Green Means Go was started by Caroline Chan and Neal Whitmore in 2004 to create new, child-friendly music that parents could also enjoy.
Says Neal “It all started as a bit of fun. I had children of my own and I couldn’t find any current kid's music that we, as parents, also liked.
The children's music of the past seemed to be aimed at the kids but enjoyed by the whole family - every Sunday lunchtime on “Family Favourites” in our house. Songs by Bernard Cribbins and the like - great songs with memorable performances by great singers and talented musicians - produced by legends like George Martin at Abbey Road studios. We were so lucky - there seemed to be nothing comparable in the modern kid's music we heard.
I wanted my kids to enjoy music like I had. Music which enchanted, thrilled, mystified, hypnotised, captivated and entranced! And I couldn’t find anything remotely like this in the racks of bland and uninspired children’s music on release.
I’d spotted Caroline at her Minibeat classes in London - giving the local kids EXACTLY the sort of joyous, uplifting music experience that I wanted my kids to have - and managed to persuade her to try some recording with me and see what happened. We immediately gelled and found a brilliant working relationship.”
Says Caroline “It was apparent from our first day working together that this was going to work. We seemed to share the same passion and vision for a new way of recording children’s music which kept the heart and soul of the music we had loved as kids. The reaction from children, parents, family and friends and the press has been amazing and made it obvious that we’ve really hit on something special. It's also been a hugely enjoyable experience for everyone involved.”
Our first album “A Day in the Jungle” has been incredibly well received - getting rave reviews and still selling strongly today. Our two follow up albums “A Day at The Seaside” and “A Day on The Farm” have been equally well received.
The feedback we’ve received from parents has been wonderful - in many local households our music is required daily listening for the children - and still bearable for the adults! We've even had parents telling us they've been listening to our music and having a great time singing along in the car - and then realising their kids weren't even with them!
We’re on a mission now - to record a whole series of CDs, all with different themes but all keeping to the same ethos - “Real Music for Kids” - this is just the beginning!