Rocking the 'pop

Just as 1861's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" evolved into the playground taunt, "Glory, glory, hallelujah/Teacher hit me with a ruler," kids have enjoyed making up new words to established songs. Atlanta's Deborah Hunter is well aware of this fact.

To entertain her grandson Hunter and her daughter Kim Soltero made up new lyrics to some of their favorite oldies. "He wanted to hear the new songs over and over," she says. "So I decided to make a collection of songs just for him."

Those tunes eventually formed the basis for Hunters' self-released CD, Lollipoprock!. Already in its second pressing, the disc features polished production by Decatur musician DeDe Vogt (Cowboy Envy, Indigo Girls) and an impressive roster of special guests, including Linda Bolley (Gentle Readers, Michelle Malone), Brandon Bush (Shawn Mullins, Billy Pilgrim) and Hib-Tone Records founder Jonny Hibbert. A talented group of kids handles lead vocals, singing Hunter and Soltero's wacky and sweet lyrics to established songs from the '50s through the '90s. Especially charming is the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" remake, which substitutes "squirrels" for "girls."

"It's not heavy-handed; it's just fun," says Hunter. "But it doesn't really talk down to kids."

Since August, Hunter has single-handedly mailed copies of the album to various outlets. So far, the CD has won several Children's Music Web and parent-teacher honors, and Hunter has been fielding offers for an onstage version of the collection, along with DVD. Gearing up for the Christmas season, Hunter is offering a deluxe Lollipoprock! CD, with a microphone and sunglasses so kids can sing along.??