Thad Mumford, who died on September 6th at the far-too-young age of 67, had a long and varied career in television. He was a staff writer on M*A*S*H, ALF, and Home Improvement. He was the showrunner of A Different World for a few seasons. In one year (1997), he contributed scripts to both NYPD Blue and Blue’s Clues.
But before all of that, when he was in his 20s, he made music for Sesame Street. He co-wrote several songs, generally writing lyrics to Christopher Cerf’s music. The most striking of these songs is “The Ten Commandments of Health,” on which he also sings lead (he plays Dr. Thad, of course).
Like many of Christopher Cerf’s songs for Sesame Street, it’s a parody of a classic hit song. In this case, it’s one that has mostly faded from memory: 1958’s “The Ten Commandments of Love” by the Moonglows. It’s clear that Cerf and Mumford have a real love for classic doo-wop, but also know how to adjust it for a preschool audience. They nail the original song’s combination of tight harmonies and spoken lines, but the tempo is slightly faster which makes it more fun for kids. Mumford’s gorgeous tenor voice certainly doesn’t hurt either.
“Ten Commandments of Health” is collected on the 1983 Sesame Street album Born to Add, along with two other songs that Mumford worked on. He wrote the hilarious lyrics for the Cookie-Monster-as-Barry-White slow jam “Me Going to Munch You, Munch You, Munch You.” He also provides backup vocals on Little Jerry and the Monotones’ “With Every Beat of my Heart,” one of the best Sesame Street songs of all-time. So pull out your copy of that record and listen to Thad Mumford’s amazing work.
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by Anthony Strand
