"When I go to the zoo / No animal there goes moo moo moo/That's true," goes the opening track of this winning collection of songs for kids, accompanied by nice raggy fingerpicking and resonator slide. And if you play this CD around small ones in your house, you'd better believe that you will all soon be strutting around and belting out these words. Vince Junior is a solid bluesy guitarist with a gift for the simple statement, from the sweetly strummed "You're My Friend" to the stop-time drumming of "Freeze." Highly recommended for folk-rooted families.
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers - Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"Vince Junior shows great skill and originality with his acoustic and resonator guitar work. His songs have a nice, funky groove to them, and are deceptively subtle with a nice turn of phrase." Dirty Linen
- Dirty Linen

This recording of 23 original songs written and recorded by Vince Junior is a compilation of his most popular children’s songs of the 90’s, as well as five new songs. He plays the guitar and provides strong, distinctive vocals. His coarse voice is reminiscent of Tom Paxton and Woody Guthrie. The songs are fresh and vibrant. Children will enjoy the sound of Junior’s slide guitar. One of the best things about this collection is the different musical styles that are represented-Zydeco, funk, bluegrass, blues, calypso, rock and roll and more. The songs are fun and instructive, reflecting Junior’s background in education. (He has a Masters in Elementary Education and is a National Board Certified Teacher.) Many of the songs, including, “Hey Zydeco” and “Cows, Part Two,” would be appropriate as part of a multicultural lesson. The engaging music will have listeners singing and moving along to the beat. Kids will love dancing and stopping to the “Freeze” song, a fun version of the “Hoky Poky” with the addition of a freeze component. Lyrics are not included. This is an entertaining title for public and school libraries.
Marien Ostergard - School Library Journal (Nov, 2000)

With foot-tapping country western and zydeco rhythms and almost two dozen songs for sing-along and move-along fun, children's artist Vince Junior draws young children into a sunny, playful, gentle and child-empowering world. Varied, top-notch instrumentals and Vince Jr.'s idiosyncratic vocals make for parent-friendly listening, too.
Lynne Heffley - Parents' Choice (Dec, 2000)

VINCE JUNIOR IS A PURE NATURAL WITH/FOR CHILDREN
Vince Junior is one of those rare artists that truly knows how to write childrens songs. But the uncanny thing is that his songs are not just for children. They touch and move the souls of adults as well. I am a hard-core Woody Guthrie fan, but not even Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, or LeadBelly were able to write childrens songs at the high caliber with which Mr. Junior writes/performs. Vince does not talk down to the children; he inspires them, he encourages them, and he teaches them. Vince Junior does more on one album than most elementary school teachers do in a lifetime of teaching. In short, Vince is a natural...a child's musical dream.

Teachers, Parents, and Kids all love this album
My first-grader brought this CD into his gym teacher, who used it and then loaned it to his music teacher. All of his teachers loved it so much that we bought a bunch of copies to give as end-of-year gifts! My six-year-old, four-year-old, and two-year-old love it equally, and I'm thrilled that they finally agree upon an album that I'm willing to listen to fifteen times in a row.

Swing For The Sky is a real gem
This CD is fresh, funny and touching, with something for all ages. Both kids and adults will respond to the way Vince Jr plays from the heart and never talks down to those younger than he is. I have even witnessed a van full of teenagers putting this CD on and singing along for the sheer fun of it! Highly recommended.
Vince Junior Takes Family Audience on Musical Journey


Vince Junior doesn’t just write and perform great songs for children as much as taking his listeners on a magic carpet ride through musical styles ranging from blues, country, zydeco, calypso, folk, funk and pop.
With lyrics that are at times belly-laugh silly and others earnest and sweet, Junior inspires kids and parents alike to look at the world through different eyes.
Junior, an accomplished musician, won a Parents’ Choice Award for an earlier version of his children’s album, “Swing for the Sky,” and was a teacher for the Peace Corps in North Africa.

In a recent interview, he talked about his upcoming children’s show at The Grey Eagle.
Question: So you’re re-releasing a children’s CD that you put out a few years back?
Answer: Yes, it’s called “Swing For the Sky.” I sold about 1,000 copies originally ... and decided recently to re-mix one of the songs on it, then I added four more new songs.
I did the recording over at Chris Rosser’s studio with some guest musicians — a local fiddle player named Lew Gelfond, and Craig Anderson played triangle ... now it’s got about 26 songs on it.
Q: How did you get into writing music for children?
A: I was living in Los Angeles in the early 1990s; Raffi was big then. My sister told me one day “Hey, you should perform for kids, you’d be really good at it.” I didn’t really know any kid’s songs at the time. I mean, I grew up with the Beatles. I wrote this song about cows in the zoo.
I started writing more and performing around L.A. I made a tape, and people really seemed to like it. I made a second tape and put them both together on CD. I’ve gotten a great response from kids and teachers — but I wouldn’t call it just “kiddie music.” It’s just the music I hear in my head.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about playing to audiences with both kids and adults in them?
A: It’s fun because kids are uninhibited, and they are attentive and ask questions and participate and share. I like having kids become inspired to pick up a guitar and play it and write songs. I like it when people come up to me after the show and talk about songwriting. (During my shows), I talk a lot about the blues, I talk about the guitars that I like to play. Not all of my songs are interactive —some of them just tell stories.
Q: What inspires you to be creative?
A: I get inspired by playing with other musicians who know how to listen, by working with kids in song writing workshops, by playing music in the streets. I love to play in places where people wouldn’t normally expect to hear a musician playing. (I’ve played) in the subways of New York, the streets of L.A., Venice. That’s the best part — I love the music, but not so much the business.
Laura Blackley - Asheville Citizen Times (Oct 12, 2007)