The Kids of Widney High

The Kids of Widney High

The Kids of Widney High is a music group composed of mentally disabled students from the special education J. P. Widney High School in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of several (typically mentally) disabled students on vocals, with the instruments usually being played by non-handicapped teachers and session musicians. The group originally began as a song-writing class in 1988 taught by Michael Monagan, and has evolved since into two groups, one made up of graduates that performs in local clubs and the other a group of current Widney students in the songwriting class.

The group gained a cult following, primarily thanks to their frequent live performances at such "hip" Los Angeles venues like The Knitting Factory and Amoeba Music, as well as smaller veunues like Chain Reaction in Anaheim and The Smell in downtown LA. As a result, the group often plays (seemingly mismatched) at a number of ska and pop punk shows, including a stint on the Vans Warped Tour. The group has also opened for The Melvins and Mr. Bungle, and have been included on several editions of the Kevin and Bean's KROQ Christmas Albums. Such notable musicians as Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Marilyn Manson and Adam Horovitz have all cited themselves as fans of the band. [http://www.kidsofwidneyhigh.com/press.php?show=ocweekly]

In 2005, The Kids of Widney High were featured in the "The Ringer", a comedy wherein Johnny Knoxville's character pretends to be mentally disabled in order to fix the Special Olympics and gain financially through betting on it. The group is seen performing "Pretty Girls" (which was also written by several members of the group) at a dance, and again towards the end of the film singing a version of the popular 1960s song, "Respect" in which the lyrics have been rewritten so that it becomes an anthem for those with disabilities.

Their songs have been covered by such groups as The Aquabats singing Throw Away the Trash and Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk singing Insects.

Discography

* "Special Music from Special Kids" (1989) Rounder Records
* "Let's Get Busy" (1999) Ipecac Records
* "Act Your Age" (2003) Sossity Music

External links

* [http://www.kidsofwidneyhigh.com/ Kids of Widney High Official Site]
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Widney_HS/kowhframeset.html Widney High's page for the group]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1878949/ Kids of Widney High IMDB entry]
* [http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/widneyhigh Review of their first CD]
* [http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/66r27.html Review of "Act Your Age"]
* [http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewid=2025 Another review of "Act Your Age"]
* [http://uutest.blogspot.com/2006/01/kids-of-widney-high-mr-ts-bowl.html Concert review]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • J. P. Widney High School — is a special education magnet high school in Los Angeles, California, and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. This school is named in honour of Dr. Joseph Pomeroy Widney, a prominent early Los Angelino.The school serves students …   Wikipedia

  • Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk — Studio album by Osaka Popstar …   Wikipedia

  • Church of the Nazarene — Not to be confused with Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarene). Church of the Nazarene Seal of the Church of the Nazarene Classification Protestant Orientation Evangel …   Wikipedia

  • Elizabeth Avellan — Elizabeth Avellán Données clés Naissance 8 novembre 1960 Caracas,  Venezuela Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Elizabeth Avellán — Elizabeth Avellan Elizabeth Avellán Naissance 8 novembre 1960 Caracas,  Venezuela Nationalité(s) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ANSWER Me! — For the song, see Answer Me. ANSWER Me! is a discontinued magazine which was edited by Jim and Debbie Goad and published between 1991 and 1994. Extremely misanthropic in its editorial content, it focused on the social pathologies of interest to… …   Wikipedia

  • Discographie d'Ipecac Recordings — Voici la liste des productions sorties sur le label Ipecac: # Artist Title IPC 001 Fantômas Fantômas (aka Amenaza Al Mundo ) IPC 002 Melvins The Maggot IPC 003 Maldoror …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Discographie de Ipecac Recordings — Discographie d Ipecac Recordings Voici la liste des productions sorties sur le label Ipecac: # Artist Title IPC 001 Fantômas Fantômas (aka Amenaza Al Mundo ) IPC 002 Melvins The Maggot IPC 003 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rounder Records — Fondé en 1970 Fondateur Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin et Marian Leighton Levy. Statut Indépendant Maison de disques Concord Music Group …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ipecac Recordings — Fondé en 1999 Fondateur Mike Patton Greg Werckman Genre(s) Rock indépendant Noise rock Hip Hop Avant garde metal Musique expérimentale Pays d origine …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”