I’d hardly put the Wiggles in the same class with Barney; Jeff and Anthony were members of Australian band The Cockroaches before going back to college and getting degrees in early childhood education, as were Anthony’s brothers Paul and John, who are both involved in the musical aspects of the Wiggles to varying degrees; Murray is an occasional member of one of my favorite Australian bands, Mental as Anything, and Greg does sing quite well, even if his choice of solo material is somewhat suspect. I for one find them quite listenable musically – and as a grown-up, the lyrics aren’t written for me.
On the other hand, an artist who’s been a huge hit with my kids over the years and whose material seems to appeal to both kids and adults has been mentioned already: Tom Chapin. Chapin’s a wonderful guitarist and banjo (and digeridoo) player, singer, songwriter, etc., but a lot of the credit for his kids’ albums has to go to John Forster, who wrote or co-wrote many of the best and funniest songs and produced many of the albums.
Given what I listen to, my kids also have some slightly anomalous favorites as well. “Do You Love Me?” by the Contours, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, by the Temptations, and James Brown’s “I Feel Good (I Got You)” are hot with them right now. My five-year-old daughter is quite fond of Don Dixon’s “Girls L.T.D.” (aka “Most of the Girls Like to Dance But Only Some of the Boys Do”).
