Chris Link Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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. Quote aka âmisterdregsâ Nord Electro 5D 73 Yamaha P105 Kurzweil PC3LE7 Motion Sound KP200S Schimmel 6-10LE QSC CP-12 Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs Rolls PM55P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agitato Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer, a country instrumental hit from 1961. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenner13 Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSS Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 Moon Mullican for old school Honky Tonk, Hillbilly boogie, and Texas Swing: Quote Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha CK88, MX88, & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkfloydcramer Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamanczarek Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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. Quote C3/122, M102A, Vox V301H, Farfisa Compact, Gibson G101, GEM P, RMI 300A, Piano Bass, Pianet , Prophet 5 rev. 2, Pro-One, Matrix 12, OB8, Korg MS20, Jupiter 6, Juno 60, PX-5S, Nord Stage 3 Compact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 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 Quote .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Nathan Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 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 Quote Don't rush me. I'm playing as slowly as I can! http://www.stevenathanmusic.com/stevenathanmusic.com/HOME.html https://apple.co/2EGpYXK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Nathan Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 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) Quote Don't rush me. I'm playing as slowly as I can! http://www.stevenathanmusic.com/stevenathanmusic.com/HOME.html https://apple.co/2EGpYXK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkfloydcramer Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipeb3 Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Behind Closed Doors... Charlie Rich I Always Get Lucky With You...George Jones Rose Colored Glasses...John Conlee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Vince Gill. One Dance with You. Uptempo. Some old guy on pianoThat "old guy" sure can play - you should look him up Steve. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Link Posted December 12, 2021 Author Share Posted December 12, 2021 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. Quote aka âmisterdregsâ Nord Electro 5D 73 Yamaha P105 Kurzweil PC3LE7 Motion Sound KP200S Schimmel 6-10LE QSC CP-12 Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs Rolls PM55P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Nathan Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 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. Quote Don't rush me. I'm playing as slowly as I can! http://www.stevenathanmusic.com/stevenathanmusic.com/HOME.html https://apple.co/2EGpYXK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Link Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 Nice tune. Quote aka âmisterdregsâ Nord Electro 5D 73 Yamaha P105 Kurzweil PC3LE7 Motion Sound KP200S Schimmel 6-10LE QSC CP-12 Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs Rolls PM55P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipeb3 Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 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 Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Nathan Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 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. Quote Don't rush me. I'm playing as slowly as I can! http://www.stevenathanmusic.com/stevenathanmusic.com/HOME.html https://apple.co/2EGpYXK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pa Gherkin Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Bar Exam by The Derailers Ace In The Hole by George Strait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 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. Quote Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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