Wayne Brady releases children’s album Radio Wayne
Teaches kids about manners, health and just having fun
BURBANK, Calif.—Actor, singer and comedian extraordinaire Wayne Brady now adds children’s entertainer to his resume with the release of Radio Wayne, his Walt Disney Records’ debut children’s album. Re-creating the world of drive-time radio, Brady plays DJ Wayne on the album, talking to listeners while introducing a hot mix of songs designed help kids with everyday life lessons. Radio Wayne is now available exclusively on Amazon.com, and arrives at retailers nationwide and online music stores May 31.
Produced and arranged by the Heavyweights (Jack Kugell, Jamie Jones and Jason Pennock), Radio Wayne features 14 songs, with all of the original tracks co-written by Brady. Touching on a range of musical styles—from Jazz and Reggae to Blues and Hip Hop—Brady sings about good manners (“Say Please,” “Wash Your Hands”), good habits (“Reading Can Be Fun,” “You Are What You Eat”) and just plain having fun (“Hide and Seek,” “Hip Hop Stop”).
The project was inspired by the good times Brady has shared with his daughter, Maile, and his commitment to being a parent. “In this day and age, kids are far more mature for good and bad than children of any other generation,” says Brady. “You have 6-year-olds who can quote Lady Gaga’s lyrics. That’s why I did this CD. I wasn’t happy with a lot of what my daughter was listening to. We decided to make songs that are as dance-worthy as other Top 40 songs.”
As a singer, Wayne released his solo album debut, A Long Time Coming, in 2008, while making his Disney debut that same year with a cover of “Tiki Tiki Tiki Room” for the Disney Music Block Party compilation.
The WE CAN Foundation will host the Allensworth “Scat to Rap” Family Music Festival celebrating all the genres of Black music and African rhythms, including Blues, Gospel, Jazz, BeBop, DooWop, R&B and conscious Hip Hop. The festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10, and activities will begin at 11 a.m. at the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Tulare County.
Rhythm & Blues pioneer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Johnny Otis—born John Veliotes—died Tuesday night in the Los Angeles area after a decade-long struggle with an undisclosed illness. He was 91.
Otis was born Dec. 28, 1921, in Vallejo, Calif. He dropped out of school to play with bands throughout the Midwest and settled in Los Angeles in 1943. He performed with Charlie Parker and Count Basie, but his main impact was in R&B.
On April 25, 1917, the world received a young singer who would become known as the first lady of song—Ella Fitzgerald. She was born to a couple in Newport News, Va., who parted ways shortly after her birth. Ella was considered a tomboy in her early years in New York, where she and her mother moved, but she made friends easily and was often seen playing with the local boys in neighborhood games like baseball.
To help with finances at home, she took up odd jobs and worked as a runner for gamblers, picking up and dropping off money for bets.
He ruled the airwaves of the ‘90s with his smooth, soulful sound, infectious ballads and authentic West Coast swagger. His numerous collaborations with some of Hip Hop’s elite may never be forgotten or duplicated. Nathaniel Hale, better known by his stage name, “Nate Dogg,” died early Tuesday afternoon due to complications from a massive stroke he suffered in 2007, his family was reported as saying.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Barbra Streisand offered to match the first $5 million raised for the Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute as part of a $10 million fundraising effort.
In a video posted on her website, the Academy Award-winning entertainer says she hopes to raise the money for research, treatment and education on heart disease in women.
