Memories of children's singer Ella Jenkins
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Ella Jenkins performs in 1980. Photo: John Prieto/The Denver Post via Getty Images
I felt like I lost a childhood friend when I heard about the Nov. 9 passing of singer-songwriter Ella Jenkins at 100.
Zoom in: For more than 60 years the "first lady of children's music" delighted kids at schools, libraries, community centers and on TV, including her 1950s WTTW show, "This is Rhythm."
Her call-and-response songs like "Did You Feed My Cow" infuse some of my earliest musical memories.
- And her 1970s-era performance at my elementary on the Northwest Side was the talk of the school.
- I was so sad to have missed Jenkins by just a few minutes when I arrived late for her 99th birthday party in Lincoln Park two summers ago. But I was thrilled to pick up a kazoo, CD and Hanukkah-themed 45 that demonstrates her wacky range.
What they're saying: "I went to the Bernard Horwich JCC day camp when I was young, and Ella Jenkins was the music instructor! I remember all the songs and loved all of the call-and-response ones! We still sing "No More Pie," "Did You Feed My Cow," "Moon Don't Go," "Tah-Boo," and others. I loved her!" Susan Miller Tweedy said.
- "She was so great. So many happy memories of sitting on a rug and singing along with her," Polly Noonan said. "This song ["You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song"] connects me to my earliest self."
- "She was my neighbor growing up. All the kids on the block used to just show up at her house to sing and play instruments," Stacy Ballis said. "Remained a family friend till the end, tried to have lunch once a year or so."
What's next: A public tribute to Jenkins is being planned for next summer in Ella Jenkins Park and Chicago filmmaker Tom Ferrin is working on a documentary about her.