April 2016 - With a Parents’ Choice® Gold award and two Parents’ Choice® Silver awards for her first three children’s albums, Laura Doherty releases her 4th children’s CD, Animal Tracks. For this CD, Laura hand-picked a collection of her previous released songs that feature animals, plus included 3 newly recorded songs for the album. “Over the years, I’ve written quite a few animal songs and I also incorporate animal puppets into my concerts, so I thought it would be fun to have an animal-themed album” says Doherty. “I came up with the title and loved it so much, that I was inspired to write a theme song for the album, titled Animal Tracks. It’s an interactive song that explores the different tracks and paw prints we see out in nature. Also new is the bluegrass-inspired Early Bird & Night Owl, a rollicking tune about kids waking up early. The gentle I am a Turtle song light-heartedly explores the topic of not rushing through life. Doherty’s fans will be happy to know that favorite classics are also included, like Domingo the Flamingo, Jake the Snake, Kitty Cat and more! Laura found a comfy place in the acoustic-folk world early on, picking up the guitar at age 16, in Westchester, NY, where was born and raised. Landing in Chicago after college, Laura joined the teaching staff at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, where she served as director of the school’s early childhood Wiggleworms program for more than a decade and continues to teach today. Before recording her own children’s albums (Kids in the City, 2009; Shining Like a Star, 2011; In a Heartbeat, 2014), Laura co-produced the Parents’ Choice® Gold-winning Old Town School of Folk Music compilation album, Wiggleworms Love You (2005). In 2009 she took a daring leap and decided to go full-time with kids music, showing an intense passion for bringing joy in the world via sweet folk-inspired songs. Laura has performed hundreds of shows at premier venues and festivals throughout the country, including Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, Pritzker Pavilion, and Lollapalooza, as well as touring nationally. Doherty often performs with her band of stellar Chicago musicians, The Heartbeats.