Parachute Express is a group of three California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

-based entertainers who perform, write and produce music for comedy. Band members are Stephen Michael Schwartz, Janice Hubbard and Donny Becker. Parachute Express gained national prominence as recording artists for Gymboree Play & Music, Walt Disney Records

Walt Disney Records

Walt Disney Records is a family music record label owned by the Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Records was formed in 1956 as Disneyland Records. Before that time, Disney recordings were licensed out to a variety of other labels such as . It was Walt Disney’s brother Roy O...

, and Trio Lane Records. They sing the theme song to the popular television series Jay Jay The Jet Plane

Jay Jay the Jet Plane

Jay Jay the Jet Plane is an American CGI children's television series based at the fictional Tarrytown Airport. It has about 60 episodes and it is aimed at ages 2-6. The characters are talking airplanes, a helicopter, some humans, and two talking ground vehicles...

 and have been seen on TV shows Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

's Nick Jr. Rocks

Nick Jr. Rocks

Nick Jr. Rocks was a spinoff of Nick Rocks, a 30 minute Nickelodeon program that consisted of popular music videos. This program aired on Nick Jr...

and Disney's Kaleidoscope Concerts. Their music is featured in over 550 Gymboree franchises throughout the world, as well as in preschools, daycare centers and diverse informal education programs.

Parachute Express created a total of twelve albums to date, selling over half a million units (figure for 2004). In the early 1990s Parachute Express recorded for Walt Disney Records under the Music Box Artist Series. Since 1998 the trio has its own label, Trio Lane Records. Many of their albums have won national awards including NAPPA awards, the Film Advisory Board Award, an Indie Award, a Toy of The Year Award, and several times the Parents' Choice Gold Award.

Their video Come Sing With Us! won the Parents Choice Video Award and an International Monitor Award. They have been voted "Best Group" by the American Academy of Children's Entertainment. Their long list of honors further includes featured performers at the 42nd and 43rd Presidential Inaugural Festivities, performing their "poetic anthem" We The Children. This song was included in the Presidential library

Presidential library

In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration...

 by then First Lady

First Lady of the United States

First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...

 Hillary Clinton. They performed half a dozen times at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn of the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 and continue to perform to date. In 2010 (and now in 2011) Parachute Express toured China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, performing in Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

, Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, Tianjin

Tianjin

' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...

, Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

, and Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...

.

Albums

• Shakin' It! (1984)
• Sunny Side Up (1990)
• Feel the Music (1991)
• Circle of Friends (1991)
• Over Easy (1991)
• Happy to Be Here (1991)
• Friends, Forever Friends (1996)
• Doctor Looney's Remedy (1998)
• Who's Got A Hug? (1998)
• Don't Blink (2005)

Song collections

• Gymbo's Play and Pretend Favorites (2008)
• It's a Gymboree Party! (2008)

With other artists

• Disney's Music Box: Disney's Spotlight (1992): Smooth Movin' Boogie Express
• The Man Who Ran Away with the Moon (1992): Smooth Movin' Boogie Express
• Pocahontas
  Pocahontas
  Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
  
  : The Enchanted Songs (1995)
• Hear and Gone in 60 Seconds: One Minute Songs by an Awesome Array of Award Winning Artists (2003): Alphabet Soup
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane
  Jay Jay the Jet Plane
  Jay Jay the Jet Plane is an American CGI children's television series based at the fictional Tarrytown Airport. It has about 60 episodes and it is aimed at ages 2-6. The characters are talking airplanes, a helicopter, some humans, and two talking ground vehicles...
  
  : 24 Fun and Inspirational Stories for Kids (2003): Jay Jay the Jet Plane theme song
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane: 12 Fun and Inspirational Stories for Kids (2004): Jay Jay the Jet Plane theme song
• Songs for Little Boys: Trains, Cowboys, Pirates and More! (2004): I Like Trucks
• Songs for Little Princesses: Ballerinas, Best Friends, Dressing Up and More! (2004): Polka Dots, Checks and Stripes; Dress Up Queen
• Dance Party: Movin' and Groovin' Songs for Young Children (2006): Don't Blink; Dance, Puppet, Dance
• Favorite Lullabies: 15 Gentle Songs to Ease Your Baby to Sleep (2006): Good Night Moon
• Classic Animal Songs (2007): Me and My Dog
• Exercise Party: Stretchin' and Jumpin' Songs for Young Children (2007): Can You Show Us; Reach Up High
• Kindergarten Prep: Songs to Get Your Child Ready to Learn (2008): Tie a bow; Red Means Stop

Awards

• 1995 - Parents Choice Video Award for Come Sing With Us!
• 1995 - International Monitor Award in the category Best Electronic Effects for Come Sing With Us!
• 1998 - National Association of Parenting Publications of America (NAPPA) Gold Award for Doctor Looney's Remedy
• 19?? - Best Group Award by the American Academy of Children's Entertainment
• 19?? - Indie Award in the category Best Children's Album for ...
• 2005 - Creative Child Magazine's Toy of the Year Award for Don't Blink
• 2005 - NAPPA Gold Award for Don't Blink
• 2005 - Parents Choice Gold Award for Don't Blink
• 2008 - NAPPA Gold Award for It's a Gymboree Party

External links

• Official website
• Parachute Express on MSN Music
  MSN Music
  MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
  
  
• [ Parachute Express Bio] at Allmusic