Time Out Chicago – Kids more interested in rock & roll than Rihanna will air-guitar along to Daddy A Go Go’s twangy tunes. This greatest-hits compilation demonstrates what Daddy does best: relaying his stay-at-home parental experiences through silly songs like “I Wanna Be an Action Figure” and “Ants in My Pants.” The next time your kids are turning green at the dinner table, throw on a little “Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate” to convince them that only the coolest kids savor their salads. Hey, a little peer pressure never hurts. (Thank You Time Out Chicago)
GEORGIA MUSIC MAGAZINE – If you haven’t listened to a children’s music album lately, it might be surprising to hear how much the genre has matured since the old days of “On Top Of Spaghetti” and “Be Kind To Your Web-Footed Friends.” Atlanta-based pop-rocker (and former CNN producer) John Boydston has been recording great tunes for kids under the name Daddy A Go Go for over a decade– so long that the sons he used to write songs for are now teenagers old enough to accompany him in his live band. His latest album features remixed and remastered versions of songs from his seven previous CDs, five of which made it onto Amazon’s “Best of the Year” critics’ list. Where his last album (Come On, Get Happy) featuring songs aimed at the younger set, uptempo rave-ups such as “I Wanna Be An Action Figure,” “Big Rock Rooster” and “Ants In My Pants” are clearly design to get teens and tweens a-boppin’. Most of the songs are original, featuring Boydston’s mixture of cheeky humor and classic rock riffs, but even covers like “What A Wonderful World” and “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” are imbued with his distinctive personality. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s pretty difficult to deny the infectious cleverness of a tune like the Dick Dale-influenced “You’re Not The Bossa Nova Me.” He may not exactly rock the casbah, but Daddy A Go Go is clearly the coolest dad in the carpool line. –- BRET LOVE (Thanks GMM & BL)
ATLANTA MUSIC GUIDE – Here’s why Atlanta’s John Boydston, AKA Daddy A Go Go, is important for America: While the tinny tunes of Kindermuusik and The Wiggles prepare our little ones for the sexed up, but equally soulless, Rebecca Black or Justin Bieber, Daddy A Go Go plays rock ‘n’ roll. He plays real guitars, and his sidekick, Rev. Walt Brewer, bangs on actual drums instead of producing a beat out of a computer. Daddy A Go Go introduces kids into the wonder of rock ‘n’ roll. It helps them to appreciate real music. And while a lot of other musicians, such as Peter Himmelman, They Might Be Giants, Jason Ringenberg and Asylum Street Spankers, have since joined the bandwagon of creating music that doesn’t talk down to kids musically, Boydston’s been doing it for 13 years. And for that, all us parents, who would rather staple our ears shut rather than listen to another Raffi song, owe him a debt of gratitude. This is great stuff that will make kids want to pick up a guitar rather than watch High School Musical for the 95th time. And for that, John Boydston, parents everywhere say, “Thank you.” – Al Kaufman, Atlanta Music Guide (Thank You Al)
Bob Etier @ Technorati.Com – I finally figured out why I had to listen to Daddy A Go Go’s Grandkid Rock five times before I could write about it. It rocks! Once a review is written, it’s time to move on to the next thing, and for the past three days, I haven’t wanted to move on to the next thing–this thing is too much fun.
Most of the kids’ music artists that I’ve reviewed record a variety of genres on their albums, and that’s a good thing. However, rockin’ kids need music to rock to, and Daddy A Go Go is pure rock. Throughout Grandkid Rock one hears echoes of the Rolling Stones, T-Rex, Devo, and other great bands. One cut, “You’re Not the Bossa Nova Me,” sounds like it’s right off a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack.
Daddy A Go Go (John Boydston) entertains with infectious beats and witty wordplay, and may even have listeners checking their reference sources (aka Google. It’s unlikely that Grandkid Rock was meant to be educational, but it inspired the question, “Do they still make PF Flyers?” That, of course, became a research project) - Bob Etier, Technorati.com
From Myles McDonnell, the former Children’s Media Editor at the late great Cookie Magazine: “Like most “best of” compilations, the result is an ideal way for the uninitiated to get a taste of what the artist is all about. In the case of Daddy a Go Go, that’s good old classic rock-’n-roll with a decidedly southern bent, reminiscent of everyone from George Thorogood and Neil Young to early R.E.M and (I’m about to date myself once more) the Georgia Satellites, with tinges of ’90s alternative bands like Cracker and Belly thrown in for good measure.
The lyrics are the typical kid-topical, though Boydston keeps his tongue firmly in cheek throughout (e.g., song titles like “For Those About to Walk, We Salute You”). But whether he’s keeping the kids happy by singing about finishing vegetables or embarking on a rockin’ cover of “What a Wonderful World,” parents will be thrilled to find that they’re doing a little head-nodding to these songs, too. - Myles McDonnell on his Family Entertainment Blog, You Know, For Kids.
From Shakefire.com ”...serious when it comes to rocking out. Enjoy.” Daddy A Go Go is surprisingly a band that’s been around for awhile making music for kids. Their latest release, Grandkid Rock, spans their six album history playing as a best of collection on topics ranging anywhere from baseball to adults watching cartoons but all done with no particular point other then to have a good time.
For a band that doesn’t take life too seriously when it comes to injecting lessons into their music, rather just everyday stuff that kids can really find common ground on, the band is serious when it comes to rocking out. This is without a doubt a band lead by the power of their lead guitarist and multi instrumentalist John Boydston. On vocals Boydston is a cross between Tom Petty, Roger Meade Clyne, and The Reverend Horton Heat. His guitar style reflects these comparisons as well. Yeah, I know. The Rev? Just listen to the track Big Rock Rooster and you’ll see the comparison as well. Overall, musically, the sound of the album is your working class rock band type. Not to flashy but could probably give Chuck Berry a run for his money.
Lyrically, as I said, you wont find any school lesson substance. This is the part of a kids life that’s all about free time, baseball, cartoons, world views from a kids perspective. As we drove into the next town to pick up our new pet I had the CD on for the kids, I had already listened to it by myself three or four times, and their reactions to it were great with lots of giggling and no complaints when the CD ended and turned over to begin again. With the inclusion of such classics as Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah and What Wonderful World even parents have something they can relate to but as far as listening to the album again and again. No problem. I am in love with the guitar sound on this album. Definitely not just for the kids. Enjoy.” – AJ Garcia, Shakefire.com
Syndicated Columnist Lee Littlewood – “Pure rockin’ genius! Stay-at-home dad John Boydston — also known as multi-award-winning children’s rock and roll artist Daddy A Go Go — has been “rocking out and raving on” for families since 1998. Boydston’s acclaim has been widespread and amazing. The Washington Post even credited him with changing the face of children’s music “from playroom tunes into the pop rock era.” Boydston’s tunes are witty and hearty. They don’t play down to kids, but play “up” for entire families, even parents who love rock.
“Grandkid Rock” continues the alterna-rock feel for bigger kids with lots of electric guitars, drums, driving rhythms and power chords. Boydston says he named the CD “Grandkid Rock” by adding a few shout-outs to grandparents and featuring a cool guitar that’s slightly aged and worn to the cover. The greatest hits CD includes 16 remixed tunes, such as “Big Rock Rooster,” “I Caught my Granddad Watching Cartoons,” “I Got My PF Flyers Workin’” and “You’re Not the Bossa Nova Me.” – (Lee Littlewood, syndicated columnist Creators.com)
by Krista @ The IE Mommy (blog)
Do you need a little pick-me-up? Tired of driving in the car day after day, listening to the same ol’ Nursery Rhymes? Are you looking for something to spice up your drive? If so, you have to check out Daddy A Go Go-Grandkid Rock!! It is upbeat, has funny lyrics, and just…ROCKS! You can’t help but tap your toes or bop your head while listening to it. As soon as I pushed play, my son started dancing around the living room. It is a fun CD to dance around the living room, or to play in the car.I definitely think this CD of songs is for older kids. Younger kids would enjoy the music, but the lyrics are great for older kids. It encourages them to eat vegetables, or become the person they want to be. The musician explains that his goal for this CD is to just be FUN. I believe he reached his goal!
PEOPLE MAGAZINE – in the double ‘Beautiful People’ issue with the very beautiful Christina Applegate on the cover: In a feature on “KIDS AND BABY CDs that says, “whether you’ve got newborns, toddlers or grade-schoolers, these news discs will soothe and amuse. Listed among this who’s who of performers with new children’s CD’s is Come On Get Happy
(The Best of Daddy A Go Go Vol. 1). Thus we quote: Kids’ Rocker John Boydston (a.k.a Daddy A Go Go) brings a percussive beat and sly humor to songs like “I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons.”
Georgia Music Magazine – (May 2009): Children’s music by rockers is usually a creepy exercise in baby-talk pandering and tame musicianship, and often serves as a sad extension of a career long-ago extinguished. Thankfully, Atlantan John Boydston (recording under the non-de-pop Daddy A Go Go) avoids all the negatives and serves up a giddy and unrelentingly positive blend of excellent performances filled with clever word-play and enough family-friendly good times to satisfy even the sourest elitist. Come On, Get Happy is an invitation to sample the best of his delightful ditties which were carefully culled from his catalog of silliness and sincerity. The title track, better known as the theme to The Partridge Family, “Best Friend” (featured in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father) and “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” complete the candy-coated culture-smart universe of tunes. — LEE VALENTINE SMITH
Parenting (Early Years) - April 2009. COOL THINGS: Enjoy a decade’s worth of the funky father’s relaxed ditties, including “I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons”
Kids Music/About.com “compiles some of John Boydston’s most rockin’ Daddy A Go Go music from the six albums that span his ten-year kids’ music career. Hopefully Volume 2 is in the works, ’cause it’s crazy not to include on this first volume the tunes “Rock of Ages” and “Idaho!” from 2008′s Rock of All Ages, or Daddy A Go Go’s best song ever, “For Those About to Walk (We Salute You),” from the 2006 CD Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate.”
“When John Boydston takes his teen sons to SXSW this week in Austin, TX, it will be as his band.” – story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution March 19th, 2009 Read the story here
OUT WITH THE KIDS “To pull off a Greatest Hits set one cannot be a Johnny-come-lately to the realm of prepubescent rock. That’s why John Boydston’s Daddy A Go Go may be one of only a handful of children’s acts with the catalog, and the audacity, to make it happen. Typically when a band releases this kind of retrospective, the audience is going to be familiar with a majority of the cuts included. But because Daddy A Go Go is not, say U2 or Aerosmith, “Come On, Get Happy” is also capable of being treated as an album of brand new music for most listeners. So how’s the music? If you’re a fan of a tried and true rock-n-roll sound, think a less-bluesy George Thorogood for kids (or The Hold Steady – as I said in my review of his last album “Rock of All Ages”), you’re probably going to love Daddy A Go Go. Boydston doesn’t need to employ poetic string fills, gorgeous horn sections or a diverse array of instruments to make a quality record. What he does, and does very well, is show an unabashed love of just rockin’ out. Songs like “I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons” and “It’s a Kid’s World” are terrific examples of his witty parental observations and his classic rock musical chops…there aren’t a lot of other acts in the children’s music space that have the willingness to put the pedal to the metal and play straight forward, fun rock and roll. So for that, Daddy A Go Go is a kiddie music treasure.”
Stomp and Stammer - “After ten years and a half-dozen albums, Atlanta’s preeminent “kid rock” band Daddy A Go Go have earned the right to put out a “best of” retrospective. After all, songwriter and group leader John Boydston’s own kids – the inspiration for the start of the group in the first place (and now members of the band) are all gonna graduate high school soon! Come On, Get Happy: The Best of Daddy A Go Go, Volume 1 collects 15 goofy, pun-heavy originals and choice covers such as “Best Friend” (the theme from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father), “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” and the clap-along title track (from The Partridge Family – obviously early ’70s TV had a major impact on Boydston!). They’re all totally silly, funny and thankfully free of poop humor or street slang, and listening to them makes me wish I was a kid again! A must-have for children of all ages.”
LA Parent – (May 2009) “Atlanta-based “pop” rocker John Boydston has cherry-picked 15 top tunes from his six CDs, mixing renditions of Boomer Generation theme songs to Scooby Doo, The Courtship of Eddie’s Fatherand the Partridge Familywith his own fun originals, like the comical ditties “I Caught Daddy Watching Cartoons” and “Pink Floyd Saves Hugh Manatee.” (say “hugh manatee” five times fast to get the joke). A still young-at-heart rock ‘n’ roller, Boydston serves up a platter full of energetic tunes.”
A Family Runs Through It (Family Blog) -”Children’s musician Daddy A Go Go released one of the most memorable CDs of 2008 with Rock of All Ages (read my review). He’s kicking off 2009 in style with a career spanning “best of” compilation, drawing favorite songs from the six amazing kids albums he’s produced over the past ten years. ‘Come On, Get Happy – The Best Of Daddy A Go Go’ features 15 toe-tapping tracks that are sure to bring a smile to your child’s face. John Boydston is the man behind these tunes, and what I like about him is that he’s a natural rocker who keeps his songs centered on the kids and what makes them tick. He’s very clearly playing for the kids, with the occasional wink to the parents, rather than the other way around.
Daddy A Go Go's 6th studio release CD, Original Cover Art by Gailard Sartain
Rock of All Ages It’s not strictly necessary to be a classic-rock kind of parent to appreciate this 12-pack of cool songs for cool kids (a reference to Daddy’s all-time coolest Cool Songs for Cool Kids CD from 1999), but as mastermind John Boydston, a.k.a. Daddy a Go-Go, might concede, it helps. For one thing, a fondness for the Rolling Stones’ 1970 live classic “Get Yer Ya Yas Out” makes appreciating the future classic “Get Yer Yo Yos Out” that much easier. (Ditto “John Barleycorn Must Dye,” a kid-ready riff on Traffic’s 1970 chestnut “John Barleycorn Must Die.”) For another, “Rock of All Ages” follows a fine Daddy tradition of not cutting a record until tear-the-playroom-roof-off levels of real rocking have been achieved. Yes, songs about root beer, bus drivers, and teddy bears are part of the equation. And yes, it’s possible 4-year-olds will taunt their parents with renewed vigor after taking in the truly infectious “Nana Nana Boo Boo.” But it’s also possible–pretty much certain, actually–that grown-ups will feel a ground-floor connection with Boydston after spinning Rock of All Ages. He may be a dad, but he never stopped being a righteous dude.” — Tammy La Gorce, Amazon.com
In a round-up headlined “Children’s Music Enters the Next Generation” The Los Angeles Times says: In his sixth family CD, “Rock of All Ages” Atlanta’s John Boydston celebrates kids and classic rock with slick ’60s pop references, entertaining lyrics with a froth of good-for-you messages and feel-good, sing-along bounce. Sample highlights: ‘Round and ‘Round’ with its dance-happy drive, and “‘ Lost My Teddy Bear,’ a kid’s lament for the loss of childish things — tinged with suspicions of parental involvement. (April 30th, 2008)
The School Library Journal says Rock of All Ages is “a must-have for all libraries….Parents-Choice Award-winning musician John Boydston rolls out his sixth album, full of good time, classic rock and roll which ‘pays tribute to kids and modern family life.’ Performing mostly on guitars and drums, he is joined by his two sons who complete the Daddy A Go Go Band. Nine of the songs are Boydston originals. Among them are “Get Yer Yo-Yo’s Out,” a nod to the Rolling Stones’ classic “Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out,” and “John Barleycorn Must Dye” (the ballad of a boy who lives to tie dye), a wink to Traffic’s classic “John Barleycorn Must Die.” He also offers a rip-roaring rock cover of “What a Wonderful World.” Boydston’s “Mono Mojo Mix” of “Snoopy vs the Red Baron” sounds very similar to the original; and he gives a great performance of Chuck Berry’s “Round and Round.” Among the other songs are “Rock of Ages,” “School Bus Driver,” and “The Root Beer Song.” (May 2008)
The Nashville Parent Says: “Daddy A Go Go, aka John Boydston, marks his 10th anniversary of creating cool rock tunes for kids with this spectacular new CD. Daddy continues to shine with clever tunes that keep things real on the kid level, like the way the backup kids emphasize the wrong word in ‘The Root Beer Song.’ Driving beats provide the perfect musical backdrop to the pure fun and silliness in some of the cuts, including ‘Get Yer Yo-Yo s Out’ and ‘Nana-Nana Boo-Boo.’ An upbeat, rockin version of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World completes this must-have album for kids of any age.” (April 2008)
Daddy A Go Go's 5th CD Release - Original Cover art by Gailard Sartain
Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate “A funny thing happens when you hear Daddy a Go Go for the first time, whether it’s on this disc or any of the four preceding it: You can’t help but wonder with mounting incredulity and a creeping sense of indignity how it is that this dude’s not huge. John Boydston, who writes and records all his songs somewhere in the recesses of his crawling-with-kids suburban home is a master of the ridiculous. Between carpool rounds and hockey drills, he dreams up songs about pink flamingos named Floyd (get it? Pink Floyd?) who get tangled up with manatees called Hugh (Hugh-manatee, from the song “Pink Floyd Saves Hugh Manatee”), impossibly exasperating siblings (“He’ll bother you more than a 25-pound mosquito/He’ll scare you more than a broccoli burrito,” from “Irritation Man”), and the losing-est baseball team since Billy Bob Thornton mixed it up with the Bad News Bears (“Cryin’ in the Dugout”). Where his true brilliance emerges, though, is in his jangly, loose-limbed, California-sunny rock-pop. The Jammys don’t have a kids’ music category yet, but that’s only because they haven’t taken Daddy Boydston for a spin in the station wagon. Beans and peas be damned, Daddy a Go Go whips up his own kind of sustenance. Anybody with kids over age three ought to line up at the buffet table.” — Tammy La Gorce,Amazon.com
Sidebar – My wife’s mom used to say Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate when my wife was a kid. When I was releasing this CD, a PR person I knew tried to get me to shorten the title to “Eat All The Beans.” Somehow the humor was lost in that translation I think.
TIME OUT NY KIDS MAGAZINE –”What separates Daddy A Go Go’s John Boydston from the rest of the alt-kids pack is his unfettered willingness to rock: While many (if not most) others in his field seem to do so tentatively, fearful of offending tender ears, this Atlanta-based father seems to know intuitively that rock is practically encoded into kids’ DNA; as a result, he has always embraced power chords and driving rhythms with glee. This latest LP finds Boydston inhabiting largely familiar territory. The best (and funniest) track is undoubtedly the almost-toddler anthem “For Those About to Walk, We Salute You.” Other highlights include an ode to self, “Dads who Rock” and the amusing “Irritation Man.” A cover of Spinal tap’s "Listen To the Flower People” is a welcome surprise. Despite a slightly superfluous reworking of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and a puzzling instrumental version of “To Sir, With Love” Eat Every Bean once again has Boydston redefining “kiddie-rock.” – Jem Aswad (Rolling Stone Contributor), TIME OUT NY KIDS May/June 2006
“John Boydston – aka Daddy A Go Go – is one rockin’ pop, and he proves it again on his latest CD, Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate. Boydston sprinkles solid fatherly advice throughout, including the nutritional urgings of the title track, the anti-cell phone ‘Hang Up and Drive,’ and the chin-up sentiments of ‘Cryin’ in the Dugout.’ But it’s his unreconstructed rock ‘n’ roll soul that makes Daddy a Go Go such a blast to listen to. ”
– Moira McCormick, FamilyFun Magazine
THE SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: This collection, sure to be a hit, IS A MUST HAVE FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES…The catchy, upbeat songs will appeal to adults as well as children. The title song is a testament to encouraging children to eat healthy foods. ‘Irritation Man’ is an ode to the annoying younger sibling which includes the lyrics, ‘He’ll bother you more than a 25-pound mosquito. He’ll scare you more than a broccoli burrito.’ Parents will appreciate the humor on tracks such as ‘Dads Who Rock’ and ‘For Those About to Walk, We Salute You.’
Daddy A Go Go's 4th CD release, original cover art by Gailard Sartain
Mojo A Go Go (Real Rock for Kids) - ONE OF THE TOP 10 BEST KIDS CDs OF THE YEAR – “…There is not a single track you won’t love…this is retro-throwback-goofball-jangly guitar rock reduced to its rowdy good-time elements. Certain music-critic cliches bear repeating, and in the case of Daddy a Go-Go, the one about audible fun–the idea that you can actually hear how much a band is enjoying making its music–applies. A lot. Standouts on Mojo, the fourth in a line of consistently groove-worthy A Go-Go records, include the Radio Disney spoof “Radio Dizzy” (sample lyric: “We\’ll change our names to Avril Lasagna/Or Broccoli Spears if you’ll play our songs, yeah”) and leadoff track “I Don’t Wanna Go to School Today,” a Ramones-inspired hoot-and-howler that proves that while Papa may have a brand new bag, Daddy is off-the-charts hip, too.” — Tammy La Gorce,Amazon.com
This CD is also a 2004 Parents Choice Award Winner — “John Boydston is a rockin’ dad with an authentic 1960s electric guitar-and-drums Surf City-Liverpool vibe. His boisterous lyrics are aimed as much at baby boomers as young listeners, but he keeps kids in mind as he puts his slick retro spin on songs about doing chores, the school blues and reaching the ripe old age of 8 or 10 in “I’m Too Old for That” (“When I look back at the things I did, back when I was four …”). “Linus & Lucy” is a stand-out instrumental and “Radio Dizzy” slyly tweaks the mouse ears of a certain kids\’ radio station for its limited play list. Lynne Heffley ©2004 Parents’ Choice
This CD is also the proud recipient of a 2004 Children’s Music Web Award for Best Recording for Older Kids. These are the only such awards voted on by kids & families. Some other reviews for Mojo include the following, all of which were approved of, but not written by Daddy A Go Go:
Los Angeles Times — ” Sounding like a rowdy 1960s rock ‘n’ roller, (Daddy A Go Go\’s) John Boydston serves up comical kid- and parent-centric lyrics and slick guitar riffs in songs with a maximum bounce factor guaranteed to give baby boomers flashbacks to their Beatles-and-Beach Boys days.”
Nick Jr. Magazine — “…Straight up rock and roll that would be considered adult it if weren’t for the funny, goofy lyrics delivered in (Boydston’s) rootsy twang.”
New York Post — “If you’re going to call yourself Daddy A Go Go, you’d better live up to it. John Boydston, the Atlanta father who records under that hipster name, does that and more with his fourth album, “Mojo A Go Go” due May 4th. From the opening, Ramones-like “1-2-3-4″ of “I Don’t Wanna Go To School Today,” to the jangly, Byrd-esque guitars of “Radio Dizzy” (a spoof of Mickey’s syndicated station), Mojo A Go Go gets the feet going. He’s also got a way with words: On “Don’t Blame The Weatherman,” there’s a meteorologist under a lot of “barometric pressure and know he’s got the Doppler, but that’s not making him popular.”
He even dares to do a cover of the beloved, jazzy Charlie Brown TV-Special song (Linus and Lucy) — in surf guitar style, with an organ riff that sounds ripped from a 60\’s garage band. This is one hip Daddy!”
BIG ROCK ROOSTER – Daddy a Go Go’s 3rd CD
FamilyFun Magazine – ”Guitars A Go Go would be more like it — this is the rockingest kids’ album around. While purveyors of preschool fare often keep things mellow, (Daddy A Go Go) aims for the ‘tweens here and turns up the amps, conjuring everything from R.E.M to T-Rex, with results that ensure whole-family enjoyment.”
Los Angeles Daily News – “This near-perfect family CD celebrates the important stuff for kids set to 60′s-era music that parents can appreciate.”
Jim Musser, Iowa City Free Press – “This may be the best darned rock’n'roll record ever made FOR kids. The original lyrics are funny (and never condescending), the covers are spunky, and the band rocks with unabashed joy. So good I stole it from my kids.” (I sent Jim an extra copy so they wouldn’t be fighting over it, John B)
Martin Keller, Minneapolis Star Tribune – “You gotta love the brains and instruments behind Daddy a Go Go — John Boydston, a former CNN producer and current stay-at-home dad who came of age in rock’s golden era and is now trying to re-create it for kids. He does it with his original songs, groaner pop culture puns, smart covers and ripping guitar lines. Playing everything but drums, Boydston shows he’s as much in touch with his and your kids as he is with patented ’60s guitar hooks…this CD is a righteous followup to his first two discs. Daddy a Go Go proves again that he’s one of kids-music’s rockin’-est rulers.”
Tammy LaGorce, Amazon.com — “Dad may spend too much time surfing the Web, swipe the remote, and snore, but when he straps on the Stratocaster, jump back — if he’s Daddy a Go Go’s John Boydston, that is. Together with Walt Brewer, a dad who drums, Boydston tears it up a third time on Big Rock Rooster, an album of ’60s-esque jangly pop-rock that recalls everybody from Brian Wilson to John Fogerty to the Revolver-era Beatles. The paternal pair has matured a bit this go round — Rooster aims to rouse the 5- to 10-year-old crowd with tunes like “I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons” and the camp classic “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.” Consider it a graduation gift for kids who wore out their copies of Monkey in the Middle. Tucked into the originals, with their loopy, lifted-from-the-living-room lyrics, are parent-pleasers like the Partridge Family theme and the ’50s bopper “Rag Mop.” The straight-up sound is the thing, though. With surf licks, rockabilly riffs, and New Orleans grooves mixed into their musical stew, the Daddys continue to cook up some of the most energetic, accessible kids’ music around.”
"Monkey in The Middle" - Daddy a Go Go's 2nd CD Original Cover Art by Gailard Sartain
Newsweek – Take two boomer dads, a taste for classic rock and a little spare time, and you’ve got Daddy A Go Go. On their two CDs, the wonderfully warm and upbeat duo sings about birthdays, best friends and the travails of getting into trouble. The lyrics are pure kid, but parents will hear nods to the Eagles, the Dead and even proto-punks the Vaselines. End result: a perfect soundtrack for changing diapers, washing the minivan or just bopping around the kitchen.”
– Newsweek, May 15, 2000
“Monkey In The Middle is cool enough for kids and hip enough for parents. If you and your kids can’t agree on what kind of music to listen to, give Daddy A Go Go a try…perfect for long car rides, rainy afternoons, and family get-togethers.”
— The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“…really packs a punch! What’s cool about Daddy A Go Go’s music is the fact that it’s real music for real kids. You won’t find cheesy, synthesized fluff tunes here. Go ahead, give it a spin.” –Nashville Parent
Monkey In The Middle is a Parents Choice Award Winning CD“…original children’s songs set to the sound of go-go music…if you’re old enough, the instrumental homage to mid- and late-1960′s rock ‘n roll will take you back…kid-friendly and companionable.” – Parents Choice
Billboard Magazine – “So much kid-targeted rock has been ’50′s and ’60′s-based that it’s a genuine treat to hear what John Boydston and Walt Brewer have cooked up here: tunes which brim over with energy and laughs.” — Moira McCormik, Billboard Magazine.
Cool Songs for Cool Kids - Daddy A Go Go's debut CD 1998 Original cover art by Anne Boston
Now about “Cool Songs for Cool Kids” the debut release by Daddy A Go-Go, named as one of the Top 10 Best Kids releases of 1999 by Amazon.com, even though it was officially released in the Fall of 1998. Some of the reviews on this CD:
“Daddy a Go Go does a family good…fills the gap for hip parents and kids who have a hankering for something that is cooler and more substantive than Barney and edgier than Raffi…Jubiliant jangle-pop…these Atlanta Pops can rock.” (Writer Elana Nash went on to say that ‘Adventures in Carpool’ kicks some Neil Young-style booty’ which I took as a big compliment, cause he sure does kick some booty when he wants to, jb) – Amazon.com
“It’s bopping along traveling music…catchy…rocking instrumentals too. These two musician dads give this CD a lively guitar and drum-driven, early 60′s go-go beat.”
– The Los Angeles Times, May 13th, 1999
“A hip family classic. Exuberant…way to go, Daddy A Go Go.” — FamilyFun Magazine, October 1999
“…Daddy A Go Go…rescues those of us suspended in the purgatory between a big purple dinosaur, too many Raffi tunes, and the Backstreet Boys.” – Family Times
“…a must have for your child’s collection…will have your feet moving from the moment you press play.” – Nashville Parent, November 1999
“…so Beatles-influenced and surf-twangy that parents might dig it more than the young’uns.” – The Tulsa World, Feburary 19th, 1999
….a unique and very hip album of children’s songs…these songs are kid-centered, infectious and fun.” – Fred Koch, Chicago Parent, August 2000
“Tired of listening to your kid brother’s Barney CD while traveling in the car? This may be the CD for the whole family…bop down the freeway to “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” or learn new songs such as “Ants in My Pants.” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 12th, 1999
“Put on something that everyone in the family will love…a fun mix of original rock songs, surf music and TV tunes.” – Tampa Tribune, May 29th, 1999
“It had to happen! A children’s record with credible surf…an excellent disc for kids and even makes fun listening for adults…brings grins to those who still nourish the child within.” – Phil Dirt, Reverb Central, KFJC-FM
OK, we’ll stop already!!!!
