Just in time for Christmas, the iconic fairy tale, Frosty the Snowman, got a fresh new treatment this year by illustrator Wade Zahares, but music fans will rejoice that the accompanying CD features Santa Barbara’s own rock ‘n’ roll legend Kenny Loggins singing the theme song along with two bonus tracks, “Fishin’ Blues” and “Cyndi.” He recently answered a few of my questions over the phone, and what follows is an edited version of our conversation.
What inspired you to be part of this wonderful collaboration on Frosty the Snowman?
When I was a kid, there was a very famous band called Peter, Paul & Mary. I was a big fan of theirs. They had a song called “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and they did a book Puff the Magic Dragon as well. Peter owns a publishing company of his own, so he called me and said, “We’d really love for you to sing the song ‘Frosty the Snowman.’ We got it illustrated by a guy named Wade Zahares.” He showed me the illustrations, and I was really blown away. I wanted to be part of it.