What songs are the bar-band standards in country music?

[TIMKEYS]

The red dirt country tends to go over with younger crowds. I view it as modern outlaw stuff. Kevin fowler, pat green, cross canadian ragweed , etc have younger fan bases. Its also kinda out of the main stream enough to set you apart from the straight up line dance and two step stuff. Its party music. We tend to crank up a good deal of our country music to give it more energy that just doing a cover of the radio version. We are an old geezer band with attitude. lol

[wades_keys]

Johnny Cash stuff like Folsom Prison and Ring of Fire always work. A couple of Haggard songs can work, like "Stay Here and Drink" or "Silver Wings". "Crazy" by Patsy Cline works well. Newer stuff that are quickly becoming standards would include "Five O'Clock Somewhere", "Good Directions", "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy", "She's Country", "That's How Country Boys Roll", and "Roll With It".

[Blackbird 13]

 

Now if you are talking more modern than it'd have to be Garth Brookes, Brooks & Dunn, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, or Clint Black tunes.

 

 

 

Only one of those artists still has hit songs on radio.. not what I'd call "modern". Most of them had their heyday ten to twenty years ago..

 

That said, they do have a lot of songs that would still work well for a bar crowd..

[Miko Man]

"Ghost Riders in the Sky" seems pretty timeless .... Mark C.

[55fmj]

The chair is another song by him thats a good one

 

TIMKEYS.... I think you and I should share song lists. Judging by some of your previous posts, our bands seem to play a lot of the same kinds of songs.

 

Another good song to do is Toby Keith's " Should have been a cowboy"

 

It goes over well for us.

[DevilRaysFan]

 

As evidenced by the posts in this thread, there is no correct answer. It really depends on your audience. My country band plays to 21 to 28 year old kids and most of the old country (pre 90's is old country imo) goes over like a turd in a punch bowl with that crowd other than a few select tunes from Cash and Merle. "Old standards" for us fall in line with Wade's post and that is the stuff from the 90's from Garth, Alan, etc.

 

 

Totally 100% agree. There are certain clubs where we won't play anything older than 2007 or so and wouldn't even think about doing except for those sing-a-long Cash or Haggard tunes.

[wardjames]

 

Only one of those artists still has hit songs on radio.. not what I'd call "modern". Most of them had their heyday ten to twenty years ago.. That said, they do have a lot of songs that would still work well for a bar crowd..

 

 

Agreed. The key is to focus on songs and not the artist. I used to pick any song by (insert famous artist here) and assume it would automatically work.

 

"Friends in Low Places" will work..."Beaches of Cheyenne"...not so much.

 

A great starting point is the request list for your local radio station. Here's ours in San Diego: http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/7/stationplaylistrequest.asp?c_let=kson-fm

 

The column on the right are older songs that still receive significant airplay. They're "country gold" as they used to say, and within reason, any one should work in San Diego. Actually, the older the song on the list, the better it will probably go over, given that it still sees significant airplay in this market.

[wardjames]

 

Your well thought out post and response is exactly why I love this forum. That right there was a solid and knowledgeable post.

 

 

Thanks!

[Vito Corleone]

 

Agreed. The key is to focus on songs and not the artist.

 

 

Yep. This is true in all genres. The default response to so many musicians who don't want to play "Sweet Home Alabama" is to put another Skynyrd song in it's place. No. The reason people want to hear SWA is because of the SONG. They don't give a {censored} about Lynyrd Skyrnyd. So the answer is not to play "Call Me The Breeze" instead. The answer is to play Brown Eyed Girl or Friends in Low Places or any other number of familiar tunes.

[nchangin]

I saw a band 5 piece most people like around here bout a month ago. They have a nice rig, dedicated soundman, good sound. 11:30 PM they were doing new country:

Kick it in the sticks - Brantley Gilbert

Some Beach - Blake Shelton

Country girl shake it for me - Luke Bryan

My kinda party - Jason Aldean

Alcohol - dude with the big hat... B. Paisley

 

 

They were tearing the place up and taking names musically, then took like a 25 min break came back on stage and Summer of 69 *bleh barf* dad music for the rest of the night. I'm dad band age and get so sick of the same old crap. And you could tell they were getting tired, now under the influence, the quality changed from damn, that's tight to... what you guys smoke out there? hah

[Piano Whore]

 

Yep. This is true in all genres. The default response to so many musicians who don't want to play "Sweet Home Alabama" is to put another Skynyrd song in it's place. No. The reason people want to hear SWA is because of the SONG. They don't give a {censored} about Lynyrd Skyrnyd. So the answer is not to play "Call Me The Breeze" instead. The answer is to play Brown Eyed Girl or Friends in Low Places or any other number of familiar tunes.

 

 

Round these parts, peeps DO care bout Skynyrd- but "Gimme 3 Steps" would be a better SWA substitute than "Call Me the Breeze" (or BEG, for that matter and IMO). I would put "Freebird" next in popularity (although rarely performed nowadays it gets a huge response when my band does it) then "Simple Man" followed by "Call Me the Breeze". IMO if they want to boogie, give them something to boogie to. But I think I get what you are saying: The songs you list are more than just songs, they've taken on a bigger life than that- they're CELEBRATIONS, afforded some kind of huge cultural and ritual significance. Although it does help if a band nails them.

 

RE country "standards", I can't add much more to what Jamie and DRF have listed. Maybe "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Killin' Time", "Much Too Young", "A Little Less Talk", "Fast As You, "Be My Baby Tonight", "Reggae Cowboy" for line dancing. "Copperhead Road" is a huge line dance song, too, as has been pointed out. Also would add "Born To Boogie" and "All My Rowdy Friends" for Hank Jr. Newer songs like "Troubadour" (Strait) and "Right Where I Belong" (Gary Allen) seem to have legs. "Big Green Tractor" gets good dance action. Just some suggestions.

[Piano Whore]

They were tearing the place up and taking names musically, then took like a 25 min break came back on stage and Summer of 69 *bleh barf* dad music for the rest of the night. I'm dad band age and get so sick of the same old crap .

 

Well, that's one consolation of playing new country: Even if it's crap, at least it's NEW crap!

[Blackbird 13]

To answer the question.. if I were staring a country band.. I would say that the following songs would be in the set.. my variety/party band does the first ten or so of these..

 

"Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy"

"Chicken Fried"

"Wagon Wheel"

"Somebody Like You"

"A Little Less Talk, A Lot More Action"

"Dirt Road Anthem"

"She's Country"

"Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me"

"Folsom Prison Blues"

"Friends In Low Places"

"Boondocks"

"Sold"

"Dixieland Delight"

"Somethin Bout A Truck"

"Red Solo Cup"

"I Love This Bar"

"Knee Deep"

"Beer For My Horses"

"It's Your Love"

"Amazed"

"Young"

"Big Star"

"Chicks Dig It"

"Pickin Wildflowers"

"Boot Scootin Boogie"

"Fast As You"

"Walk Softly"

"Honkytonk Badonkadonk"

"Redneck Yacht Club"

"Barefoot Blue Jean Night"

 

.. all would be solid adds

[Blackbird 13]

 

RE country "standards", I can't add much more to what Jamie and DRF have listed. Maybe "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Killin' Time", "Much Too Young", "A Little Less Talk", "Fast As You, "Be My Baby Tonight", "Reggae Cowboy" for line dancing. "Copperhead Road" is a huge line dance song, too, as has been pointed out. Also would add "Born To Boogie" and "All My Rowdy Friends" for Hank Jr. Newer songs like "Troubadour" (Strait) and "Right Where I Belong" (Gary Allen) seem to have legs. "Big Green Tractor" gets good dance action. Just some suggestions.

 

 

Have to agree, that "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Be My Baby Tonight", "Copperhead Road", "All My Rowdy Friends", and "Right Where I Need To Be" all get good reactions. Wondered about "Big Green Tractor"...

[JailTime]

 

Gotta agree with just about all of the above, although I would change "Toes" to "Colder Weather" by Zac Browne. I would add "Honky Tonk Badonka Donk" by Trace Adkins, "Looks Good In My Shirt" by Keith Urban, "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" by Big N Rich, "She Country" by Jason Aldean, as well as some other songs to that list.

 

 

I consider these to be two very different lists. As some one else posted - the genre is kind of divided or divisive.

[tcrewsman]

Country is all I do. There are many standards out there to sing to but to appeal to the younger crowds - 20s to mid 30s or so - you pretty much have to radio chase. The guys in the crowds always love songs like:

 

"Dinosaur"

"Stay here and Drink"

"You Never Even Call Me By My Name"

"Copperhead Road"

"Folsom Prison"

 

Just to name a few we do. But you really have to be radio relevant or semi radio relevant to keep the girls on the floor dancing. "wagon wheel" always goes over extremely well here in Georgia. As does "Dixieland Delight"

 

I saw someone mentioned fishing in the dark, we do a medely of this and mix "Fishing in the Dark" a Chorus of "Shine" by Collective Soul then end it with "Hillbilly Deluxe" by Brooks and Dunn.

 

Just a few things we do and the way i see things. My 2 cents at least

[TIMKEYS]

 

Yep. This is true in all genres. The default response to so many musicians who don't want to play "Sweet Home Alabama" is to put another Skynyrd song in it's place. No. The reason people want to hear SWA is because of the SONG. They don't give a {censored} about Lynyrd Skyrnyd. So the answer is not to play "Call Me The Breeze" instead. The answer is to play Brown Eyed Girl or Friends in Low Places or any other number of familiar tunes.

 

 

I feel where artists come in , is with requests. You always here , hey do some willie etc. or some robert earl.

[Piano Whore]

 

I consider these to be two very different lists. As some one else posted - the genre is kind of divided or divisive.

 

 

Yes, they're different in that list #2 is new country (vs "classic" country). But I think alot of country bands mix both categories- I know my country bands have, over the last 20 years and still to this day.

[nchangin]

Well, that's one consolation of playing new country: Even if it's crap, at least it's NEW crap!

 

No they stopped playing the newer country and went to dad bad music, i.e., feel like makin love (barf), summer of 69 (barf) all the old dad band music stuff.

[wardjames]

 

I feel where artists come in , is with requests. You always here , hey do some willie etc. or some robert earl.

 

 

I feel this is also where you've got to be very careful. Artists requests usually come in from hard core country fans. While I can certainly play anything by almost any artist, I've made the mistake in the past of losing the entire audience by catering to one person.

 

However, you can often have the best of both worlds if you're careful. If we get a request for Willie, we play Crazy (everyone knows it through Patsy Cline, and the requester will usually know that Willie wrote it). If someone asks for Waylon, the Dukes of Hazzard theme song is something most people will know, etc.

[TIMKEYS]

 

I feel this is also where you've got to be very careful . Artists requests usually come in from hard core country fans. While I can certainly play anything by almost any artist, I've made the mistake in the past of losing the entire audience by catering to one person. However, you can often have the best of both worlds if you're careful. If we get a request for Willie, we play Crazy (everyone knows it through Patsy Cline, and the requester will usually know that Willie wrote it). If someone asks for Waylon, the Dukes of Hazzard theme song is something most people will know, etc.

 

 

I would never describe any of the shows we play as careful. In fact the success of the show has come from being willing to cater to one person.. dont get excited, he will give you {censored} after he gets done with this guy lol. Our normal deal is a show/concert where interaction with the crowd is the show. For normal dance, type shows its more of a format like you run. The home venue stuff is a high wire act that doesnt even have a setlist. The vamp in G starts and he says "Ya see these guys up here on the band stand looking around"? "They have no idea in the world what i am going to play ,, if thety are lucky they have herd it"

[WaterMoc]

I play country and SHA, BEG and MS also go over with the crowd (unfortunately).

Last week we played a real dancer-sponsored event, and even they wanted Mustang Sally.

[TIMKEYS]

 

I play country and SHA, BEG and MS also go over with the crowd (unfortunately). Last week we played a real dancer-sponsored event, and even they wanted Mustang Sally.

 

 

You are correct. Many classic rock fans, tuned into modern country stations because they hated the rock music of the 90s. They wanted to listen to somthing new. I know thats how I started tuning into it.

[wades_keys]

 

I play country and SHA, BEG and MS also go over with the crowd (unfortunately). Last week we played a real dancer-sponsored event, and even they wanted Mustang Sally.

 

Don't forget "Every Rose Has It's Thorn". That song has kind of crossed over from hair metal to something else.

[Vito Corleone]

 

I feel where artists come in , is with requests. You always here , hey do some willie etc. or some robert earl.

 

 

You do, except people rarely mean just ANY old thing by the artist. Somebody comes up and requests Journey and they really only mean a small handful of their hit songs.