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Entertainment Weekly dubbed Bill Harley has been called "the Mark Twain of contemporary children's music," and the comparison is apt. Harley's songs and stories cut to the heart of everyday life with a broad appeal. Although Harley uses a wide range of genres in his music, from reggae to doo wop to country & western, it's his ability to turn a simple, heartfelt phrase in lyrics and stories that stick with you. Every one of Harley's children's recordings has won some kind of national honor. Harley grew up in the Midwest and Connecticut. Although his escapades in elementary school and junior high figure prominently in his storytelling, Harley was not a problem child. "I never spent much time in the principal's office, despite what people think. I behaved well enough that grownups left me alone, so I held the adult world at arm's length. I still do." Harley graduated with honors in religion from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. But it was social action that really interested him. Harle...