Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove

For more than 25 years, award-winning kid rocker Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove has delighted audiences throughout North America and Europe with his energetic brand of family-folk-rock. With nearly 5,000 performances in 38 states and 6 countries (including two appearances at the White House Easter Egg Roll), ten award-winning albums, and millions of Spotify streams, he’s become a reliable audience favorite.

He is the author of three books for children, a true-crime memoir for grown-ups, and “Everybody Gets Stinky Feet,” a collection of essays from his time as a parenting columnist for The Kansas City Star. In 2024, he was voted “Best Local Author” by Kansas City Magazine and “Best Local Band” by The Johnson County Post. He tours solo or with his band: Mr. Stinky Feet & The Hi-Tops.

Parents’ Choice Award winner Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove delivers a high-energy, interactive show that gets the whole family rockin’! It’s a kid friendly (and parent-approved) acoustic rock experience suitable for civic celebrations, school auditoriums, arts centers, festivals, or houses of worship. He performs solo or with his band Mr. Stinky Feet & The Hiccups – whose full-rock sound and three-part harmonies are perfect for larger venues and outdoor performances. Every show culminates with a thunderous “family jam.”

Other programs:

• “Mr. Stinky Feet’s Christmas” The live concert version of his award-winning Christmas album has become an annual holiday favorite for libraries, churches, and theaters. Share the joy of Jim’s adaptations of beloved holiday classics, as well as popular originals like “Hark! It’s Harold the Angel.” It’s an interactive family celebration.
• “Mr. Stinky Feet Rocks the Orchestra” Introduce children to the wonder and beauty of an orchestra experience with Mr. Stinky Feet. His songs have been arranged by Grammy-nominated arranger Don Hart, and the charts are available for any orchestra to perform with Jim and his band. This show debuted to a sold-out crowd in 2012 with the Kansas City Symphony at the world-class Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

• Solo: $550 – $750 / Band: $1,300 – $1,600 plus mileage and lodging. Discounts available for January and February bookings.
• Community/Educational Activity: $400-$600. Discounts available for multiple/block bookings.

In addition to an all-ages family concert perfect for community events, Cosgrove offers a program for adult audiences called “Live like a child!”

In an engaging 60-minute program, he uses stories, songs, and lessons he’s learned from his young fans to inspire adults to take a more child-like (not childish) approach to life. Through his 25-year journey, Cosgrove discovered that adults have much to learn from children about communicating more effectively, being more joyful, and living in the present – which make a remarkable difference in our pursuit of success.

Jim also reads excerpts from his book “Everybody Gets Stinky Feet,” a collection of essays from his time as a parenting columnist for The Kansas City Star.

After a successful career as a journalist and corporate media spokesperson, Jim took a leap of faith to pursue a “real job” entertaining families. Since then, he has performed more than 4,750 shows throughout the U.S. and Europe as acclaimed kid-rocker “Mr. Stinky Feet.”

This program is suitable for civic organizations, professional networking groups, faith-based congregations, or continuing adult education classes.

Over the past 25 years, Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove has performed for tens-of-thousands of students at hundreds of schools throughout the United States. He’s also presented assembly programs at Department of Defense schools in Germany, Italy, England, and Spain.

• The Rhythm of Respect (preK-5^th grades) During this high-energy, interactive Character Education program, Cosgrove engages students through music to help reinforce principles of respect for themselves and others. He encourages students to honor and express personal rhythm in everyday activities such as homework, music, and sports while emphasizing respect for the rhythm of others. Dozens of students are invited on stage to perform in several impromptu “jam” sessions while learning to demonstrate self-expression and positive audience participation skills. Teachers even have a chance to show off their dance moves in a grand finale.
• The Rhythm of Emotions: (K-2^nd grades) This interactive musical and literary performance focuses on the range of emotions we can all feel throughout the day and will heighten students’ awareness of their own emotional intelligence. Jim will read his book Sullen Sally, which is a celebration of friendship and a reminder that nobody is expected to feel happy all the time. Dozens of students are selected from the audience to perform on stage in several impromptu “jam” sessions while learning how to demonstrate self-expression and positive audience participation skills.
• Author Visits (K-5^th grades) Cosgrove presents his books for children in a read-and-sing-along format and discusses the themes and lessons in the stories. He talks about the writing process and conducts rhyming exercises with the students. There is always plenty of time for questions.