The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #79033   Message #1429331
Posted By: Kaleea
07-Mar-05 - 08:26 PM
Thread Name: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites? (songs/tunes)
Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
Let's get it right, it's Western SwAYng, ya'll! My Daddy grew up near Tulsa with some of those Wills boys after the Wills moved up to Oklahoma when they were still "kids."   They were all the rage locally, & it didn't take much time for them to be playing on "the circuit." The Wills bros. were also some of the forerunners of "Rock & Roll" & went beyond the Boogie covering alot of the early R&B songs. My Daddy says that you could often find those Wills boys in the old "juke joints," which were just shacks out in the country where you could swig your "likker" from a jug or fruit jar, jammin with (gasp!!) "colored" piano & guitar players. Because this was in front of his grown grandkids, I asked him how he knew, & he just laughed--& so did we! Musicians have frequently ignored race/color/creed 'cause they were too busy having fun jammin'!
[maybe that's when you know you're really a musician--see other thread on this subject]

Some of Daddy's (& mine,too) favs:

Oklahoma Rag
Panhandle Rag
Tulsa Waltz
Tulsa Stomp
Cowboy Stomp
Spanish Two Step
Mexicali Rose
My Window Faces the South
Steel Guitar Rag
Bob Wills Stomp
That Hot Lick Fiddlin' Man
You Are My Sunshine

   MickeyMan, the above, but also, listen to the Blue Yodels, which kids like the "jazzy" sound of & are great for teaching the intervals & octave jumps; the various "______ Blues" as they are also liked by the kids & help them to understand that Folk/Jazz/Bluegrass have the same roots. I like the "Gamblin Polka Dot Blues" depending on how young the kids are or the religiousosity of the parents. You can simplify the melodies by ignoring alot of the fiddle ornamentation & make it easy, adding ornamentation as the kids get better. Sort of like the Cotton Eyed Joe or Old Joe Clarke. The various "Spanish" tunes & songs usually have a slower, lovely melody with interesting percussive possibilities for string players.

these are also good for teaching:

Sunbonnet Sue--(basic melody)
Cotton Eyed Joe--(lyrics & sections most folks haven't heard)
Bluein' the Blues--(easy, bluesy tune)
Bob Wills Schottische--(multiple fiddles on the recordings)
Lone Star Rag--(good for teaching kids an *easy* change in meters)
Texas Playboy Rag--(a good concert play-a-round tune for kids)
Bob Wills Boogie--(a good one for fiddle)
Ride On--(ditto)
Ida Red--(can play basic melody or fiddle licks)
Beaumont Rag--(just simplify the licks a bit & it's great)
Twin Guitar Special--(if you can write out the gospel-ish thirds, this is great)
    Good Luck,
         Kaleea