Track Listing

1. Jenny Jenkins
2. Freight Train
3. Horse Named Bill
4. Three Men Went A-Hunting
5. When First Unto This Country
6. Arkansas Traveler
7. Hop Along Peter
8. Teddy Bears' Picnic
9. There Ain't No Bugs on Me
10. Miller's Will
11. Hot Corn, Cold Corn
12. Shenandoah Lullaby

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2002 in Music
• Released on: 1993-10-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
An aptly named album if ever there was one, Not for Kids Only combines the talents of two legendary performers, the late Jerry Garcia, singer-guitarist of the Grateful Dead, and David Grisman, mandolinist and father of "dawg music," a melding of bluegrass, jazz, swing, Latin, and Jewish klezmer sounds. On this 1993 recording, the two devoted friends make seemingly effortless music, adapting traditional and old-time folk into a personalized sound so "homemade" (with jew's-harp and tambourine) as to inspire any child, young or old, to pick up whatever's at hand to play along. From the jaunty rhythms of "Jenny Jenkins" to the cornball humor of "Arkansas Traveler" and the laugh-out-loud lyrics of "A Horse Named Bill" ("I had a girl and her name was Daisy / And when she sang the cat went crazy"), this album, with Garcia's delightful hand-drawn cover art, tickles from top to bottom. --Alanna Nash

From Parents' Choice®
Gravelly voices, acoustic instrumentation (mandolin, banjo, jew's-harp, etc.) and an amused, ironic approach make twelve traditional cuts extraordinary. Dead-head Garcia and partner Grisman sing the ubiquitous Teddy Bears' Picnic backed by a muted jazz horn. Older children will be amused by the witty Arkansas Traveler, the lively Hot Corn, Cold Corn (not on the cob) and the lush Shenandoah Lullaby. Parents will find themselves humming along. After all ... this tape is "Not For Kids Only."

Customer Reviews

the real thing: engaging, wonderful music
This is a favorite with every kid I know. But what do kids know? They listen to Raffi. *

From an adult perspective, this tape is amazing. The playing is superb and intelligent, the lyrics are sincere, heartfelt, and often pull-your-leg funny. Grisman and Garcia play with and off each other beautifully.

The musical skill here is extremely high, but feels unforced and simple.

For example, listen to the song "Arkansas Traveller" about an encounter between a city slicker and a country bumpkin:

Slicker: Well, hello stranger.

Bumpkin: Why, hello stranger!

Slicker: Yer corn looks awful little and yeller.

Bumpkin: I planted the little and yeller kind.

[cue duet]

Listen to the banjo and mandolin duet of turkey in the straw; the playing is quite intricate and beautiful.

What's right about this tape: it entertains and engages without once stooping to dull playing or insincere, tired singing. Unlike Raffi, for example, this tape never feels like an act.

Recommended for any kid. Also, any adult who likes good acoustic or folk guitar. This is a tape I play all the time, whether or not kids are around.

--Pat

* Please, no hate mail from all 15 of you adult Raffi fans. I know the lyrics to Baby Beluga and I'm not afraid to use them.

for kids of all ages
This is a great album. It's a whole lot of fun. It's really just Jerry and Dave doing a bunch of kids songs. I don't have any kids so I can't really tell you how well this goes over with little ones; but then that should also tell you how nice this album is for adults.

This album features the bluegrass, twangy sound that Garcia and Grisman became known for. It's really no different there. But unlike just about all their other albums, this one you can sing along really loud and have a blast doing it. Good stuff.

Uncle Jerry, Uncle David
The late Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist for The Grateful Dead, was never known for the kind of upbeat vocals typically associated with children's music. Still, this sincere album offers a very appealing assortment of toe-tapping American folk tunes whose simple lyrics and old-fashioned harmonies appeal to the kid in all of us. "Uncle Jerry's" acoustic guitar picking is the perfect companion to David Grisman's plucky banjo and marvelous mandolin. The album's selections evoke a summer jam session on your porch, where friends join in at times with fiddle, harmonica--and sometimes piano. (Ok, ok, so the piano wouldn't exactly fit on the porch.) The album closes with a heartfelt rendition of the melancholy river song, Shenandoah, shyly sung by Garcia ("Away, I'm bound away, across the wide Missouri...") This sailor's worksong melts gracefully into Brahm's lullaby with a radiant string assemble lead by Grisman's brilliant mandolin, making for a very sweet sign-off.