November 2021
We’ve just reissued Ella’s long lost Holiday Songs 45’! Just in time for the holidays, you can download the tunes and get a vintage 1971 self-released 45' at the Ella Jenkins Film page on Bandcamp. Ella said we “did a very fine job” with the reissue. We’ll let you judge for yourself!
Ella in the 70s.
August 2020
August 6 is Ella Jenkins 96th Birthday! Happy, happy birthday, Ella!
Although we can’t be with Ella in person today, we’re thrilled to share that Caldecott Medal winning author and illustrator Matthew Cordell is generously offering this original, limited edition gicleè print in support of Ella Jenkins: We’ll Sing a Song Together! Matthew and his wife, celebrated YA author Julie Halpern, have raised their children on Ella’s music, and we’re touched that they have chosen to share their efforts with our production. You can find a link to order this beautiful print on Matthew’s Etsy page right here!
“I was introduced to the music of Ella Jenkins when I was a little girl. My mom was a music teacher, and I remember her teaching me the call-and-response rhythm of Tah-boo, Did You Feed My Cow?, and Miss Mary Mack. Ella was the deep, soothing, no-nonsense voice of my childhood. When our daughter was young, we played Ella on repeat in our house. Her first concert was seeing Ella Jenkins perform in Chicago. It was magical and unforgettable. The music of Ella Jenkins remains a staple in the soundtrack of our home.
Our family is proud to support a project that shines a light on a musician who has shared song and love with all around her. Happy 96th birthday, Ella. Thank you for your glorious gift.”
June 2020
We're excited to share that director Tim Ferrin and author and lecturer Gayle Wald will present a webinar about Ella Jenkins and the making of Ella Jenkins: We'll Sing a Song Together, hosted by the Feierabend Association for Music Education.
The webinar will be presented Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 7 p.m. ET. The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can find more information and register to attend the virtual seminar at the link below.
https://ella-jenkins-keep-it-going.heysummit.com/
August 2019
In celebration of Ella Jenkins’s 95th Birthday on August 6th we’re releasing a new clip from Ella Jenkins: We’ll Sing a Song Together! You can see the NEW clip below, and don’t forget to help support our work on this important film at the link above. Happy Birthday, Ella!
Our friends at Smithsonian asked me to write about how I came to helm Ella Jenkins: We'll Sing a Song Together. Click the image above to read the article and view an all-new trailer for the documentary.
Find the most current information on our Facebook page and Twitter Feed at:
Below is just some of the great press we've received for the film to date:
Chaz Ebert, Editor of Ebert Online
Jay Shefsky of WTTW11's Chicago Tonight
Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune (login required)
Steve Cochran and the morning team on WGN-AM Radio 720
A nod to the film in Smithsonian Magazine
Plus videos, posts, contributions and love from Wilco,
Dan Zanes, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Ralph Covert, Fred Koch and more!
"I wouldn't be doing what I do today if it weren't for the music of Ella Jenkins... please help us get this movie made!"
- Dan Zanes
"Ella is one of the most influential musicians on the planet.
She's 90. We have to do this now."
- Ralph Covert
Known internationally as The First Lady of Children's Music, Ella Jenkins has been performing and recording her original songs for nearly 60 years! With over 40 releases to her credit on the Smithsonian Folkways label, Ella has stood peer-to-peer with the likes of Pete Seeger, Odetta and Freedom Singer and Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Bernice Johnson Reagon. Quite arguably the first artist to ever trailblaze a career in the now vast field of children's music, she has been recognized by ASCAP, the Library of Congress, and with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
With your support, we can make Ella Jenkins: We'll Sing a Song Together the definitive portrait of one of the leading, if overlooked figures in American music. We hope you'll help us bring it to the screen.