Classic British Songbook - Advice Reuired

[Burns-bass]

I’ve started running a music group for people in their 70s and 80s. We play through tracks, they bring instruments, it’s all good.

 

We managed to run through some classic tracks (mostly folk stuff, but some Beach Boys, few Beatles, etc) yesterday but they’ve asked me to provide some structure (come with chord sheets, explain how songs work, and so on).

 

While I can pretty much play anything from the Beatles onwards, I have limited knowledge of earlier stuff and traditional folk stuff (Dubliners, etc).

 

Can I ask people to make some suggestions about songs that people of this age group might know?

 

I can then build a list, get the resources sorted out and we can have some fun playing them.

[Happy Jack]

Given the age group, I'd suggest start by researching skiffle.

 

The songs the skiffle boys chose to 'rock up' in the 50s were largely established popular songs from the preceding 20 years.

 

[Waddo Soqable]

What a brilliant project👍

Try some of the old music hall songs too.. "my old man said follow the van".. "up in the gallery" etc.. I sussed a bunch of these out on't guitar and piano they're great fun and folks of the age group you're dealing with will know them very well, despite being of a slightly earlier era. 

[Mykesbass]

Good call by @Happy Jack. This could help you on the way - yes, I know you said British, but the stuff these folks will probably remember, via Skiffle, was American in origin. https://www.musicroom.com/pete-seeger-pete-seeger-centennial-songbook-melody-hl00294636

[Len_derby]

I think it would be easy to look too far back.

A 75 year old was 16 in 1964; so early Beatles and Stones etc.

An 85 year old was 16 in 1954; Rock n’ Roll about to explode.

 

One option is to ask them what they’d like to play. The answers might be surprising! 
 

Well done on the project. I did a similar thing with teenagers. They mostly wanted to play old songs and I’ve got a hunch that my group and yours would have the same preferences. Rock from the 70s 😆

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, Len_derby said:

I think it would be easy to look too far back.

A 75 year old was 16 in 1964; so early Beatles and Stones etc.

An 85 year old was 16 in 1954; Rock n’ Roll about to explode.

 

One option is to ask them what they’d like to play. The answers might be surprising! 
 

Well done on the project. I did a similar thing with teenagers. They mostly wanted to play old songs and I’ve got a hunch that my group and yours would have the same preferences. Rock from the 70s 😆

Agreed. It’s late 50s / early 60s stuff I need help with. When we get to 64 and onwards I’m fine.

 

We do ask what they’d like to play, but obviously having a few prepared and ready is always good.

[casapete]

We play a retirement home a couple of times a year. Couldn’t agree more with Len about not

underestimating what old folk like - pop stuff from the 50’s and 60’s is the most requested 

for us, not wartime singalongs!

From my experience, you can’t go wrong starting with early Elvis. Usual rock n roll stuff ( Blue

Suede shoes etc) but also the pop stuff like ‘Can’t help falling in love’, ‘It’s now or never’ etc.

Then there’s all the (naff IMO!) stuff post rock n roll / pre Beatles & Stones era like Cliff

Richard (‘Summer holiday’ / ‘Living doll’ etc), Billy Fury (‘Halfway to Paradise’) and much

more from people like Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Frank Ifield, Neil Sedaka and many more.

The crooner stuff from Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin and Matt Munro are still popular

too. Maybe check out UK Top 20 charts from the period to get some more ideas?

 

P.S. Just realised you wanted British ideas, so apologies for the US mentions! 

Edited August 5, 2023 by casapete
Content

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

We play a retirement home a couple of times a year. Couldn’t agree more with Len about not

underestimating what old folk like - pop stuff from the 50’s and 60’s is the most requested 

for us, not wartime singalongs!

From my experience, you can’t go wrong starting with early Elvis. Usual rock n roll stuff ( Blue

Suede shoes etc) but also the pop stuff like ‘Can’t help falling in love’, ‘It’s now or never’ etc.

Then there’s all the (naff IMO!) stuff post rock n roll / pre Beatles & Stones era like Cliff

Richard (‘Summer holiday’ / ‘Living doll’ etc), Billy Fury (‘Halfway to Paradise’) and much

more from people like Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Frank Ifield, Neil Sedaka and many more.

The crooner stuff from Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin and Matt Munro are still popular

too. Maybe check out UK Top 20 charts from the period to get some more ideas?

 

P.S. Just realised you wanted British ideas, so apologies for the US mentions! 

Hi Pete, I’ll message you. Thanks for this.

[TheGreek]

6 hours ago, casapete said:

The crooner stuff from Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin and Matt Munro are still popular

too. Maybe check out UK Top 20 charts from the period to get some more ideas?

 

My late sister was in a care home for the last 10 years of her life which had a fella come in and do Brat Pack, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, etc.

 

You might find a few classics on these..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Watch-Girls-Various/dp/B00000JP1J

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Watch-Girls-Various-Artists/dp/B00002R0W2/ref=pd_bxgy_sccl_1/257-5527647-3643221?pd_rd_w=bkYoW&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=45MGYG5J4E2JKNE5YPYP&pd_rd_wg=IyBIS&pd_rd_r=d30e7344-8557-4051-b47d-b6bf7d0e32e0&pd_rd_i=B00002R0W2&psc=1

[Burns-bass]

54 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

 

My late sister was in a care home for the last 10 years of her life which had a fella come in and do Brat Pack, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, etc.

 

You might find a few classics on these..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Watch-Girls-Various/dp/B00000JP1J

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Watch-Girls-Various-Artists/dp/B00002R0W2/ref=pd_bxgy_sccl_1/257-5527647-3643221?pd_rd_w=bkYoW&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=45MGYG5J4E2JKNE5YPYP&pd_rd_wg=IyBIS&pd_rd_r=d30e7344-8557-4051-b47d-b6bf7d0e32e0&pd_rd_i=B00002R0W2&psc=1

That’s cool. My idea is to get chord sheets for the musicians and work through these. 
 

Thanks for taking the time to share, will definitely incorporate these. 

[wateroftyne]

Lonnie Donegan. 

 

Job done.

[casapete]

9 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Hi Pete, I’ll message you. Thanks for this.

Just replied, cheers.

[Phil Starr]

20 hours ago, Len_derby said:

I think it would be easy to look too far back.

A 75 year old was 16 in 1964; so early Beatles and Stones etc.

An 85 year old was 16 in 1954; Rock n’ Roll about to explode.

 

One option is to ask them what they’d like to play. The answers might be surprising! 
 

Well done on the project. I did a similar thing with teenagers. They mostly wanted to play old songs and I’ve got a hunch that my group and yours would have the same preferences. Rock from the 70s 😆

This, it’s probably true for most of us that our peak period for forming musical tastes started mid teens and went on for about ten years from that. Don’t underestimate them though you don’t lose interest in music just spend a little less time listening to new stuff as you age. If they are bringing instruments then they are interested in music at least.

 

you probably want to think about pedagogy a bit; how you will teach them. All working on the same songs? Small group work? What skills do they bring? What do they want to achieve? What’s your class size? How long do you have. What instruments are they bringing?
 

You will get to know them fairly quickly. The best advice I can give as a retired teacher is to teach the class you have. And make it fun.

 

Good luck it’s a great thing to do.

[Burns-bass]

4 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

This, it’s probably true for most of us that our peak period for forming musical tastes started mid teens and went on for about ten years from that. Don’t underestimate them though you don’t lose interest in music just spend a little less time listening to new stuff as you age. If they are bringing instruments then they are interested in music at least.

 

you probably want to think about pedagogy a bit; how you will teach them. All working on the same songs? Small group work? What skills do they bring? What do they want to achieve? What’s your class size? How long do you have. What instruments are they bringing?
 

You will get to know them fairly quickly. The best advice I can give as a retired teacher is to teach the class you have. And make it fun.

 

Good luck it’s a great thing to do.

Cheers Phil. Your approach is the same as mine. I worked as a music teacher for a few years at a music college until it got a bit too much for me. 
 

Im a fan of self-directed learning, but I want people to learn new skills. Most importantly, to have fun.

 

I’ve had a great replies here which has been really helpful. As well as learning the theory some just want to sing, so having a bank of 30 songs I can get the chords for and learn is perfect. I can get the chords for uke, guitar and piano prepared.

[Phil Starr]

Brilliant enjoy it 😀

[snorkie635]

Love this idea - real community project and brining fun to folk. You asked about Dubliners songs: can't go wrong with 'Seven Drunken Nights', 'Star of the County Down' and 'The Black Velvet Band'. 
 

Very best wishes to you and your participants. (I'll bet The Everly Brothers. would work for harmonies and singing along as well.)

[Barking Spiders]

Greensleeves -the Henry VIII cover version (William Byrd mix)

Edited August 6, 2023 by Barking Spiders

[Grahambythesea]

For folk type stuff from that era try songs from the Springfields, Kingston Trio, the Spinners, Julie Felix, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary. That should produce some well known classics like the leaving of Liverpool, Puff the Magic Dragon, Island of Dreams, Tom Dooley. 

[wateroftyne]

3 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

For folk type stuff from that era try songs from the Springfields, Kingston Trio, the Spinners, Julie Felix, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary. That should produce some well known classics like the leaving of Liverpool, Puff the Magic Dragon, Island of Dreams, Tom Dooley. 

 

^^^^ Not much of that is British, as-per the OP's request.

[snorkie635]

2 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

 

^^^^ Not much of that is British, as-per the OP's request.

True, but the OP did mention The Dubliners - also not British. 😊

[Grahambythesea]

Whilst my list may not be very British, it’s what people listened to in Britain back then. I could have given the Ian Campbell Folk Group or the Corbies or Pentangle, but I doubt many people would remember them, British but niche.

 

[casapete]

2 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Whilst my list may not be very British, it’s what people listened to in Britain back then. I could have given the Ian Campbell Folk Group or the Corbies or Pentangle, but I doubt many people would remember them, British but niche.

 

Absolutely. The UK charts in the late 50’s and early 60’s were dominated by mainly US acts, with a few

British performers like Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele and Billy Fury doing their best to keep up. The arrival

of bands like the Beatles and Stones couldn’t have been more timely and pretty much changed everything.

[obbm]

Being in the OP's target age range you guys have suddenly made me feel very very old. 

 

What would I like to play if I wasn't in a band? It would have to be anything from the mid 50s through to the mid 70s.  British. American, Australian, etc. Rock 'N' Roll, Pop, Blues, British R&B, maybe even some Dylan. Some of it may seem naff to some but for those of us who lived through those times that music is the story of our lives.

[snorkie635]

13 minutes ago, obbm said:

Being in the OP's target age range you guys have suddenly made me feel very very old. 

 

What would I like to play if I wasn't in a band? It would have to be anything from the mid 50s through to the mid 70s.  British. American, Australian, etc. Rock 'N' Roll, Pop, Blues, British R&B, maybe even some Dylan. Some of it may seem naff to some but for those of us who lived through those times that music is the story of our lives.

Don't think twice - it's alright. 👍

[Burns-bass]

Cheers all, I’ve had some great replies and advice and have enough to crack on with. Will let you know how we get on.