Piano-centric country tunes

[Chris Link]

The country band is looking to make some changes to the old set list. The lead singer wants to lay out and give his vocal chords a rest and asked us to find some songs that others can take lead vocal on.

 

Being the piano/KB guy, I would like to suggest some tunes that show off piano but my limited country music background is showing.

 

I"m a Willie Nelson-range baritone. A couple of songs that I currently sing lead are 'Night Life' (a nice blues for fiddle, piano and guitar to stretch out on), a swing version of 'Route 66' (an even better instrumental showcase) and occasionally 'Up Against the Wall' as a drunk singalong at the end of the night.

 

Ideally, one or two songs that really have some nice piano parts. A Clapton-like version of Don Williams" 'Tulsa Time' might fit the bill, for example.

[agitato]

"Last Date" by Floyd Cramer, a country instrumental hit from 1961.

[KuruPrionz]

Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis

 

C'est La Vie by Chuck Berry

 

Ain't It Funny (How Time Slips Away) by Willie Nelson

 

All of those sound great on piano and play well to a country audience.

 

Friends In Low Places by Garth Brooks will get them up dancing and singing along every time.

[brenner13]

Ronnie Milsap is much of the reason I wanted piano lessons when I was a kid.

Lost In The 50"s Tonight

Don"t You Know How Much I Love You?

It Was Almost Like A Song

Stranger In My House

There"s No Getting Over Me

I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World

What A Difference You"ve Made In My Life

Smokey Mountain Rain

[HSS]

Moon Mullican for old school Honky Tonk, Hillbilly boogie, and Texas Swing:

 

[pinkfloydcramer]

Good ones I've found over the last 30+ years of country gigs:

 

Born to Boogie (Hank Jr, John Jarvis on piano)

 

Baby Likes to Rock It- the Tractors

 

Down Yonder- Del Reeves, Bobby Nelson (Willie's sister)

 

On the Rebound- Floyd Cramer. A little obscure but a great one

 

Rocking Chair- Possum

 

If the Devil Danced in Empty Pockets, Brown Gravy- Joe Diffie (Matt Rollings)

 

Last Thing I Needed- Willie

 

Behind Closed Doors

 

The Dance

 

Country Boy, Life's Too Long- Ricky Skaggs

 

RE the last one, I asked a great steel player who he considered to be a great country piano player, he said Gary "Bud" Smith. I listened to Ricky Skaggs' Live In London (1985) and had to agree. SMOKIN'

[Shamanczarek]

Deal With It - Kelly Hunt and Delbert McClinton. Piano on the intro and solo in the middle. The band I play this with is impressed that I can do it.

[timwat]

I'm not really that familiar with country at all, but would any of these be possibles?

 

Crazy

The Dance

Jambalaya

Smoky Mountain Rain

Wagon Wheel

Friends in Low Places

The Good Stuff

You're Gonna Miss This

[Steve Nathan]

Couple of questions.

Male vocals only?

Piano only or organ too?

Uptempo only?

 

Big thumbs up to Born to Boogie (Hank jr./John Jarvis)

George Strait Hot Grease and Zydeco also features John. Both are good dance numbers. Good luck with John's intro to Hot Grease

[Steve Nathan]

Off the top of my head, I'd look at some of these.

 

Travis Tritt T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Pig Robbins

Randy Travis (or the original by Mark Knoffler), Darlin, Are We in Trouble Now Slow song/Pig Robbins

George Jones. Wine Colored Roses. Pig again

Vince Gill. When I call Your Name. Barry Beckett (best Country ballad Piano solo of all time)

Vince Gill. One Dance with You. Uptempo. Some old guy on piano

Joe Diffie. Pickup Man. Twangy Country with Matt Rollings

Lyle Lovett. I've been to Memphis. Matt in top form

Clay Walker. Boogie til the Cows Come Home. Matt Rollings

David Ball. Look What Followed me Home. That old guy again

Tim McGraw. Something Like That. Me again

Phil Vasser. For a Little While & Six Pack Summer. Me, trying to sound like a Phil, but in the pocket

George Straight Hot Grease and Zydeco is one of my all time favorites of Jarvis (I'm on organ)

[pinkfloydcramer]

Willie Nelson and the Boys (Willie's Stash, vol.II), relaxed and fun record of Hank Sr. covers. Great piano from Bobby Wood.. Check out Move It On Over and others.

 

[skipeb3]

Behind Closed Doors... Charlie Rich

I Always Get Lucky With You...George Jones

Rose Colored Glasses...John Conlee

[stoken6]

Vince Gill. One Dance with You. Uptempo. Some old guy on piano

That "old guy" sure can play - you should look him up Steve.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Chris Link]

Many thanks for some great suggestions! I"ve spent most of the afternoon checking them out.

 

To answer someone"s question, it"s male vocals (though we have a girl singer who occasionally does a few songs). Anything that can show off the fiddle player is a plus.

 

I recently ran across a version of 'Dixie Chicken' by Garth Brooks. That might give enough credibility as a 'country tune' to satisfy the purists in the band! The bass player and I used to do it in Brook"s key (G) because A was a stretch for me to sing. We would vamp on G for solos between verses.

[Steve Nathan]

A great uptempo, danceable song for a female singer is Dannie Leigh's "If the Jukebox took Teardrops". I loved making that album, and was always disappointed she didn't do better than she did.

[Chris Link]

Nice tune.

[skipeb3]

I agree, Steve. I played on her CD that Pete Anderson produced a few years ago, and she's totally underrated and been totally overlooked...which is a crying shame.

[Tom Williams]

Blowin' my own horn here, but here's one way to make Tulsa Time piano-centric. Pretty easy tessitura too.

 

Tulsa Time cover on FB

[Steve Nathan]

I agree, Steve. I played on her CD that Pete Anderson produced a few years ago, and she's totally underrated and been totally overlooked...which is a crying shame.

 

I'd like to hear that record. She was often referred to as a female Dwight.

[Pa Gherkin]

Bar Exam by The Derailers

Ace In The Hole by George Strait

[synthizen2]

You probably got enough specific piano-centric songs already mentioned here that I can't add to... but, by my experience, almost any OLD STYLE barn-burning country tune can use some rip-roaring piano, even if there's no piano on the original recording. Folsom Prison, Workin' Man Blues, Good-Hearted Woman... 3 examples.