than hate. Oh, yes.
So we march from Delano and shout for la causa,
Our campeon leading the way.
Refrain
Si! Se puede -- un milagro
“All my life I have been driven by one dream”
Si! Viva la causa!
“One dream, one goal”
Si! Se puede – igualdad
“One vision”*
Un mejor mañana
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP), Song Wizard Music (ASCAP) & Sync Track (ASCAP)
* Cesar Chavez, courtesy of The Commonwealth Club, https://www.tradebit.com
**********************************
GOOD FOR ME
(By Jonathan Sprout, Dave Kinnoin & Jimmy Hammer)
Such an amazing gift you gave to me,
Teaching me how to see what I can be.
Talk about self-esteem,
Now I have a dream to dream!
And before this moment slips away,
There’s something I really want to say.
Refrain:
It’s good for me that I found you
To be that special someone
I can look up to.
You’re with me now, and you’ll always be --
Yes, you’ll always be good for me.
You’d always smile and say the future’s bright.
Now as I live each day, I feel all right.
Wherever the road may lead,
I know that I’ll succeed,
‘Cause I’ll always have a part of you
To keep me safe and help me through.
Refrain
Bridge:
I honor every gift you give me.
Every day I live, you’re with me in my heart.
Because I feel so much respect for you,
I find myself reflecting you
In so many things I say and do.
Refrain
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP), Song Wizard Music (ASCAP) & Sync Track (ASCAP)
********************************
COMPASSION
(By Jonathan Sprout)
Joe Mennonna arranged and performed all instruments: piano, trumpet, alto horn, euphonium, tuba, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone and bass clarinet. No synthesizers were used.
© 2009 Kanukatunes (ASCAP)