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Make sure hope never ends...
Award-winning children's musician Roger Day has devoted his life to making sure future generations sing loud, jump high, and - most importantly - DREAM BIG! His signature “wit, whimsy, and wordplay” have helped put joyful smiles on the faces of kids from one to ninety-two. From songs like “Mosquito Burrito” to “Roly Poly”; from “It’s a No-No to Kiss a Rhino” to “Parachute Girl”, Roger’s music shows the great respect he has for the intelligence and imagination of even our youngest friends.
Awards & Achievements
Music from the Heart and the Head
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What does a former camp counselor who studied German and spent ten years playing college coffeehouses do with his life? Write and sing award-winning children’s music, of course. Roger Day takes inspiration from The Beatles, Tom Petty and even The Clash. A four-time Parents’ Choice® Gold Award winner, he’s worked with artists such as the Indigo Girls, Nanci Griffith and The Crickets (Buddy Holly’s legendary band). On his latest album he co-wrote the song "Big Picture" with New York Times Bestselling Children's author Susan Verde. Roger’s skilled musicianship combines with his wit and wordplay to create a musical experience that parents enjoy as much as their kids.
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First Song for Kids
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Roger Day wrote his first children’s song one Christmas when cash was short and the family gift list was long. The reaction from nieces and nephews was an enthusiastic “More please!” Encouraged, he kept writing. Soon he had enough songs for an entire show – he just wasn’t sure where to play them.
College Community Service Shows •
Harry Chapin Award
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Then Roger got an idea. Whenever a college booked his regular coffeehouse show, he would come into town early, meet up with group of student volunteers and put on a community service children’s show at a local Head Start program. These made such an impact that the National Association of Campus Activities recognized Roger with THE HARRY CHAPIN AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMANITY, its highest public service award.
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Leap of Faith - The Jump into Full-time Children's Music
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By this time, Roger had two children of his own, with one on the way. He loved playing for colleges but felt that writing and performing for kids was his true calling. So in a leap of faith, with no clear idea of where it would lead, he retired from the college circuit, became a full-time stay-at-home dad, and started writing exclusively for kids and families.
Parents' Choice© Awards •
Radio Disney • XMKidsPlace Live!
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That leap of faith paid off. Roger now had enough songs for an entire CD. He released Rock 'n' Roll Rodeo in 1998 followed by Ready to Fly in 2001. The Indigo Girls sang with him. Nanci Griffith too. Roger won his first Parents’ Choice® Award. Word spread. In 2003 he filmed a family concert DVD Roger Day LIVE! He won another Parents’ Choice® Award and The Film Advisory Board Award for Outstanding Family Video. The following year he made his Public Television debut.
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Dream Big! came next in 2007. Radio Disney played the title song; “I like Yaks” went to #1 on XM’s KidsPlace Live; and he won his first Parents’ Choice® Gold Award. He won his second Parents’ Choice© Gold Award with the 2010 release Why Does Gray Matter? Described as “Schoolhouse Rock for the 21st Century” it made innovative use of “the brain” as a theme for every song. The New York Times took note and it was featured on the KidsHealth.org website.
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Marsh Mud, Ghost Crabs and Vulture Vomit
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Never has Roger Day’s gift for “wit, whimsy and wordplay” been more in evident than on the DVD/CD Marsh Mud Madness.
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In 2009 he was invited by Georgia Sea Grant to visit the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, GA. His job was to shadow the scientists, help them with their research and write songs about what he learned. Roger created 14 new songs about the fascinating plants and animals that live in and around the saltwater marshes and beaches of barrier islands and how each one plays an important role in a healthy ecosystem. Even regurgitating vultures!
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The Savannah Music Festival was so excited that they invited a thousand students to the Trustees Theater in Savannah and filmed Roger’s new show with his band “The Mosquito Burrito Brothers”. The live concert DVD and CD released in 2013 earned Roger his 5th Parents’ Choice© Award and prompted the Christian Science Monitor to say, “The science is sneakily good, the songs are fun, and the rhythms are downright infectious.”
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's the Power of Your Brain!
Roger’s newest album Invincible! is superhero-themed…with a twist. See, Roger believes kids already have all the super powers they will ever need…right now!…to “Solve the Problem and SAVE THE DAY!” His favorite line of the album is when he sings “Life is full of problems. But it’s full of answers too!” That’s the message he would love kids to take away from all his shows. The Birmingham Parent Magazine says, "Now more than ever, kids need to find the power to deal with life’s challenges. We may all be looking for a superhero to save the day, but Roger Day reminds us that our true power lies within.”
Zookeeper's in the House!
Roger’s latest project - well on the way with a song and video that have already gone viral - will be called Zookeeper’s in the House. It’s an outgrowth of the residency Roger did in 2017 with The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama. In addition to fun songs about the animals who live there and how best to care for them, Roger highlights the many STEM jobs it takes to run the zoo. In fact, the very first thing he learned was there’s not just one Zookeeper, there’s a whole team of Zookeepers! And each one has an important job to do to keep the animals healthy and safe.
Born in Birmingham • Lives in Tennessee • Proud Father of Three • Scout Volunteer
Roger was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. A 1985 magna cum laude graduate of Washington & Lee University in Virginia, Roger currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Jodie, a Speech Language Pathologist with Williamson County Schools. They have 3 children, all of whom graduated from college and grad school in 2021!
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Thomas graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School and is currently a Pediatric Resident at Harvard's Boston Children's Hospital.
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Marjory (aka "The Parachute Girl") graduated from the University of Tennessee with an MBA and Masters in Industrial Science. She works in supply chain and logistics for Wal Mart in Bentonville, AR.
Jacob graduated from Washington & Lee University with a degree in accounting. He works for Citrin Cooperman in Bethesda, MD.
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An Eagle Scout – and the proud Dad of two Eagle Scouts and a Silver Award Scout – Roger spends his free time as a volunteer leader for Boy Scout Troop 137. In 2013 he led an expedition of 50 scouts and adult leaders on a 12-day backpacking trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and lived to tell the tale.
Venues • Stages • Festivals
