Here’s a riddle for you. What has 19 GRAMMY® Awards, five Academy of Country Music Awards, and has recorded and played with the likes of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Amy Grant, Alison Krauss, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Yo-Yo Ma, Dolly Parton, Chris Tomlin, and Garth Brooks?
Stumped? It’s the studio band for the newest Slugs & Bugs project, Randall Goodgame Presents Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs. Sing the Bible marks the fourth installment in Randall’s wildly funny and creative, theologically substantial, and infectiously singable Slugs & Bugs series. The stratospheric level of artistry on the Slugs & Bugs recordings is changing the game for children and family music, but for Randall, that only scratches the surface of what sets Slugs & Bugs apart.
“There are three things Christian parents hunger for that Slugs & Bugs serves well,” Randall—himself a father of three—observes. “We want an honest, healthy relationship with our kids; we want to have fun with them; and we want to guide them into a life of trusting Jesus. Because of the high quality of musicianship and song-craft on Slugs & Bugs, parents can enjoy the music along with their kids instead of having to merely endure it. The songs are joyful, silly or deeply meaningful, and sometimes all three at the same time. As families listen to the songs together, the music helps facilitate fun, shared experiences and deep, meaningful conversations.”
The most musically mature of the Slugs & Bugs projects, Sing the Bible heavily features celebrative African rhythms and melodies, and boasts the joyful supporting vocals of The African Children’s Choir on several tracks. And while the 18 songs that comprise the project are also influenced by Randall’s background in pop and bluegrass, the focus is centered on one conscious goal.
“These songs were written to help parents talk with their kids about the Gospel,” Randall explains. “The lyrics on Sing the Bible are all word-for-word Scripture. When families absorb the words to all these songs they will have memorized 63 Bible verses, plus the names of all the books of the Old and New Testaments. I hope they memorize the whole CD, but my grand hope is that Slugs & Bugs songs will help parents embrace and even celebrate their own moment by moment need for Jesus in front of their kids, so that they can have real, honest conversations about what a life of faith looks like: loving, listening, following, failing, repenting, and returning—often all in the same day.”
Slugs & Bugs had its genesis somewhat accidentally in the early 2000’s. At the time Randall was a highly-acclaimed indie singer/songwriter, having released several CDs of his own and penned a slew of songs for Caedmon’s Call and other artists. He and good friend Andrew Peterson were touring together and both lamenting the lack of quality music available for their young kids. So during downtime on the tour, they began crafting some silly songs and lullabies. The informal collaboration led to the 2007 release of what both assumed would be a small side project: Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies.
After its release, Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies took on a life of its own, generating a growing buzz, and drawing a strong response from parents and kids alike. It even led to the creative duo penning silly songs, such as “Monkey,” for VeggieTales episodes. In 2009 Randall had the idea to put together a Slugs & Bugs concert series designed specifically for families to enjoy together. He went to Andrew and said, “I think this is a calling. I think this is something families need. I think this is something I’m supposed to do.” With Andrew’s full blessing, Randall became sole captain of a new brand, and Slugs & Bugs was born, releasing A Slugs & Bugs Christmas in 2010, and a third recording, Slugs & Bugs Under Where?, in 2011.
“Even before I played the first concert,” Randall says, “I realized I had found a deeply satisfying calling. The live show immediately connected with families and as word spread, within a few months my tour schedule was booked solid with Slugs & Bugs concerts. Now I’m playing 80 Slugs & Bugs shows a year, and it continues to grow.”
Many of the Scripture passages set to song on Sing the Bible will strike concert-goers and CD listeners as obvious choices, such as the instantly singable “Two Shirts” and the sweetly melodic “The Lord’s Prayer” (sung by one of Randall’s own kids). “I knew this song was doing its job well when my 6-year-old could sing the entire verse from memory,” Randall comments.
But other tracks, at first listen, seem to highlight less obvious Scriptural passages. The joyous album opener, “Freedom,” for instance, with its inviting Soweto rhythms and call-and-response use of The African Children’s Choir, quickly establishes the artistic and musical tone of the album. But the lyric centers on the Galatians 5:1 mandate: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.
“I know it’s not a verse that you’d expect to hear on a children’s Scripture record,” Randall acknowledges, “because the concept requires some explanation. I love that about it, however, because it encourages interaction between kids and parents. It’s such a central passage to understanding what freedom in Christ means, and I hope that a lot of great family conversations will begin from hearing this song in the minivan on the way to school or the grocery store.”
While Sing The Bible is, on balance, less zany than previous Slugs & Bugs offerings, it still provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. One of the more hilarious bits on the project occurs when Sally Lloyd-Jones (creator of The Jesus Storybook Bible) lends her British accent and dry humor to a dialogue with Randall at the end of the song “Alien.” For Randall though, adding silliness to Slugs & Bugs isn’t just an afterthought, it’s something more like a theological imperative.
“The silliness of Slugs & Bugs is a perfect companion to a sincere passion for the Gospel precisely because you can’t be silly and take yourself seriously at the same time,” he explains. “Silliness presumes humility, just like discipleship presumes humility. My hope is that the spirit of silliness that bounces through Slugs & Bugs disarms and prepares the listener’s heart to receive the deeper, sincere Truths.”
That mix of humor and deep Truth has become an ongoing signature of Slugs & Bugs, but it’s the commitment to an unyieldingly high level of artistic excellence that truly sets the brand apart among kids’ products. Refusing to take the cheap and easy road of “programmed” or “cookie-cutter” arrangements, Randall instead works with some of the best musicians in Nashville and gives them freedom to add their own creative flair to the songs.
“I’m convinced that even a 5-year-old can hear the difference,” he says, “Even if they can’t say why, they know enough to say, ‘that one’s my favorite.’ As an issue of stewardship, I take very seriously the opportunity I’ve been given to nurture a child’s aesthetic sense, and to love and serve the parents as well by making the music awesome.”
“Lots of parents have told me how putting in a Slugs & Bugs CD can lift the mood of their entire family,” Randall says. “I’ve heard how kids will quote Slugs & Bugs songs around the dinner table and ask their parents questions about the lyrics. I’ve heard countless stories about ‘I’m Adopted’ and how that song has helped families and children talk about and celebrate their relationship with God and each other. But the best stories are the ones where Slugs & Bugs has helped kids grasp of the deep Truth of the Gospel in ways that surprise and even inspire their parents. Those are the kinds of stories that affirm this is a ministry and a calling worth pouring my heart into.”