GREATEST SONGS ON EARTH!

PEOPLE LOVE GREAT SONGS! You know that feeling you get when you're driving your car and some wonderful opening riff fills the airwaves and you joy in the recognition? Or you replay that song you just can't get out of your head … sometimes for hours. Well great songs can't hide. Sometimes less is more and the simplest melody grabs us forever. Other times we a drawn to the complexities of a wonderful arrangement. Whatever the reason, I set out on a quest to assemble the greatest collection of songs ever written! And although the list will continue to grow, I can honestly say … "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" I've gathered hundreds of The Greatest Songs on Earth into a collection of guitar lessons aimed at building your strength as a player and music enthusiast! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!

Here's just a sampling of what's inside. First … from the RELAXED side:

Take it Easy – The Eagles

Written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and performed by many, Take it Easy is a timeless anthem that reminds us to lay back and enjoy all the stuff that life is made of. The city of Winslow Arizona, a former stop on Route 66,  has even constructed a statue to commemorate this classic! Loosin' your load!

Do You Believe in Magic? – The Lovin' Spoonful

John Sebastian wrote this beauty in 1965. According to the lyrics, the magic referenced in the title is the power of music to supply happiness and freedom to those who make it and those who listen to it. Since we're all in this together to cherish great music, it just doesn't get any better than that!

Teach Your Children – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I saw CSN in concert a year ago. An entire section of the crowd kept annoying Graham Nash by screaming the same thing over and over again. "What was it" you ask? "TEACH YOUR CHILDREN!" Well …. much to the audience's delight, they did give a superb performance of this iconic song!

Lean On Me – Bill Withers

Withers wrote and released Lean on Me in 1972. It is the only song EVER to reach #1 on both the Soul and Billboard charts. Bill Withers moved to L.A. from a small blue collar mining town. He wrote this classic because he missed the strong community bonds of his home. His inspirational message lives on!

The Gambler – Kenny Rogers

From the country side of the ledger, The Gambler earned Kenny Rogers the "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" award for 1980. The word of wisdom that "old man" on the train gave us is legendary! "You gotta know when to hold 'em … know when to fold 'em" That advice is priceless as is the song!

… and now a few tunes from the ROCKIN program:

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Former Skynyrd guitarist and bass player Ed King claims that the song came to him in his sleep. One thing for sure, when I play this intro with my Classic Rock band, the crowd goes wild! Often cited as a rebuttal to Neil Young's Southern Man, a classic riff opens this great song with a down-home message!

Listen to the Music – The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnstone wrote it and sang the verses. Patrick Simmons sang the bridge. Another wonderful song celebrating the joy of music! Now used as their encore song when on tour, Listen to the Music took their second LP Toulouse Street to new heights. Like a lazy flowing river … surrounding castles in the sky!

Layla – Derek and the Dominos

Written by Clapton as a lament for the girl he pined for … George Harrison's wife Patti Boyd, Layla remains a masterpiece for guitar enthusiasts worldwide. Eric still considers it his finest work and it opens with one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in the history of Rock 'n Roll. By the way … he got the girl!

La Grange – ZZ Top

Billy Gibbons always said "we're a three chord band". An oversimplification for sure. But we all know it's not the number of chords, it's how you play them! This song was released in 1973 on the Tres Homres LP and is about a bordello outside La Grange, Texas. The same bordello made famous in the broadway show and film "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"

Get Back – The Beatles

Couldn't get through this preview without a tune from the most influential quartet in the history of music …. The Fab Four!  The song that introduced us to the unforgettable Jojo and Sweet Loretta Martin, became #1 WORLDWIDE! It began as a studio jam and look where it landed?

… and so many many more!