Charlie Bush is a guitar player, drummer, and a retired chef from Shreveport, Louisiana. His childhood was imbued with music, as he had an incredibly wonderfully large musical family, with all the siblings having particular instruments they played and a personal repertoire of songs they were known for singing in their family ranks.
Charlie’s brother Bill Bush is a Louisiana legend who led a musical combo for fifty years. (Learn about the Bill Bush Combo) He operated a club in Shreveport called the Moulin Rouge, where members of the family honed their performance chops. Eventually, Charlie and his sister Rebecca toured New Zealand as a duo singing folk and rock songs.
Charlie’s mom Ruby had a big impact on his appreciation of music (and that of his siblings).
“It started out with my mom, who was a piano player, and played for all my talent shows growing up,” says Charlie.
Ruby is still living at 99 years young and regularly performs for her fellow residents at a nursing home in the Dallas area!
Charlie took ukulele lessons when he was seven years old at the Shreveport Memorial Library. (Aren’t public libraries WONDERFUL??) Soon after, he started taking guitar lessons.
“My first song was John Denver, ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads,’” recalls Charlie. “Then I learned 27 Jimmy Buffet songs because they were all three and four chords. Easy to learn…. and I just went on from there!”
And that’s how it’s done, kids. Find an instrument you like, learn some popular songs you really love. Start with the easy ones. Once you learn just a few chords, the world of musical performance opens up to you!
Thank you Charlie Bush for sharing your childhood music memories with Confetti Park.
Welcome to Confetti Park, a place where you can listen to kids music and hear stories, poems, jumprope jingles, and learn about the culture of Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. I’m Katy Hobgood Ray, your host. In New Orleans we are celebrating our 300th birthday this year. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Bienville, and the city and Louisiana are known for having a unique mix of cultural influences: French, Spanish, African, German, Native American, and many other peoples … that is why we have such unique food and music.
This is a music medley of songs featured on the show this week.
Give Me A Squeeze Please – Buckwheat Zydeco
Joke of the Day – 7-8-9
Swamp Stomp – Angela Mannino
Whistle While You Work – Louis Armstrong
Twinkle Twinkle – Ayana of the Renzi Center
Sharing – a poem by Marcus Page
Fingers Under the Door – Vivi Melody
Hide and Seek – Jazzy Ash
L.O.S.T. – Imagination Movers
Je Veux Marier – Magnolia Sisters
This episode of Confetti Park begins with a song by Buckwheat Zydeco, a famous zydeco musician. Zydeco is a kind of music that was created in Louisiana, by Cajun French, African and Native American people blending all their sounds. Buck is going to tell us all about a very important instrument of zydeco music….. the accordion.
Then we hear from Angela Mannino with “Swamp Stomp”…. Angela is a New orleans Native who now lives in NY where she is a renowned soprano opera singer… we are lucky to have her singing several great Louisiana kids songs on this album.
We also hear famous jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, performing a song from Disney’s Snow White…. You might remember seven dwarves singing this… “Whistle While You Work.”
Ayana, a student at the Shreveport based Renzi Center, and New Orleans poet Marcus Page share their poems, and then we hear a little run of hide and seek songs, beginning with NOLA native Vivi Melody. The Imagination Movers are perhaps Louisiana’s most famous kids music band. Jazzy Ash, who is terrific fun, lives in Los Angeles but spent her childhood summers on the West bank of New Orleans. She plays Dixieland style kids music.
We end with the Magnolia Sisters, a Cajun band from Lafayette Louisiana. “Je Veux Marier,” which translates to“I want to marry,” is a fun song to dance to at a Cajun wedding.
Also in this episode of Confetti Park is the storytime feature Louis Lion, When It Gets Dark I May Start Cryin, by Cindy Foust of Monroe, Louisiana. Cindy has a whole Alpha-kidZ children’s book series. Each letter of the alphabet gets a feature story and a feature creature who has an adventure… and learns a valuable lesson.
Summertime in New Orleans brings a hyper awareness of storm season. In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear Fair Weather Friend: A Story of Hurricane Katrina, narrated by the author Marcus Page.
Marcus is a poet and a New Orleans native. He was inspired to write a story of the power of friendship after the experience of Hurricane Katrina. Two children, who are the best of friends, are separated from each other during the hurricane evacuation. While their families face different challenges, both of these young children bear the pressure of the situation and the forced evacuation of their home.
It was August, the summer of 2005. The kids were getting ready to go back to school. After a long summer of playing and vacationing, Payton and Maria were looking forward to getting back to school.
Payton and Maria were walking to the corner store. When they arrived to the store the store clerk was watching the news on a TV behind the counter.
There was a special bulletin urging all residents to evacuate soon, because a huge storm was coming. The news man called the storm Katrina.
Katrina was said to possibly be the biggest storm New Orleans had ever seen.
Welcome to Confetti Park, a magical show featuring stories and music for children of all ages. I’ve been gathering songs from across my home state of Louisiana and from places around the Mississippi Delta. I just love the variety or music—blues, jazz, country, rock n roll, rap and church music and Cajun, and brass band… there’s a lot to learn and I am still listening and learning every day. I hope you like what I share with you.
This is a music medley of songs featured on the show this week.
Arkansas Tongue Twister – Sunpie Barnes
Joke of the Day: Grizzly Bear & Harp
Salmon Song – Jazzy Ash
Avocado Woo Woo – Tin Men
Daycare – Ph Fred
Days of the Week – Jason & Layla
Louis Ray – ABCs
Five Little Butterflies – Johnette Downing
Curious George Main Theme Song –Dr. John
We’ve Got Each Other –Imagination Movers
We begin with a game song from Arkansas, by Arkansas born New Orleans residentBruce Sunpie Barnes. He is a real forest ranger, and a great musician. You will also hear the wonderful Tin Men of New Orleans, L.A. based Jazzy Ash (who has deep Louisiana roots), and Louisiana pied piper Johnette Downing. There is also a famous song by the famous Dr. John, all about the most famous monkey in the world. And I know you will enjoy brother and sister duo Jason & Layla, who are wonderful artists on their own, and together. (Jason Rhein plays music in Rotary Downs and is one of the owners of Marigny Recording Studio. Layla is a professional belly dancer in NYC. They are originally from Baton Rouge.) And we have a terrific parody song by Ph Fred… “They tried to make me go to daycare, I said ‘No, No, No!’”
We end with a song by the Imagination Movers all about a hurricane evacuation. These are the times when you realize what are truly the most important things in life… HINT: it’s not houses nor possessions. The guys know what’s up in “We’ve Got Each Other.” This song leads us into our storytime feature, Fairweather Friend, by New Orleans poet and storyteller Marcus Page. It is the story of young friends separated because of a hurricane evacuation.
This is not Annie, but it looks like her. I will try to find a picture of her and share it soon.
Three friends reminisce about rescuing a dog off a highway on their pilgrimage to Lead Belly’s grave.
With Ted Lindsay, Katy Hobgood Ray, & David Ray
It was hot. VERY hot. Dave, Ted and I finally remembered this fact about the day that we rescued Annie Ledbetter off the side of a country highway, because we recalled that the little pads of her paws were burned off by the heat of the asphalt.
Little Orphan Annie Ledbetter, the Laughing Dog, was a medium sized solid black mutt who had been abandoned on the Blanchard Latex Road in rural Caddo Parish in northwest Louisiana.
We know she was abandoned because she was running back and forth along the road cut through the rolling piney woods, sticking close to shoulder, waiting and barking, and terrified. We passed her in our truck on our way to visit Lead Belly’s grave, and agreed that were she still there on our way back, we would try to rescue her.
The headstone for Annie Ledbetter in Shiloh Baptist Church. The woman must have been loved in her lifetime. And so was the dog who came generations after her.
We spent some time in the grave yard at Shiloh Baptist Church, looking at the old headstones, including Lead Belly’s grave (a place we all visit several times a year) and noticing all the Ledbetter descendants in that yard. Ted was captivated by a head stone that had the name ‘Annie Ledbetter’ etched upon it. He loved that name.
We piled back into Dave’s white pickup truck and headed back to Ted’s house in Mooringsport. There was nothing save pine forest, or the occasional dilapidated shack or mobile home every half mile or so.
We all kept our eye out for the little black dog. As we rounded a gentle bend, we saw her.
She was there. Sitting on the side of the road. Waiting. For what? For who?
Dave pulled his truck over and he and Ted and I scrambled out of the car to approach the little black dog.
She was panicked and terrified, and bared her teeth at us. Yet she wouldn’t run away. You could see she was desperately in need of comfort. She would chase after us a few feet when we would retreat.
We didn’t give up. We had nothing more pressing on this sunny day than to save this life. We didn’t chase her. We gave her time and space and hung out in the back of the pickup truck and waited for her to get comfortable. The wind blew gently through the tree tops. Cars were few and far between.
Dave finally got the bright idea to coax her with water. He went to his truck, pulled out a big frisbee and poured in cool liquid from his water bottle. He put it on the ground outside the truck and sat just inside with the door open.
Ted and I watched from behind the truck as she warily approached the water. She sniffed, and then desperately started drinking. We gingerly approached, and soothingly talked to her. She didn’t run….. She cowered, and then she gave in. She gave herself over to what fate would bring. Ted put his hands gently on her, and next thing you know, he had scooped her up and put her into the back of the truck. We climbed in to sit with her while Dave drove the truck back to Ted’s house.
She was a lapdog for the rest of the night. Hugs and snuggles and food and water and campfire light and music. A frisky, wiggly, joyful dog emerged from the fearful creature, just like that.
Little Orphan Annie Ledbetter was full of joy, happy to be alive, happy to be loved.
She lived out the rest of her happy life with Ted there in those woods.
There is something special about a Catahoula Leopard Dog! What a strange and magical breed…It’s the state dog of Louisiana. And it’s celebrated in the cute children’s book by Leif Pedersen. Leif narrates the fun-filled adventure in A Dog Named Cat, the fourth book in The Adventures of The Swamp Kids series, for Confetti Park.
The Swamp Kids travel to a nearby animal shelter in hopes of finding a new pet they can adopt and bring home. They find a Louisiana Catahoula Cur puppy and learn all about him. (This podcast features “Sunbonnet Sue” performed by the Hackberry Ramblers.) Listen!
….They’re called “catahoulas,” and raised up the bayou a bit. They’re really good herders, and faster than lightning. At home he will be a big hit!
So now what to name their new furry friend? Lots of smiles come from this great book for animal lovers, not least the brightly colored illustrations of the swamp critters by artist Tim Banfell. Also included in the book is a Lagniappe Lesson written by WWL-TV and Radio personality Angela Hill, a dedicated animal lover respected for her journalistic talents and her unwavering commitment to animals. Angela offers kids tips on the care and responsibility involved with pet ownership.
Want to hear more? Listen to The Missing Chord by Leif Pedersen, the very first Swamp Kids book in the series. The Swamp Kids have many adventures you can enjoy… Visit www.theswampkids.com for puzzles, plush toys, activity sheets of teachers, and more!
The Catahoula Cur is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States. Also known as the Catahoula Leopard Dog or Louisiana Catahoula, it became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979.
This is Confetti Park, a magical playground of music and stories for kids everywhere. What’s unique about these songs, and these stories, is that they all come from Louisiana.
Today you’re going to hear songs from all corners of the state, and across a century of time. This is music that has touched generations of children…. I’m talking about songs that were popular when your grandparents were kids, that are sung by children today. Like “Skip to My Lou,” a song that has stood the test of time and is sung for you by Johnette Downing. And “Bye Bye Blackbird,” by the great New Orleans’ banjoist Danny Barker.
And there is new stuff, too… “King of the Sea” is a rap written and performed by New Orleans school kids through the Young Audiences of Louisiana arts and education network. Thanks to their teacher, Michael Patrick Welch, for recording it!
Also featured in this episode is a childhood music memory by guitarist and music producer CC Adcock, and the Louisiana folktale, The Girl Who Danced with the Devil, narrated by Catherine Golden.
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. We are in states from Alaska to Maine. Look for the full broadcast schedule here.
Support for Confetti Park comes from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.
Photo of Mr. Okra by Miranda H., via Flickr Creative Commonsok
Hi everyone,
Here is another music medley from Confetti Park. And in this episode, you will hear lots of songs about fresh fruits and vegetables. In the radio version of this program, we listen to a story about our recently departed dear Mr. Okra. (You can listen to the story here: Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables by Lashon Daley)
Mr. Okra passed away this week, and he was one of the last of the New Orleans street vendors. Mr. Okra sold fresh fruits and vegetables from a brightly painted pickup truck that traveled slowly throughout New Orleans’ neighborhoods. His voice rang out over his loudspeaker affixed to the roof of the truck: “I have oranges! I have bananas!” When people heard him coming, they could step out their door and buy their fresh produce for the week.
The Confetti Park Players are so fortunate and grateful to have had Mr. Okra sing with us on our first album. He recorded a special song with us. You can listen to the entire track.
Now for the full playlist of this episode:
First up is one of my favorite tunes, that first came out in 1984 and is surely as classic a Louisiana song as any. I tell you what, I defy anyone of any age, kids or adult, to listen to the song and not feel like a kid when the chorus comes on. This particular version features two patriarchs of Louisiana culture……Doug Kershaw and Fats Domino. This song is Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot.
We will also here Satisfied ‘n Tickled Too, by Jeremy Lyons from his Silly Goose Music CD, which features more beautiful Americana classics created with children in mind. There is a beautiful Cajun lullaby called Raisins & Almonds sung by Nancy Tabb Marcantel, and Watermelon Time, by Ted Lindsay of Mooringsport, La., leading the Confetti Park Players in an homage to ripe summer fruit.
Anna Banana – Johnette Downing of New Orleans, pied piper of Louisiana
Yes We Have No Bananas – the fabulous Louis Prima
Kids, go check out Mr. Louis Prima on YouTube… he is a jazz trumpeter from New Orleans who had the energy of a kid, and a style like no one else.
Well, we’ve talked about banana, watermelon and other fruits. And so now We play Mr. Okra, singing a song in his own voice. Mr. Okra…. we love you. We will miss your call. Thank you for sharing your voice with us, for sharing good food with us, and for making the world a better place.
Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot – Doug Kershaw and Fats Domino
Confetti Park: Mardi Gras Indians, Brass Bands, Piano Profs!
Hi kids! It’s Mardi Gras time in Louisiana! Confetti Park is a kids radio show out of New Orleans. In my city the kids are out of school while we celebrate the end of the Epiphany season with parades, lots of good food, and music. Brass bands, marching bands, Indian chants, and sweet rock n roll. I’d like to bring you along for the carnival ride today…
Mardi Gras Indian in feathered glory on a Mardi Gras day, Central City, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016. KDHRay
Every city that celebrates Mardi Gras has its own special customs, and in New Orleans, we have a few unique aspects… such as the Mardi Gras Indians. Neighborhood tribes wear fabulous towering costumes made up of colorful feathers and beads…. the Big Chiefs battle for who is the most beautiful on a Mardi Gras Day.
One of the songs I play today is famous across the world, but what you might not know is that it came from the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tradition. This song “Iko Iko,” performed by the Dixie Cups, tells the story of two warring Indian tribes who have a confrontation in the street.
I also play “My Indian Red,” a very famous Indian prayer, performed by the Baby Dodds Trio. On Fat Tuesday, we will hear that sung on the streets of New Orleans from sunup to sundown. And there are other songs sure to be played along the parade routes where families will be camped to catch beads.
Songs included in this episode:
Red White and Blue Got the Golden Band – Mardi Gras Indians
Iko Iko – The Dixie Cups
Joke of the Day – Ash Who?
My Indian Red – Baby Dodds Trio
Ooh Poo Pah Doo – Trombone Shorty
Throw Me Something Mister – Johnette Downing & Jimmy LaRocca’s ODJB
Aveine, Aveine, Aveine – Les Petits Amis
Every Day is Mardi Gras – Schatzy
3-6-9 (The Clapping Song) – Confetti Park Players
Crawfish Fiesta – Professor Longhair
Mardi Gras in New Orleans – Olympia Brass Band
This episode also features The Cajun Cornbread Boy by Dianne De Las Casas at Storytime.
About Confetti Park
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
Hello from Confetti Park in New Orleans where we are celebrating Mardi Gras ! The most magical time of the year. If you listen to this show regularly, you know that at Confetti Park we celebrate the magic you find in everyday, in the beats on the street, the clapping of children, and the laughter and musical sounds of life! But Mardi Gras… it’s something special. There is a feeling in the air of joie de vivre…
We’re going to celebrate with some of our most beloved Mardi Gras music today! Songs included in this episode:
Mardi Gras Mambo – The Hawkettes
Joke of the Day – Gummy Bear
Second Line – Charmaine Neville
Bourbon Street Parade – Santo Pecora and his New Orleans Rhythm Kings
ZuZu the Praline Man
Throw Me Somethin’ Mista – Jazzy Ash
If Ever I Cease to Love – Confetti Park Players ftg. AJ Loria
Iko Iko – Buckwheat Zydeco
South Rampart Street Parade – Rene Netto & The Sounds of New Orleans
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
Confetti Park: A music medley of children’s songs from Louisiana
Happy New Year! Enjoy this new medley of family friendly songs created by Louisiana artists. This episode of Confetti Park, which airs in its entirety on the lucky radio stations listed below, has songs that appeal to children of all ages that reach back through generations. The music reflects the variety of sounds that come from our fertile Mississippi valley. Also featured in this episode, the storytime feature Swamp Kids: The Lost Chord, narrated by author by Leif Pedersen, and a music memory from Judy Caplan Ginsburgh of Alexandria.
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
Confetti Park: A music medley celebrating the great Mississippi River
Mississippi River alluvial plain
Hi everybody! Enjoy this new medley of family friendly songs created in Louisiana. This episode of Confetti Park, which airs in its entirety on the lucky radio stations listed below, has songs that kids and the grownups will love, that reflect the unique culture of Louisiana and the American South.
Today’s special episode features songs celebrating the great river that courses through our lives: the Mississippi River. The very ground beneath our feet was created by this river, over thousands of years. It is so much a part of our culture. Listen up!
Songs featured in this episode, in order:
Lazy River – Danny Barker
Joke of the Day – Tuna Fish
Riding Down the Mississippi River – Ted Lindsay
Roll On Mississippi, Roll On – Richard Piano Scott
Frère Jacques – recorded at Nunu in Arnaudville, La.
Rolling Down The River – Johnette Downing and Jimmy LaRocca’s ODJB
Mary Don’t You Weep – Renzi Center
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Kaylin Orleans Ruffins and Kermit Ruffins
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
Charlie Bush is a guitar player, drummer, and a retired chef from Shreveport, Louisiana. His childhood was imbued with music, as he had an incredibly wonderfully large musical family, with all the siblings having particular instruments they played and a personal repertoire of songs they were known for singing in their family ranks.
