easy old country songs with just three chords?

[Wrong-Note Rod]

I'm in this old school classic golden age country band. We may have a gig coming up and we dont quite have three sets worth, maybe two.

I'm not familiar with most of this stuff, in fact, the singer-rhythm player knows it all like the back of his hand, and he picks what he wants to play mostly and then I learn it off youtube. More or less. I picked a few I already knew, but, mostly we're doing stuff I was unaware of before joining.

I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions for some fairly well known but dirt-simple three chord old country songs, where I wouldnt have to learn any sort of sig lick or anything. Perhaps just write down a list of these and ask the singer guy, do you know this one, what key do you want to play it in... and then I could maybe just listen once or twice on youtube to get the general idea.. and then just go for it.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Wrong-Note Rod]

here's some we're doing already

Earnest Tubb, Walking the Floor over You and Thanks a Lot
Buck Owens Don Rich - Made in Japan, Act Naturally, Buckaroo
Hank Williams, You Win Again, Hey good Lookin
Waylon Jennings, Luckenbach Texas
Del Reeves, Girl on a Billboard
a bunch of old Elvis stuff
Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison and I Walk the Line
George Jones, She thinks I still care, Race is on, You're Still on my Mind
Ricky Nelson, Hello Mary Lou, Travellin Man
San Antonio Rose
Waltz Across Texas
Merle Haggard, Big City, Workin Mans Blues, Swinging Doors
Junior Brown, Hiway Patrol
Hank Thompson, 6 Pack to Go

some other stuff I cant remember

 

[Flash1909]

Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine
Version I Like

 

[ripgtr]

Merle.
Could do a 40 hour set out of great 3 chord Merle songs

 

[Zachevans3]

Ramblin Fever Merle haggard I like it as a opening song it's fun and bouncy

 

[Wrong-Note Rod]

Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine
Version I Like

I've played that one before in rock bands but the Headhunters version is too hard rock for us. hmmm I wonder if he knows the original version, I could ask

 

[MilwMark]

Never enough Hank. How about Ramblin Man - only 2 chords! Relies on dynamics and musicianship rather than chord changes, if that makes sense, which makes it fun to play.

Webb Pierce "Walkin the Streets" is so easy we literally practiced it once and played it live - folks love it. Good dance number.

Maybe listen to some old Louvin Brothers? Great stuff. Typically 3 chords but some can be trickier because they do create their own song structure "logic"

If you want something moodier, maybe Townes - Buckskin Stallion.

 

[chris m.]

Chain of Fools is a one chord song- country it up and it's good to go.

 

[thunderbyrd]

silver wings - merle haggard

 

[4 Cat Slim]

"Fraulein" by Bobby Helms is a song I heard played very often in the country music venues in San Antonio.
We used to have a number of military bases here before Base Realignment and Closure, so it was common for
soldiers and airmen living here to have been stationed in Germany. And "Fraulein" was almost always played or requested.

Plus, just about any Hank Williams, Buck Owens or Merle Haggard tunes...

 

[hekawi]

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

 

[FendrGuitPlayr]

Mama Tried - Hag
Help Me Make it Through The Night - Kristofferson
That Freddy Fender tune (forget the title and maybe more than one)
He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones
Tulsa Time - Don Williams
Whiskey River - Willie
King of the Road - Roger Miller
I'm Movin' On - Hank Snow
Jambalaya - Hank Sr.
Your Cheatin' Heart - Hank Sr.
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson

Okay, some have four chords, but easy enough.

 

[blowtorch]

most of em

 

[srinivassa]

You already have listed the only one I play - Folsom Prison Blues. It's hard to sing that low E, but other than that, it is the easiest song on my play list. And a great one at that!

 

[HotDan!]

There's a bunch out there but the first thing that came to mind, simply because of the thread title, was Red Steagle's Three Chord Country Song. Guess I'll have to admit to being around awhile. Next was, while not a country song, (Might be today though) was Rock Around the Clock. This could be a fun thread...

 

[xafinity]

Merle.
Could do a 40 hour set out of great 3 chord Merle songs

Or Hank Sr

 

[ripgtr]

Or Hank Sr

True, though Hank is a little tougher, he is pre the whole feel change in the late 50s, with the shuffles and Ray Price and all that. But a lot of his tunes can be "moderned" up and work great. Like Norah Jones did.
Probably not as recognizable, but a lot of good stuff to mine there too.

 

[Rustbucket]

A few that I do on the regular:
Cash- fosom, cocaine blues (2chords), wanted man
Buck/Dwight - streets of Bakersfield, act naturally
Man of constant sorrow - trad.
Prine- spanish pipe dream, paradise
Townes - snow in on raton, poncho & lefty ( 4-5 chords)
Hank- honky tonk Blues, honky Tonkin, rambling man, tear in my beer (4-5 chords), long gone lonesome blue, many others
Bocephus - family tradition, old habits, Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound
Hubbard - up against the wall Redneck Mother
Coe - the ride, never called me by my name (4-5 chords)
Hag - mama tried, lonesome fugitive

 

[Rustbucket]

True, though Hank is a little tougher, he is pre the whole feel change in the late 50s, with the shuffles and Ray Price and all that. But a lot of his tunes can be "moderned" up and work great. Like Norah Jones did.
Probably not as recognizable, but a lot of good stuff to mine there too.

Hank's songs aren't all that difficult, but for all the chord changes in lovesick blues...the hard part is getting the yodel-like falsetto stuff.
On a side note, first time I did lovesick in public, I asked a few people how my Hank voice went...unfortunatel they were all too young to comment

 

[daddyplaysbass]

Charlie Walker (It All Depends on) "Who Will Buy The Wine"
Claude Gray/Johnny Paycheck "Never Had the One The One I Wanted" (Never Loved the One That Had)
Johnny Paycheck : (I'm) "The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised"