ROCKIN' WITH RALPH HIS MUSIC STRIKES A CHORD WITH ALL AGES.

Byline: Glenn Whipp

Staff Writer

One of America's finest pure-pop singer-songwriters is coming to Sunset Boulevard's House of Blues on Saturday, but if you haven't changed a diaper in the past several years, you've probably never heard of the guy.

Since 2000, Ralph Covert has made six perfect albums of kids' music under the banner of Ralph's World.

Covert fell into the genre almost by accident, but what he has accomplished these past few years is nothing short of remarkable. He -- along with other key artists like Dan Zanes, Justin Roberts and Laurie Berkner -- has transformed a genre known for pap into priceless pop.

Covert signed with Disney Sound last year, leading to video play on the Disney Channel, a greatest-hits album and the current tour of House of Blues venues throughout the country. At a stop at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney in early February, children pogo-danced near the stage while their parents sat behind them, grooving to the music with sippy cups and diaper bags at the ready.

It was a somewhat surreal scene -- but perfectly in keeping with Covert's mission to make music that transcends age boundaries and gets families singing together.

"There are artists that don't have a desire to shoot for anyone but kids, and they do quite well," Covert, 44, says over a cup of coffee at Lulu's Beehive in Studio City, around the corner from where his 12-year-old daughter, Fiona, lives with her mother.

"You look at a band like the Beatles -- who you could call the ultimate kids' music band -- and you have music that is smart, appealing to children and adults, and all over the map musically," he says. "That's what I'm trying to do."

The Beatles comparison is apt, though you could narrow it further.

Covert's six Ralph's World albums sport an incredibly diverse array of musical styles -- punchy rock, wistful folk, giddy pop -- that bring to mind the most enjoyable and playful aspects of Paul McCartney's melodic solo work.

Put on Macca's 1971 album, "Ram" -- the one with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" -- and then listen to Covert's latest, "Green Gorilla, Monster & Me." You won't be able to stop smiling all day.

"There's not another kids' artist this decade who has recorded more great songs," says Stefan Shepherd, who runs the excellent kids' music Web site Zooglobble. "He writes about kids' experiences in ways that are not solely of interest to kids. Parents can relate either by memory or metaphor."

Adds Mindy Curtis, program director for XM Satellite Radio's kids' channel, XM-

Kids: "He's an actual musician. He's not an artist who goes down into his basement with his Casio keyboard and comes up with a new version of 'Wheels on the Bus.' Kids love him. Adults, too. Listening to his music doesn't grow old."

Chicago native Covert fronted the rock band The Bad Examples from the late 1980s through the next decade. He was teaching songwriting at the Old Town School of Folk in 1996 when its director asked if he'd like to lead a class for toddlers and their parents. Having just become a father himself, Covert accepted, seeing it as another way to bond with his daughter.

That class started a second career. Covert still plays with The Bad Examples, and the band is currently making an album. But, as he says, "You can have only one full-time career. ... And I want to get this one right."

Ask Covert what he's listening to now, and he'll respond with an eclectic list that includes a 1970s French action movie soundtrack compilation, Willie Nelson, Elliot Smith and Serge Gainsbourg.

"To communicate with kids, you've got to keep that balance between who you are as an adult and empathizing with what's going on in their heads," Covert says. "Doing Ralph's World is like a double-espresso version of the joys of parenthood. It allows you a chance to revisit your own childhood and, as you see things and experience things, it allows you to teach kids during the journey they're on.

"Most of all, though," he adds, "it's just a lot of fun. Years ago, I was doing an in-store (appearance), and Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins was there shopping for records. We chatted after the concert, and he said, 'You know, it's just not fair. Your fans are always so much happier than my fans. It's gotta be great playing for those kids.' And he's right. It is."

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

[e-mail]

His world is ageless, timeless

Ralph Covert makes "kids' music" that adults can easily appreciate. So what "grown-up" songs would Covert spin for kids?

His list:

1. "The Kids Are Alright," The Who. I used to play this when I first started doing kids music, and it worked great. And why not?!?

2. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," The Beatles. Or just about darned near any Beatles tune. This is an obvious good one.

3. "Am I Pretty Enough?" Kasey Chambers. A friend put this on a mix CD, and the 5- to 9-year-old girls around our house played it again and again and again. It hit some really deep nerve.

4. "Stacy's Mom," Fountains of Wayne. I know. It pushes the edge, and a lot of parents would never spin this as kid's music. But you should see the kids dancing to it when we have family parties!

5. "Mother and Child Reunion" or "Loves Me Like a Rock," Paul Simon. I loved them both as a kid and they still rock. "Loves Me Like a Rock" was the first single I ever purchased.

6. "The Hunting Song" or "National' Brotherhood Week," Tom Lehrer. My dad had these records, and I would play them over and over as a kid. I'm not sure I got all the grown-up humor, but I sure thought it was funny anyway!

7. "Lost in the Supermarket," The Clash. A childhood without punk music is barely a childhood, after all. Right?

8. "Good Day" or "Welcome to Tally Hall," Tally Hall. Cool new band that everyone should check out.

9. "Air of a Dancer" or "Bean Fields," Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Wonderful, innocent instrumental music. Simon Jeffes' music has always made me happy right down in the center of my soul, like the smell of sunshine. Go with the "When in Rome" live disc as a first taste.

10. "Go Go Pogo," Walt Kelly. I covered this on "Peggy's Pie Parlor." The original has now been re-released. It's a collection of songs written by Pogo cartoonist Walt Kelly. Witty, whimsical stuff.

11. "Pulling Mussels From a Shell," Squeeze. The lyrics don't make too much sense in a straightforward way, so why not play it for the kids? "Why are his muscles in a shell, anyway? Is he a turtle?"

12. "Kill Amanda," The Bad Examples. A new tune (his rock band) The Bad Examples will be recording soon as part of our new album. OK, I know it has the word "kill" in the title, and the subject matter is about a guy trying to get over the memory of a girl, hardly kid stuff. But even just after the day I wrote it, you'd hear the kids in the next room singing the chorus to themselves, and they still request it if we're sitting around singing and playing songs.

RALPH'S WORLD

Where: House of Blues Sunset Strip, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $17. [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) ROCK of (all) AGES

Ralph's World is the world of kids and parents

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(2) "To communicate with kids, you've got to keep that balance between who you are as an adult and empathizing with what's going on in their heads. Doing Ralph's World is like a double-espresso version of the joys of parenthood," says Ralph Covert. He plays the House of Blues Sunset Strip on Saturday.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(3) The music of The Who's Roger Daltrey, near left, and Pete Townshend is all right for the kids.

(4) CHAMBERS

Box:

His world is ageless, timeless (see text)