Texas C/W Standards

Adrian Wulff · From: Portland, OR, USA

If someone wanted to move to the Ft. Worth area and play country music, what songs should they know? What's a typical set list look like?

Thanks.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Good question.

Chris Schlotzhauer · From: Colleyville, Tx. USA

Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
Big Balls in Cowtown

Adrian Wulff · From: Portland, OR, USA

Thanks Chris, my band opened for the Derailers a couple of years ago here in Portland and it was great to meet you.

What I'm looking for is more of a working band's c/w set list rather than Texas specific songs (like "If You're Gonna Play in Texas")

Thanks.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Adrian
I think I can give you a short list of basic repertoire a Texas country steel player is expected to be familiar with:

Most Bob Wills standard tunes; e.g. Faded Love, San Antonio Rose, Maiden's Prayer, Home In San Antone, The Kind Of Love I Can't Forget, Time Changes Everything, Lily Dale, My Confession, Deep Water, more...

ALL Ray Price hit/standard tunes up to and including "Danny Boy," plus "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and "For the Good Times" ... with special emphasis on "The Other Woman," "A Way To Survive," "Crazy Arms," "Heartaches By The Number," "Key's In The Mailbox," "Different Kind Of Flower"...

ALL George Strait hit songs ...

ALL George Jones hit songs, up to and including "He Stopped Loving Her Today"...

ALL Gary Stewart hit songs, especially "Drinking Thing," "She's Acting Single"...

Johnny Bush hits "Whiskey River," "What A Way To Live," "Green Snakes On The Ceiling," "Undo The Right," "Jim, Jack, and Rose," "There Stands The Glass,"...

Darrell McCall hits "Dreams Of A Dreamer," "I'll Break Out Again Tonight," "Lily Dale," "Pins And Needles," "Still A Lot Of Love In San Antone,"...

All Buck Owens hit songs, especially "Together Again," "Act Naturally", "Love's Gonna Live Here," more...

ALL Merle Haggard hit songs, especially "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down," "Swinging Doors," and "Big City"...,

Faron Young hits like "Four In The Morning," "Leaving And Saying Goodbye," "Wine Me Up," "Step Aside"more...

Ad infinitum... (excuse the Latin

)

You get the picture. The traditional turnarounds and solos will be expected. If you don't know traditional country and 4/4 shuffles before you get here, you will in a very short time after arriving here.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 25 January 2005 at 06:16 PM.]

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 25 January 2005 at 07:10 PM.]

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

The couple years I was in Texas (the panhandle -- I know some Texans don't consider that REALLY Texas

!) I found it to be exactly as Herb says and if anyone would know, he would.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

What about the Austin Lounge Lizards' "Another Stupid Texas Song"? Yikes, better DUCK, Cohen!

Richard Bass · From: Sabang Beach, Philippines

Cotton Eyed Joe
The Shoddish.(spelling from Google)
Richard

[This message was edited by Richard Bass on 25 January 2005 at 06:26 PM.]

Bob Tuttle · From: Republic, MO 65738

Herb, That's a pretty dang good list. Add a few waltzes and a couple of polkas and you've got it covered.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Thanks, Bob. Of course, you and I never really played any of those tunes...

It's just what we gleaned from reading ABOUT country music in Texas...

Let's add "Westphalia Waltz," "Cotton Eyed Joe," "Sweetheart Schottische," (thanks R.Bass), plus "The Chicken Dance" and "The Grand March" (for Czech weddings East of IH35).

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 25 January 2005 at 08:13 PM.]

John Steele · From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

On one memorable occasion a friend asked me to sit in on keys with a nice little Texas honky tonk band. I'm familiar with most of the repertoire Herb mentions above, so I was cool with that.
The fiddle player calls "Fly Me To The Moon" in B.
(!)
Watch out for those guys.

-John

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

John Steele, I know that guy. He was the cat that made it to his car every intermission and came back with his eyes glazed.

super list Mr. Herbster.

fred

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"From Truth, Justice is Born"--Quanah Parker-1904

[This message was edited by Fred Shannon on 26 January 2005 at 03:16 AM.]

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Herb, you stole my bands playlist, you sly ole dog. CC

Steve Hitsman · From: Waterloo, IL

What? No Willie or Waylon in Texas?

Mark Metdker · From: North Central Texas, USA

Hi Adrian. There have been a lot of classic Texas tunes mentioned, but I must tell you that I play with a band in Ft. Worth occasionally, and this band plays nothing but current top 40 country tunes. In fact, the club we play at in the stockyards almost fired us for playing Cotton Eyed Joe on New Years Eve! He said "That song is not top 40 country, don't play it!" I guess my point is, there are different bands playing different styles of music, even down here. There are also bands that play a lot of current "Texas Music". We have our own current artists, and even have our own "Texas Chart" http://www.texasmusicchart.com/Pages/Chart.htm
There are bands in cowtown that will play a lot of these tunes as well. Just come on down, you'll get the hang of it. You can get season tickets to the Dallas Stars to make you feel at home!

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Zum U-12 w/True Tone pickup
G&L guitars
Peavey Nashville 112

Band Pics
http://community.webshots.com/album/176544894AuXSmi

Shaan Shirazi · From: Austin, TX, USA

I would add humbly to my teacher Herb's list "Borrowed Angel" as a must know.

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The Pickin' Paniolo

James Lutz · From: Wisconsin

Playboy - Wynn Stewart
If I Ever Need A Lady (I'll Call You) - Claude Gray
Jack To A King - Ned Miller
Two Empty Glasses (One Empty Chair) - ?

[This message was edited by Jim Lutz on 26 January 2005 at 07:02 AM.]

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

b0b
Can you fix the date on the Forum software again? All these posts from 30 and 40 years ago are showing up as 2005.

Bob Tuttle · From: Republic, MO 65738

Wayne Carver · From: Martinez, Georgia, USA

Was wondering if playing in New Braunfels given the German influence, are there other German songs other than the Chicken Dance that are requested?
I was reading about the "Saengerhalle" dance hall that sounds real nice. I've drunk some "Shiner" beer that I think came from that area. It was real good. I hope to visit there someday.

Susan Alcorn · From: Baltimore, MD, USA

Times have changed, and there are some regional differences, but (a few more). . .

"Fraulein"
"Waltz Across Texas"
Hank Williams standards
"Jole Blon" or "Big Mamou"
"Amarillo By Morning" seems to get played a lot and often the steel will kick that one off.

When asked to play a polka, you should have something up your sleeve that isn't too hard for the band to follow if they don't know it.

That said, in many areas the traditional tunes and the Ray Price shuffles are kind of dying out. There are quite a few bands that play nothing but the current hits note for moronic note (or tired warhorses like "Stars on the Water" and "Neon Moon"), and wouldn't know Bob Wills or Faron Young if it hit them on the head.

[This message was edited by Susan Alcorn on 26 January 2005 at 03:49 PM.]

Toby Rider · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

The couple years I was in Texas (the panhandle -- I know some Texans don't consider that REALLY Texas !)

You better believe that the panhandle is REALLY Texas. Bob Wills was from the panhandle, as well as tons of other great Texas country musicians.

I'm a proud son of Pampa, Texas.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I would LOVE to have a compilation CD of many of these songs.

I am not likely to be able to find most of them,
and/or it would take the purchase of 30 individual CD's for just one song each.
Not that I am against thet per se...

But to have all these classic standards in one place would be very good for my learning curve.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 06 February 2005 at 02:36 AM.]

Jon Jaffe · From: Austin, Texas

David, Here is a start. Westphalia Waltz When I first moved here in the mid 80's. I thought I knew a bunch of songs. At my first gig the fiddle player, Bogarting a Camel, turns his nose out of the smoke and says "Westphalia....cough..........G." It was easy enough to get through. I learned that there are some extra tunes that you need in your back pocket here.

Mark is right too. Some places do not want to hear any of it, and others want it all night long. Most of the songs can be listened to on the net Here. Herb can fix you up with every Johnny Bush and Darrell McCall lick/song known to mankind. By the way, the link to Westphalia above is from some unknown fiddle instruction I have, that’s why it's so boring to listen to, but it is a blast to play.

[This message was edited by Jon Jaffe on 06 February 2005 at 08:19 AM.]