Discography
1950s
Call and Response: Rhythmic Group Singing
In 1956, Ella Jenkins went to New York City with an acetate demo disc of children’s music she had recorded. She had decided to devote her life to music. At the office of Folkways Records, Ella met with label founder Moses Asch, who listened to her tape and, after she recorded a few more songs, made it into a record. Now, almost 70 years later, Ella Jenkins has become one of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings' most iconic artists. World renowned for her impact on the music education landscape, she has aptly been nicknamed “The First Lady of Children’s Music.” Originally released on a 10-inch LP record in 1957, Ella’s first album features simple call-and-response chants from both the United States and Africa, specially adapted for young children. Rhythmic and easy to learn and performed with a group of school children, these songs encourage group singing and the development of musical skills and memory. Call-and-Response launched Ella Jenkins’ long and storied career of making music for young people and is an excellent introduction to the beloved performer.
Adventures in Rhythm
Before Ella Jenkins became “The First Lady of Children’s Music,” she started her career as the host of the Chicago public television program This Is Rhythm. Branching out from her work on that show, Adventures in Rhythm sees Ella teaching a foundational aspect of music-making: establishing rhythm through chanting, singing, and drumming. This album demonstrates what Ella calls "rhythmicking." She arranges and presents a repeating pattern, counts off, and has her Rhythm Workshop repeat what they have heard. Also featured are American hymns such as "I'm Gonna Sing," and well-known children's nursery rhymes still cherished today, such as "Miss Mary Mack." The record is perfect for children, families, and teachers and is appropriate for group lessons in music.
1960s
African-American Folk Rhythms
Ella Jenkins and the Goodwill Spiritual Choir from Chicago collaborate in this powerful presentation of African American music for adults and older children. The choral arrangements of spirituals, work songs, children's rhymes, and other forms present a cross-section of African American experiences and music in a variety of styles. By featuring performances of well-known spirituals like “Wade in the Water,” “Racing with the Sun,” “Hammer Song,” and “Old Time Religion,” African American Folk Rhythms (1960) demonstrates Ella’s artistic mastery beyond children’s music. In its enduring strength and popularity, African American Folk Rhythms is a work of oral history, passing words and stories of African American history, culture, and artistry to younger generations.
This is Rhythm
Ella Jenkins’ 1961 album This Is Rhythm underscores a central theme of her work: rhythm can be found wherever you look for it. In this album, she builds upon rhythmic exercises featured on her earlier records and teaches young listeners where they might find rhythm in everyday life: a clock ticking, paint dripping from a paintbrush, a coffee pot boiling. After establishing examples of rhythm beyond song, Ella draws rhythm from a variety of instruments, ranging from the conga drums to the tambourine. In the latter half of the album, Ella includes lessons in clapping and tempo.
This is Rhythm (Book)
Lyrics and rhymes are vibrantly printed in varying shades of color to help children learn how loudly or softly to sing and play. Teaches that rhythm is a basic element of music, speech, and sounds worldwide and encourages active participation. Re-issued in 1993 by Sing Out Publications. Paperback. 96 pages.
Rhythms of Childhood
Ella Jenkins' 1963 album Rhythms of Childhood focuses on themes of nature. After observing Girl Scout troops at the Maine Folk Dance Camp, Ella noticed what children reacted to in the natural world and incorporated those subjects into the album: the rhythm of bird calls, the movement of the trees, and the way streams ripple. The album contains original compositions, including "Wake Up, Little Sparrow" and "Pretty Trees Around the World.” Listeners of all ages can enjoy this record, which provides opportunities for practicing harmonies and keeping time.
Counting Games and Rhythms For the Little Ones
Originally released in 1964, Counting Games and Rhythms for Little Ones builds on Ella Jenkins’ early recordings of supplementary classroom materials by showcasing the connections between basic math concepts and rhythm. This collection exemplifies Ella’s renowned ability to teach children basic concepts through songs and games and to provide resources for teachers. Skills such as memory, coordination, and vocal expression are all exercised in these simple, enjoyable activity songs. Here, the children from Lake Meadows Nursery School join Ella on classic counting songs including “One Potato, Two Potato,” “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” and “Eight Clay Pigeons.”
Rhythm and Game Songs for the Little Ones #2
In her 1964 album Rhythm and Game Songs for the Little Ones #2, Ella Jenkins teaches lessons in keeping time, incorporating suggested physical activities and accompanying games. Ella chose to record this album at the Lake Meadows Nursery School in Chicago because of its racial and demographic diversity. Across these recordings, 24 four- and five-year-old students join Ella in rhythm and song.
Songs and Rhythms from Near and Far
As with many of Ella Jenkins’ most influential albums, traveling is the theme of this delightful 1964 recording. Ella and her friends treat us to songs and dances ranging from folk dances in Eastern Europe to songs about Swiss towns, or about making friends in Canada. By emphasizing the value of travel to form deeper understandings of ourselves and each other, Songs and Rhythms from Near and Far exemplifies Ella’s lifetime commitment to children all around the world. As she sings in “The World Is Big, The World Is Small”: “O the world is far / And the world is wide / But there are many different ways / To see the other side.”
You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song
You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song is one of Ella Jenkins’ most celebrated albums for young listeners. It has nurtured the minds of multiple generations of children, introducing them to basic musical building blocks while fostering a spirit of togetherness and inclusivity. The title track, written by Jenkins, was added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in 2007. It has also been recorded by countless other musicians, including Raffi. You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song is as much a classic of 20th-century folk music as it is a foundational text of early childhood music education, as it establishes participatory and democratic frameworks with which children and adults alike can explore their own creative impulses.
The Ella Jenkins Song Book for Children
This book contains 26 songs & chants for voice & piano. There are notes for use in programs for classrooms, camps, community centers, children’s concerts & nursery schools. The book has very clever illustrations throughout, done by frequent Ella Jenkins illustration collaborator Peggy Lipschutz. Sherman Krane has created sheet music for piano accompaniment to the songs.
Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound
Play Your Instruments and Make a Pretty Sound encourages music-making out of anything, from rhythm sticks to cowbells and maracas. The album’s ten songs include “Follow the Leader,” “Let's Listen to the Band,” and “Harmonica Happiness.” This fun, interactive album—as well as the rest of Ella Jenkins’ extensive, award-winning discography of children’s music— encourages children to listen, collaborate, and play.
1970s
A Long Time
In 1970, Ella Jenkins released A Long Time, an album made for all ages but geared toward adult listeners. In the album, she adapts long-established, historically significant Black gospel songs, spirituals, and blues songs collected from the churches, jukeboxes, and record stores of her youth. Songs including "I'm Gonna Tell God All My Troubles" and "How High's the Water" reflect her active role in the ongoing struggle for Black liberation in mid-century America. Joining Ella are her accompanists Brother John Sellers, who learned to sing in churches and collaborated with Northern blues legends, and Joseph Brewer, who enjoyed a career participating in world-famous symphonies and operas, representing the changing makeup of traditionally exclusionary musical spaces.
Seasons for Singing
Ella Jenkins thinks that people should sing in every season, and this recording can help us all do just that. Here is a lively sing-along, recorded at a summer program in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Enthusiastic children join world-famous performer Ella Jenkins on twelve wonderful songs in a variety of styles, from traditional spirituals to Caribbean, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. The recording features Ella Jenkin’s baritone ukulele, drums, harmonica, guitar, and rhythm sticks. Especially suited for children 3-9 years old, their parents, teachers, and playmates.
Let’s Sing with Ella Jenkins
Released by textbook publisher Scott Foresman and included with Health curricula starting in 1970. This recording was later issued on cassette and bundled with Scott Foresman educational materials into the 1990s. It features several original songs by Ella.
My Street Begins At My House
Neighborhoods have always been central to Ella Jenkins' vision of music education. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised on the south side of Chicago, Ella absorbed the syncretic nature of each neighborhood. From a young age, she learned Latin music, blues songs, gospel music, and spirituals. Ella frequently cites her upbringing as an inspiration for her work. True to this inspiration, My Street Begins at My House (1971) showcases a diverse range of songs about community and neighborhood life, beginning with "Let's Build a Street.”
And One and Two
Ella Jenkins’ 1971 album And One and Two is a light-hearted collection of call-and-response songs with familiar tunes and corresponding games. By coaching students through activities like jumping, tapping, and marching, Ella teaches physical ways to absorb rhythms and patterns in music. Also featured is a non-denominational holiday song called “Holiday Times,” and two songs about Jewish holidays. Across the album, Ella enthusiastically explores a variety of topics relevant to youngsters, like sharing, diverse holiday celebrations, and the joy of going to school. And One and Two provides fun and instructive lessons for preschoolers to practice listening and following directions.
It’s a Holiday / I Got a Harmonica for Chanukah
This self-released 2-song 45rpm by Ell-Bern Publishing, was remastered by Tim Ferrin, Ella Jenkins, and Bernadelle Richter from the master tapes in 2021. The 45rpm features the original recordings of "It's a Holiday" and "I Got a Harmonica for Chanukah," which became a holiday favorite on WFMT-FM's program The Midnight Special in Chicago.
Early Early Childhood Songs
In Early Early Childhood Songs Ella Jenkins sings and plays classic children’s music with children from the Lake Meadows Nursery School. On her whimsical and sweet 24th album, Ella plays songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Skip to My Lou" on kazoo and harmonica, leads her students in songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and guides playful exercises for melody recognition. As “The First Lady of Children’s Music” writes in her accompanying liner notes: “I feel [these songs] are a good first step into music for little people.”
Little Johnny Brown and Other Songs and Other Sounds
Ella Jenkins has delighted generations of children and adults worldwide with her songs. This recording represents two of the reasons for Ella Jenkins's popularity with students and teachers alike—her repertoire of traditional and original songs that speak to many cultural backgrounds, and her ability to engage children in musical play. It replicates, in the studio setting, the interplay of this master singer-storyteller and her young audiences typical of her school and library performances.
This-A-Way, That-A-Way
This-A-Way, That-A-Way is full of cheerful songs and chants. The album was recorded at the conclusion of Ella’s tour of middle Tennessee in 1973 as part of an Implementing Elementary Music Improvement program. During that tour, Ella worked with over 10,000 students and teachers. On This-A-Way, That-A-Way, she sings with some of these students and plays ukulele, fiddle, guitar, and kazoo. Among other traditional and original songs, the album features tracks like “Please Is a Pleasant Expression,” which teaches "please" in four different languages, and the counting song “I Like the Way That They Stack the Hay.”
Nursery Rhymes
Ella Jenkins’ 1974 release Nursery Rhymes is a collection of 22 light-hearted rhymes about animals and lively characters. Tracks include the silly “The Muffin Man” and “Georgie Porgie” and well-loved classics like “Humpty Dumpty.” Ella guides young listeners through rhymes and songs, leaving opportunities to fill in the blanks and encouraging kids to sing along. Throughout these tunes, Ella teaches essential developmental skills for reading and writing comprehension, including tongue twisters, word associations, and alliteration.
Jambo and Other Call and Response Songs and Chants
Many of Ella’s albums over her seven-decade recording career feature songs in many languages and stories from cultures around the world. This ethos of cross-cultural communication and education is on full display on Jambo and Other Call and Response Songs and Chants. Inspired by Ella’s experiences in Kenya and Tanzania in 1973, Jambo features twelve call-and-response songs in English and Swahili that introduce children to different rhythmic patterns. The album includes cheerful and educational tracks such as “On Safari,” “Counting in Swahili,” “Yemayah,” and Ella’s classic composition, “Jambo.”
Growing Up with Ella Jenkins
For generations, singer-storyteller Ella Jenkins has captivated audiences young and old with her educational, engaging songs for children of many cultural backgrounds. This recording captures Ella Jenkins and children from the Mary Crane Day Care Center performing a collections of songs, chants, rhythms, rhymes, poems, dances, and games involving counting, snapping, clapping, and skipping. The majority of the songs and poetry on this recording are Ella’s own compositions, and the others are those of friends she has made in her travels. A fun, interactive collection of songs, Growing Up With Ella Jenkins is ideal for boys and girls ages 3-9.
We Are America’s Children
Ella Jenkins' We Are America's Children, released in 1976, celebrates the United States Bicentennial. True to her lifelong belief that children represent the future of the nation, Ella foregrounds the voices of children in her celebration of America’s history as she is joined in song by the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus and the Raymond School Children’s Choir. In these recordings, she introduces children to celebrated Americana such as Woody Guthrie’s "This Land Is Your Land.” By also highlighting songs like "Sheenasha," sung in Navajo, and "Black Children Was Born,” Ella adds depth and insight to the conversation around the United States' founding, highlighting the cultural contributions of historically marginalized groups.
Song Rhythms and Chants for the Dance
Ella Jenkins is joined by other vocalists and musicians to sing and play spirituals, chants, blues, folk songs, and instrumentals. Their cadenced rhythms and measured vocals inspire free-form movement, dance, and sing-alongs. The second part of the recording features excerpts from interviews in which dance professionals and students share their philosophies about dance as art, as therapy, and as a business. Discipline, hard work, and dedication are the main themes in these interviews. Studio recordings from 1977. 21 tracks plus interviews. 68 minutes.
Travellin' with Ella Jenkins: A Bilingual Journey
The 1979 album Travellin’ with Ella Jenkins: A Bilingual Journey takes young listeners on a trip around the world through songs, poems, and rhythms. The album was inspired by Ella’s 1976 trip around the world, where she learned songs from local and Indigenous grown-ups and children. "Greetings in Many Languages" and "Thank You in Several Languages" teach children simple ways to communicate by sharing translations and pronunciations in Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, and more. Throughout the album, Ella shares the music she absorbed during her travels: teaching children about the ukulele in "Hukilau," for example, and bringing the swing of New Orleans to life in “Jazz Music.” On her journey, Ella took part in a rich cultural exchange; learning about beloved traditions, sharing American folk songs, and leaving a trail of harmonicas along the way.
This Is Your Year
As an educator and musician, Ella Jenkins has influenced the lives of generations of young children. Written to celebrate The International Year of the Child in 1979, the relatively brief This Is Your Year features Ella accompanied by children, autoharp, and ukulele. The title track was written for the album, and emphasizes the guiding support, protection, and love that children deserve. Other tracks include cherished Ella classics such as the multi-lingual “I Climbed a Mountain” and “Miss Mary Mack.”
1980s
I Know the Colors in the Rainbow
In concert with a "rainbow" of children from the St. Vincent De Paul Center of Chicago, Ella Jenkins creates a listening and participation recording that introduces children to voice tones, colors, instruments and their individual sounds, other languages, appreciation for other cultures, and a knowledge of farm-life chores. Songs use rhythm and repetition to teach musicality and include tunes from Jewish and Chinese traditions, in addition to some of Jenkins' own compositions.
Looking Back and Looking Forward
As Ella Jenkins and the children from the St. Vincent DePaul Center of Chicago look forward to the outdoor activities of spring, Ella looks back to the springtime games and activities of her childhood. Ella begins by leading the chorus of children through a variety of chants to accompany games such as jump rope, jacks, marbles, and top spinning. She then introduces piano and guitar accompaniment, singing a few songs by herself and also having the children join in for several call-and-response and clapping songs.
Hopping Around from Place to Place, Vol. 1
Ella Jenkins’ 1983 album Hopping Around from Place to Place, Vol. 1, originally released by Educational Activities, was recorded with the Chicago Children’s Choir during a 1983 Summer Workshop. Across eleven tracks, Ella hops around from continent to continent, covering seven languages along the way. She takes a journey from Cairo, Egypt, to Cairo, Illinois, and teaches young listeners that although the world is diverse, we are united in unexpected ways. Hopping Around from Place to Place, Vol. 1 excels in particular at teaching young folks the nuances in accents and dialects and the importance of recognizing and respecting differences.
Hopping Around from Place to Place, Vol. 2
Ella Jenkins’ 1983 album Hopping Around from Place to Place, Vol. 2 is the second in a series released originally on Educational Activities and later acquired by Smithsonian Folkways. As in the first volume, the album features the Chicago Children’s Choir, who were recorded during a summer 1983 session. In Vol. 2, listeners can look forward to more hopping around from continent to continent, with new stops in places like Australia, New York, and even outer space. Through 15 tracks, Ella teaches “travelling social studies,” in which young listeners learn about the world through songs about various cultures and communities. Also included are playful songs about the joys of sending letters, cheese, bacon, and flying.
1990s
Come Dance By the Ocean
Ella Jenkins’ 1991 album Come Dance by the Ocean was inspired by her longtime dedication to environmental conservation. Come Dance by the Ocean teaches the importance of appreciating and respecting the world around us—its people, its streets, its cities, and its waters. On songs like “Clean Up Week” and “Environment Game,” for example, she turns clean-up tasks and environmental solutions into playful games. In this album, Ella teaches us that the ocean is central to life and represents both the world’s past and its present.
Ella Jenkins Live at the Smithsonian (DVD)
Jenkins entertains with playful songs and stories. Fosters listening skills, concentration, and imagination while encouraging viewers to sing and dance. Splendid performances of Did You Feed My Cow?, Stop and Go, Shake Hands with Friends, and others. Winner of Parents’ Choice Award and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award.
For the Family! (DVD)
This video, rated “Best of Genre” by the All-Music Guide, features Jenkins on harmonica, vocals, and guitar, teaching and entertaining her young audience, communicating one-on-one. Includes May-ree Mack, Freight Train Blues, and Tah-Boo
Multicultural Children's Songs
By the time the compilation Multicultural Children's Songs was released in 1995, Ella Jenkins had already spent over forty years traveling from continent to continent, absorbing cultural traditions and teaching children music she gathered while traveling. The collection includes many favorites, including "Mexican Handclapping Song" and "Caney Mi Macaro," which teach children new words and rhythms through poetry, rhythm, and song, and “The World Is Big, The World Is Small,” which highlights her lifetime commitment to exploring the world around her. Multicultural Children’s Songs is a celebration of Ella’s decade-spanning influence on multiple generations of children, teaching that though cultures different from our own may seem unfamiliar at first, music and rhythm are universal.
Holiday Times
Ella Jenkins' 1996 album Holiday Times is a collection of songs celebrating winter and early spring holidays from Kwanza and Christmas to Chinese Lunar New Year. The voices of friends from the Harold Washington Elementary School in Chicago, vocals and guitar from Guy Guilbert, vocals and flute from Catherine Hall, and pipe and organ from Jerry Kinsella contribute to the album’s warm holiday spirit. From "It's Christmas Time" to "Harmonica for Hanukah," Holiday Times is an excellent option for parents and teachers looking to teach children about how different communities celebrate the holidays.
Songs Children Love To Sing
Songs Children Love to Sing is an anthology of recordings celebrating Ella Jenkins' 40 years of recording for Folkways Records and Smithsonian Folkways. Ella selected 17 songs that are especially popular with children from the hundreds she has recorded for Folkways since 1956, including "Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero" from her first album Call-and-Response, as well as other gems like “Miss Mary Mack,” “Many Pretty Trees All Around the World,” and Ella’s personal favorite, “The Wilderness.” The range demonstrated on this album reminds listeners that Ella’s lasting legacy is still being fostered in classrooms and homes today. The enclosed booklet includes song texts and a list of Ella Jenkins recordings.
Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together
Legendary children’s performer Ella Jenkins and a group of young and older musical friends introduces children to the ideas of unity, cooperation, and labor unions through songs, recitation, and poetry. Recorded in 1999, this CD features harmonica, piano, percussion, banjo, guitar, vocals, and chorus. The recording reminds us how unity and strength are part of family ties as well as adult life and work.
2000s
Sharing Cultures with Ella Jenkins
Sharing Cultures, Ella's first album of all-new performances following 1999's Grammy-nominated Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together, is her 31st release in an enduring (and endearing) career. On Sharing Cultures, Ella is joined by the voices of children from the LaSalle Language Academy of Chicago and other special guests, singing songs together in English, Spanish, French, and more.
cELLAbration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins
On this album, some of today's finest folk and children's performers pay tribute to Ella Jenkins with sparkling new renditions of her timeless repertoire. Styles including folk, salsa, country-western, Dixieland, old-time string band, ragtime, and mariachi all come together with a wonderful children's chorus to honor Ella in the best way possible.
2010s
A Life of Song
In A Life of Song, Ella Jenkins offers stories and songs that speak to her youthful years as an African American child in a multi-cultural world. Her career of more than a half century earned her the first Lifetime Achievement Grammy award for a children’s music artist, and her more than thirty recordings teach us to learn from one another while taking pride in our own heritage. This African American Legacy recording of Ella singing with children from the Cool Classics after-school program spotlights her own heritage while showing her delight for the traditions of others.
Get Moving with Ella Jenkins
Now in her ninth decade, Ella Jenkins continues to encourage young children to hop, skip, jump, clap, dance, and be active through song. Get Moving with Ella Jenkins showcases the absolute finest recordings incorporating movement and play by a true pioneer of children’s music. Drawn from many recordings created during her legendary career, these songs demonstrate Ella’s genius as both a music educator and children's entertainer.
123s and ABCs
Ella Jenkins: 123s and ABCs distills her innovative spirit into 16 tracks that teach counting and the alphabet in multiple languages. Released in her seventh decade of recording, 123s and ABCs exemplifies Ella’s enduring ability to connect with children through educational music. The album includes tracks from across Ella’s Folkways discography, such as “Counting in Swahili” from Jambo and Other Call and Response Chants (1974) and “One Potato, Two Potato” from Counting Games and Rhythms for the Little Ones (1965). Ella’s joyful engagement, delight in music and game-playing, and deep respect for children of all backgrounds, all make this a classic recording for and with young children.
More Multicultural Songs From Ella Jenkins
No Smithsonian Folkways release has been more popular than the 1995 album Multicultural Children's Songs, a selection of Ella Jenkins' favorite melodies she learned from cultures around the world. Now, Folkways brings you More Multicultural Children's Songs from Ella Jenkins, 20 additional classics from The First Lady of Children's Music's prolific work. Multilingual, multicultural, and multi-national, this collection of timeless tracks inspires respect and rejoicing in the traditions of others.
Camp Songs with Ella Jenkins and Friends
Renowned children’s performer Ella Jenkins has vivid memories of singing at summer camps, and if you were a camper, you must too! She and her friends invite you to share those experiences and celebrate her 60 years as a Folkways artist with this recording. Ella assembled a group of children, parents, and teachers from the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, along with Tony and Kate Seeger from Camp Killooleet, to sing these classic camp songs, rounds, silly songs, and campfire sing-alongs with you. Move along with them and make them your own! Most of all, have fun! 62 minutes, 36-page booklet with song lyrics included.
