Sing along songs for and elderly audience - suggestions?

[string1399]

Country Roads - John Denver
Teach Your Children - CSN
The Last Farewell - Roger Whitaker
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - Willie Nelson
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright

[grampa]

Originally Posted by wcap

Wow, I had no idea that Foster wrote quite this many songs. And this list doesn't even seem to be complete (I didn't find Oh Susanna, for example).

Foster is sometimes referred to as the first "pop song" writer.

[K III]

Highway to Hell
She shook me all night long
Back in Black

Make sure you get the riffs right on your acoustic.

[Tafmutt]

Originally Posted by wcap

Great suggestions so far. I think the Stephen Foster suggestion is particularly good - really familiar songs and lots of people (especially older people) know the words.

For this event, I just wish I was more of this sort of musician.

I don't have a lot of experience performing in front of others in general, and this guitar+singing thing is not my thing.

But, I think this is a very appreciative and forgiving audience. I think, one way or another, we'll brighten their day a bit.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Case in point: Three female friends of mine who jokingly called themselves "The Lemon Sisters" lip-synched some standards for some Iwo Jima veterans at a reunion. The audience went nuts. All the vets could talk about after the "show" was that the "Lennon Sisters" had come to their reunion to sing for them...and, boy, could they sing!

Just have fun.

TM

[Guitardedboy]

Let's Get Physical by Olivia Newton John

While playing have someone give them a 30 pound medicine ball to throw back and forth to each other.

[wcap]

Wow. So many good suggestions. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities (and by the fact that we only have until next Tuesday to prepare)....more suggestions are still more than welcome though!

I think for this time around we'll probably pick just a few sing along songs and try to work them in, but I can see that this sort of audience might have the most fun if we spent most of our time doing this sort of thing. Maybe we can be better prepared if we do this again at some point. It would probably help also if I were less shy about solo singing in public.

As for "quite old" being a relative thing. Yes, absolutely. But I think we are talking about "quite old" by any human standards here. Not 60's. Maybe more along the lines of mid to late 70's, 80's, and 90's (though even in these age ranges, there are folks in their 70's and even 80's who are younger in a functional sense than many others in their early 60's).

[bshpmark]

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder
The Great Speckled Bird
In the Sweet Bye and Bye
On The Jericho Road
Amazing Grace

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by wcap

And....

Do you have any suggestions for choice of keys for sing-along music?

The key of D/Bm is very forgiving to most voices. You can just play in C/Am and capo II if you like.

In my own songbook I have odd notes that say things like "capo-2 if late at night". So be flexible.

G is popular key for women (in general), and I can sing up there, but might be a stretch for older men.

[wcap]

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

The key of D/Bm is very forgiving to most voices. You can just play in C/Am and capo II if you like.

In my own songbook I have odd notes that say things like "capo-2 if late at night". So be flexible.

G is popular key for women (in general), and I can sing up there, but might be a stretch for older men.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[sixiron150]

O Death - Ralph Stanley
Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash
As the life of a Flower - Traditional
Where have all the good times gone - Van Halen

[Kitchen Guitars]

Think about what they listened to in their teens. Anything from Woodstock

You might be surprised, how many join in to sing along to "The Eagles" eg. Peaceful Easy Feelin, or "The Beatles" eg. Seventeen.

[Herb Hunter]

I have played for older audiences and they always respond best to older songs. Someone mentioned the Doris Day song, What Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera), that is exactly the type of song that generates a lot of enthusiasm. Others, to consider (in versions that are likely to be well received):

Magic Is the Moon Light - Dean Martin
Those Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole
In the Good Old Summertime - Les Paul and Mary Ford
Good Night Irene - Les Paul and Mary Ford
Vaya Con Dios - Les Paul and Mary Ford
El Paso - Marty Robbins
Red River Valley - Marty Robbins
Return to Me - Marty Robbins
Yours (Quiereme Mucho) Marty Robbins
Home on the Range - Burl Ives
Down In the Valley - Burl Ives
Old Paint - Burl Ives
San Antonio Rose - Gene Autry (I used John Denver's version)
Old Kentucky Home - Gene Autry
You Are My Sunshine - Fats Domino
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
Shenandoah - Harry Belafonte
My Blue Heaven - Gene Austin
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Happy Trails - Roy Rogers

Newer songs that go over well:

Yesterday, When I Was Young - Roy Clark
Roses Are Red (My Love) - Bobby Vinton
Country Roads - John Denver
Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Peter, Paul and Mary
This Land is Your Land - Peter, Paul and Mary

Almost all of these can be sampled on iTunes.

[Hack Amatuer]

If they're elderly and can still sing, etc. then they would be 65 to 85. I would do a few sing a long songs from about 1945 to 1965 as that's the approximate time they were late teens early 20's.

60's era "daddy takes the Tbird away" Beach Boys
50's era "Rock around the clock" Bill Haley & the Comets
40's era "hey good looking" Hank Williams

things that are commonly known like that

[paulin]

Our band plays a ton of rest homes and assisted living facilities and we find they love the 30's and 40's pop songs and many, many of the "older" generation LOVE classic country music, Hank Williams Sr. etc.