Randall Goodgame facts for kids

Randall Kilpatrick Goodgame, born on February 15, 1974, is an American singer and songwriter. He is well-known for creating family-friendly music, especially through his brand called Slugs & Bugs. Randall has released many albums on his own and has also helped with music for other artists. He has written songs for groups like Caedmon's Call and singers such as Andrew Peterson. One of his songs, "You Can Always Come Home," was even featured in a VeggieTales show called The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's.

Randall's Early Life

Randall Goodgame grew up in Clearwater, Florida. His father, John T. Goodgame, Jr., was a surgeon, and his mother was Beth Goodgame. When Randall was nine years old, he started taking piano lessons. He learned alongside his older brother and younger sister. At age 15, he began studying piano with a talented Brazilian pianist named Manfredo Fest.

Randall often performed at local charity events, helping to raise money for places like Clearwater's Morton Plant Hospital. In high school, he played in the Clearwater High Jazz Band. He was also the captain of the swim team and involved in the Student Government Association. He finished high school in 1992.

After high school, Randall went to Birmingham-Southern College. He first studied music and biology. He even won a scholarship from the Clearwater Jazz Holiday festival. Later, he changed his main subject to English. He thought learning about different types of writing would help him write better songs. During college breaks, Randall played keyboards for a Southern rock band called Black Creek Band. He toured with them for several months before returning to college to finish his degree.

Starting His Music Journey

In December 1995, Randall Goodgame released his very first album, also called Randall Goodgame. He wrote most of the songs on the album himself. He sang the lead vocals and played several instruments, including piano, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, and mandolin. Other musicians helped with bass guitar and drums.

He released this album on his own record label, Redfish Records. Much of the recording happened in Nashville, Tennessee. A music reviewer named Robert K. Oermann praised Randall, calling him a "folkie find." He described the album as "superb" with "memorable melodies" and "ear-catching lyrics."

After graduating from college in May 1996, Randall moved to Nashville. One of his songs, "Momma Louise," became popular on a radio station in Augusta, Georgia. This led to Randall and his new band performing at a music festival there. In 2000, he released his second album, Arkadelphia. That same year, he performed his first show in his hometown of Clearwater.

Making Music for Families

Randall Goodgame began writing songs for Christian music artists. He wrote for groups like Caedmon's Call and singers such as Jason Gray. In 2001, he opened concerts for Andrew Peterson. He also toured with Caedmon's Call and Jars of Clay in 2003. Randall wrote seven songs for Caedmon's Call's 2004 album, Share the Well.

In 2007, Randall worked with Andrew Peterson to create a children's album called Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies. This album became very popular. Because of its success, Randall was asked to write songs for the Christian cartoon series VeggieTales.

Randall continued to develop the Slugs & Bugs brand. He released A Slugs & Bugs Christmas in 2010 and Slugs & Bugs Under Where? in 2011. He also created a Slugs & Bugs-themed curriculum for Vacation Bible School programs. He performs live shows as part of the Slugs & Bugs LIVE series.

In 2015, Randall released Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs. This album features 18 songs that use direct Bible quotations set to music. A review in Parents Life magazine said the album was "high-quality" and would help kids memorize Scripture quickly. This album was nominated for Children's Music Album of the Year at the 47th Annual Dove Awards. Randall has since released five "Sing the Bible" albums, all featuring Bible verses set to music.

On October 11, 2024, Randall Goodgame released the Scripture Hymnal at a concert in Franklin, Tennessee. This hymnal contains 106 songs. Each song is a word-for-word scripture quotation from different Bible versions, set to music. Randall worked with 12 other songwriters to create this special hymnal.