29 May Interview with Kenny Loggins, Author of Footloose

Astral Road Media Founder and PBS Book View Now host and executive producer Rich Fahle interviews Kenny Loggins about his kids book, “Footloose,” based on his hugely popular song, at Book Expo America 2016.

Kenny Loggins has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, has won two Grammy® Awards, and co-wrote the book The Unimaginable Life: Lessons Learned on the Path of Love. His songs have been hits over the last four decades, including “This Is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,” and so many more. In addition to his string of successful recordings, both solo and as a member of the famed duo Loggins & Messina, Kenny became the first major rock star to dedicate himself to recording music for children and families. His album Return to Pooh Corner remains the best-selling children’s album of the last 20 years. Kenny, who reunited with Jim Messina in 2009, currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA.Dean Pitchford, an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist, has won an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as being nominated for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, eight Grammy Awards and two Tony Awards. His books, stage shows and movies have earned an international following, and his songs have sold over 70 million records.

Illustrator Tim Bowers has illustrated more than 35 children’s books, including the New York Times best-seller Dream Big, Little Pig!, written by Kristi Yamaguchi, and Dinosaur Pet, written by Neil Sedaka and Marc Sedaka. Although Tim grew up around unusual pets, including his grandparents’ squirrel monkey and a singing African grey parrot, he never had pets that would dance. But he definitely wanted them to. He and his wife live in Granville, Ohio. – See more at: http://www.quartoknows.com/news/515/New-Kenny-Loggins-Children-s-Book-Inspired-by-1984-Movie-and-Song-Footloose.html#sthash.LOqEwlda.dpuf

ABOUT FOOTLOOSE

It’s been 32 years since “Footloose,” the 1985 Oscar® nominated and Grammy® Award-winning “Song of the Year,” hit the airwaves and graced movie screens – making it one of the most recognizable hits Kenny Loggins ever recorded, and one of the top 100 movie songs of the last 100 years. Now, the iconic pop anthem that dared you to “kick off your Sunday shoes,” takes on a brand new life of its own as a children’s book with new lyrics, entitled Footloose (Moondance Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA, October 17, 2016) by Kenny Loggins, Music & Lyrics by Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford, and Illustrated by Tim Bowers.

In this version of the classic we all love and remember, Footloose features a zoo-full of wolves in top hats and canes, llamas in their tutus, rhinos, snakes, cats, kangaroos, giraffes, cubs, monkeys and more – dressed in their dancing best – all ready to party by the light of the moon after the visitors leave and Mr. DJ Elephant pumps up the music! Also embedded in the book package is a new CD, including the new version of the song, recorded by Loggins, and a three song-medley of traditional songs.

As grandparents, parents and kids relish the new lyric – but with the original music – there’s not a generation on this planet who hasn’t heard of – if not danced to – the iconic pop music anthem, “Footloose,” by Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford, who co-wrote the theme song after Pitchford asked Loggins to check out a screenplay for Pitchford’s as-yet-unmade picture by the same title. “I had a little up-tempo thing I’d been messing with that I probably wouldn’t have written if it hadn’t have been for the movie,” says Kenny Loggins, who wrote two songs for the film as a favor to his friend, Dean…and shortly after “Footloose” was released, the song and the movie delivered big time: “Footloose” (the song) spent three weeks at number one, March 31-April 14, 1984, on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was the first of two number-one hits from the motion picture; Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1984. “Footloose” (the movie) hit the top 100 songs list when the American Film Institute released its AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs. Loggins and Pitchford won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year (1985).

“Footloose” was covered by country music artist Blake Shelton for the 2011 remake of the 1984 film—30 years after the original. (Loggins and Shelton performed it together on the 45th Annual CMA awards). The song has also been parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic (“Hooked on Polkas”) and was made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series. Kids Incorporated covered “Footloose” in 1984 in the Season One episode “Space Case,” and PureNRG sang “Footloose” on their 2007 debut album PureNRG. “Footloose” was performed by the Season 2 cast of American Idol, and Kenny Loggins performed the song solo on Idol’s Season 14. In 2014, Loggins also performed the song on NBC-TV’s Today to commemorate the movie’s 30th anniversary.

Loggins is no novice to reaching out to the kids’ market; he released his first children’s album, Return to Pooh Corner, which remains the best-selling children’s album of the last 20 years, with 1.3M albums sold to date. In 2013, Loggins was also the performer of the music for the critically acclaimed book Frosty the Snowman (Imagine Books/Charlesbridge). On the subject of the new kids’ book Footloose, says Loggins, “Now, as a grandfather of Phifer, and a dad who always sang with my kids, I’m totally psyched that Footloose has taken up a whole new persona with the new lyrics and characters. For those of us who remember the movie, you won’t have to kick off your Sunday shoes in this version of the song!” Also included in this book package is a CD, which includes the new version of the title and a three-song medley.
– See more at: http://www.quartoknows.com/news/515/New-Kenny-Loggins-Children-s-Book-Inspired-by-1984-Movie-and-Song-Footloose.html#sthash.LOqEwlda.dpuf