Sun, Sun Shine - Songs for Curious Children

A rollicking compilation of hit ecology songs from All In This Together and Head First and Belly Down, written by Candy Forest, Nancy Schimmel and Malvina Reynolds. Special guests include The Singing Rainbow Youth Ensemble, Joyce Cooling, Nina Gerber, David Hegarty, Laurie Lewis, Ray Loeckle, Crystal Reeves, Avram Siegel and Jim Zimmerman.

Back Story

Sun, Sun Shine is a compilation of music from two award-winning recordings made with Nancy Schimmel and the Singing Rainbow Youth Ensemble for Sisters’ Choice Recordings – All In This Together and Head First & Belly Down.

Nancy and I met in 1985 when I first moved to San Francisco. I was a big fan of her mother, Malvina Reynolds, and when I had the chance to meet Nancy, I went for it and the result was a lively creative collaboration that has spanned over three decades.

A song detailing the ins and outs of rain forest destruction, Eating Up The Forest, was our first and led to many more until we had enough songs for what we used to call “albums.” Since all the songs were for children, we decided to have children sing them, so I started what became the Singing Rainbow Youth Ensemble.

This led to a fully functioning performance troupe of wonderful youngsters with whom I worked for about 15 years! We won the Parent’s Choice Gold Award for both the recordings and a “notable recording” designation from the National Library Association for Head First & Belly Down. The ensemble appeared widely in Bay Area concerts and was invited to Los Angeles to perform in the nationally televised Genesis Awards, honoring individuals in the media who addressed environmental issues in their work.

The songs on Sun, Sun Shine are as relevant today as they were when we wrote them. We continue to write ecology-themed songs in hopes of raising the public’s awareness of environmental issues. Heaven knows this is an uphill battle!