Ralph's World -
At the Bottom of the Sea

"Ralph Covert may have sunk to the bottom of the sea for
his second release, but he swished the sophomore slump aside in his wake....In other words, the impossibly clever songwriting is back, and so is the catchy vibe and effortless-sounding folky delivery, something that extends to the cover tunes."  --Tammy LaGorce, Amazon.com

"[The new album] is filled with toe-tapping tunes and fun, folksy guitar licks that will have youngsters dancing till dawn -- or at least bedtime....From extolling the virtues of
psychic cats to celebrating the many ways to annoy baby siblings, At the Bottom of the Sea is a bona fide hit."

The debut disc, Ralph’s World, released a year ago, was embraced for its winning pop craftsmanship. “If you’d rather play a Barenaked Ladies album than, say, Barney’s latest release, you can stop banging your head against the car window,” Parenting declared. A motley tour of nursery schools, rock clubs and concert halls in major U.S. cities followed the release last spring. Playing for as many as 500 kids and parents at a time in so many different settings kept Ralph Covert constantly on his toes.

One night, in Minneapolis, there was a grand piano onstage at sound check. The mandolin player sat down and kicked off a classic blues, Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.” Ralph started fooling around with the lyric and “Clean My Room” emerged. They sang it for 400 cheering fans an hour later.

In Ralph’s World - At The Bottom Of The Sea, the mysteries of numbers, the alphabet, tired moms & dads, the animal world - even sibling rivalry - are revealed in playful pop songs full of delightful absurdities and useful information. Ralph’s World second collection of bright and brainy children’s songs draw on Covert’s flair for pop, blues, folk and swing.

A teacher at Chicago’s venerable Old Town School of Folk Music, Covert knows how to identify the elements of a good song in the stuff of real life. His songs shimmer with the polish of vintage radio pop abounding with a children’s chorus (often led by Ralph’s 7-year-old daughter). The singer is right at home with wistful first-person ballads, witty and engaging story songs, a surf pop chorale, spooky circus music, and inspired covers including the theme from the 60s TV show The Banana Splits and Bart Howard’s swinging "Fly Me To The Moon."

Says Jim Powers, president of the Mini Fresh label, co-producer of the album, (and former Wiggleworm Dad) “The success of the first Ralph’s World CD showed us that our confidence in the open minds of young listeners and their parents was justified. With this record, we decided to dive headfirst into any genre a song demanded – Beach Boys-ish surf melodies, bluegrass, Saturday morning pop – trusting Ralph’s personality to keep it together. The freewheeling result has plenty of twists and turns, sure to keep families charmed and entertained through repeated listenings.”

The supporting cast of musicians includes veterans from the first album (Kurt Elling, Pickles Piekarski, Corky Siegel, Matt Walker), but expands its sonic horizons to include glockenspiels, tubas, saxophones and even a saw player!  Also noteworthy is the appearance of blues drumming legend Sam Lay (Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Bob Dylan), who sits behind the skins on the Robert Johnson-inspired "Clean My Room."

At the Bottom of the Sea
Honey for the Bears
The Coffee Song
Surfin' in My Imagination
Harry's Haunted Halloween Circus
The Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song)
Eighteen Wheels on a Big Rig
Clean My Room
Itsy Bitsy Spider (no chords!)
Baseball Dreams
Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band
Fly Me to the Moon
Baa-Baa Black Sheep
Malcolm McGillikitty
What Can You Do with Your Baby Brother?
Bean Soup and Rice
Many Things to Know (chords coming soon!)

Note: Beginning guitar players, click here for an exhaustive list of chord charts to help you figure out some of the more difficult chords!

The Players:

Ralph Covert - Vocals and Acoustic Guitar, Piano on "Malcolm McGillikitty"

Matt Walker - Drums, percussion

Ron Barnes - Drums on "Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band"

Sam Lay - Drums on "Clean My Room"

Jon Nudzen - Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro, Lap Steel

Pickles Piekarski - Bass, Background Vocals on "Malcolm McGillikitty"

Background Vocals, The Kids: Olivia Blomstrom, Sean Gies, Haley Goulding, Brittney Hurley, Jordan Hurley, Miranda Montgomery, Brendan Powers, Fiona Schenkelberg, Evan Silver, Haley Walker, Olivia Wood, Zoe Zehren.

Additional musicians:

Evelyn Weston - Saw
Gary Schepers - Tuba
Corky Siegel - Harmonica and Piano on "Clean My Room"
Rich Parenti - Saxophone
Matt Lewis - Trumpet
Andy Jones - Glockenspiel
Eric Blomstrom, Cartier Cutsinger, Jim Powers - Handclaps
Kurt Elling (courtesy of Blue Note) - Background vocals on "Many Things to Know"
Rebecca Covert - Background Vocals
Eddie Schaeffer - Electric Guitar on "Clean My Room"
Buddha Slim - Organ on "Many Things to Know"
Tommy O'Brien - Organ on "Harry's Haunted Halloween Circus"

All Tracks Produced by Jim Powers and Ralph Covert
Engineered and Mixed by: Josh 'Cartier' Cutsinger
Asst. Engineers: James Johnston, Noble Hibbs, Paul Long
Recorded at Gravity Studios, Chicago

"Clean My Room" Produced by Ralph Covert, Engineered by Mark Schwarz at Uberstudio, Chicago

Additional Kids Recorded by Brad Wood, Los Angeles
Research: Anthony Musiala

Mastered by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering, Phoenix
Artwork by Giselle Potter
Photo by Deb Lader

All songs written by Ralph Covert, published by Waterdog Music © 2002 (ASCAP), except:

"Eighteen Wheels on a Big Rig" written by Stuart Mitchell ©1990 South Hand Music, www.heywoodbanks.com

"The Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song)" written by Mark Barkan, Ritchie Adams - Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI) & Anihanbar Music Company (BMI)

"Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" written by Bart Howard - Hampshire House Publishing c/o The Richmond Organization (ASCAP)

"Itsy Bitsy Spider", traditional, arrangement and additional verses by Ralph Covert, published by Waterdog Music (ASCAP)

"Baa-Baa Black Sheep", traditional, arrangement and additional verses by Ralph Covert, Waterdog Music (ASCAP)

"Clean My Room" is derived from "Dust My Broom" written by Robert Leroy Johnson - King of Spades Music (BMI), additional verses by Ralph Covert

Thanks to:

Doug McBride, Moira McCormick, Tammy LaGorce, John Soss, Kristen Lee Sohacki, Lori Hile, Chris Wolak, Lita Weissman, Deb Lader, Rebecca Covert, Fiona Schenkelberg, Janene, Brendan and Joe Powers, Willie and Eric Wagner, Eric Blomstrom, Corky and Holly Morgan, Laurie Berkner, Buzz Kilman, Ross Babbit, Wayne Trznadel, Different Strummer and Little Strummer, Sadie Mills, Blake Zidell, Liz Campanile, Carla Sacks, Erik Selz, Joe Cohen, Steve 'Silk' Hurley, Kurt Elling, The fine folks at ADA, Julie Frost, Steve Moss, John Smith, George Milas, The Midnight Circus, Brad Wood, Maria Suarez, Burt Goldstein, Bob Jozwiak, Steve Lickteig, Steve Edwards, Greg Batton, Yvonne Greer, Colleen Miller, Dayna Calderon, all my Wiggleworms parents and kids, Steve Bertrand, and Freddy.

"Fiona, Rebecca, and I used to sing 'Fly Me to the Moon' on the swingset at the park. No-one swings like Frank, though!"

"It was a special thrill on this CD to get to play the blues with one of my heroes, Sam Lay, who most people know by sound, but not by name. His unique style of blues drumming helped create the sound of the many musicians he worked with, including Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Bob Dylan, and the Siegel-Schwall Band. Thanks, Sam. - Ralph"