Author Archives: Dave Zobrist

I Saw the Light

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  Download Instrumental    Hank Williams was asleep and slightly inebriated in the back seat of his car. It was 1947 and he was returning to Montgomery from a show in Fort Deposit, Alabama. His mother, Lily, was at the wheel, driving Hank and his band back home as she did quite frequently.  She had put a guitar in her son’s hand at the tender age of 8 and acted as his manager until he married Audrey Shepard – who took over as his manager with a vengeance (that’s her in the picture above).

But back to the car.  It was the middle of the night and Mom spied the lights of the airport outside Montgomery in the distance. She roused ol’ Hank  and told him, “I saw the light”.  Bam! Inspiration strikes!  Hank wrote this song and had it ready to record in less than a month.  It has since become a standard country gospel tune and has been recorded by zillions of artists.

Audrey Shepard married Hank in a gas station – how romantic – and insisted on taking charge of his career.  She was also the bass player in his band.  Quite a lady, this one.   After Hank recorded “I Saw the Light”, she decided it would be better if she sang it with him.  Trouble was, she couldn’t sing a lick.  But like all bad singers, she thought she was just the best ever.  Williams reluctantly recorded another version with her, but sent a note to his producer letting him know he did NOT want that version released.  It never was, and I think we’re all the better for it.

Ring of Fire

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    Download Instrumental    I was in what I’m pretty sure was an awful rock band in high school.  Then helping pay for college playing restaurants and Holiday Inns.  The Air Force found me playing dinner music on a white grand piano in the Officer’s Club.  Then it was a wedding band for eight years – next a jazz band for seven more.  South Florida next – cruise ships and fancy country clubs.  Finally the Gulf Coast in beach bars and honky-tonks for nearly ten years.  Not once during all that time did I ever play a Johnny Cash song – not once!  Why?  I honestly don’t know.  Just never occurred to me.

So what’s wrong with Johnny Cash?  Nothing really, other than he couldn’t sing.  Neither can I, so that’s no excuse for ignoring Johnny for 40 years.  I think it had something to do with every song sounding alike.  Except this one.  “Ring of Fire” has trumpets – I love trumpets.  So, in order to make things right, I’ve arranged this one to suit me and, hopefully, you other singers out there.  This one belongs in your set list.  And when you perform it, apologize to Johnny for me.

Jump, Jive and Wail!

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  Download Instrumental    Just what is the “Jitterbug” anyway? Anyone over 50 knows that it’s a dance (it’s also a fishing lure but that’s of little consequence here).  Cab Calloway introduced the term “jitterbug” in his 1934 hit Call of the Jitterbug.  Apparently, there is a strong relationship between jitterbug dancers and liquor – the first line of Cab’s song is “If you’d like to be a jitter bug, first thing you must do is get a jug”.  If you’ve seen the dance, you know there has to be a jug involved somewhere.

Whenever anyone asked us to do a jitterbug tune, we’d trot out “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” or this one – “Jump, Jive and Wail”.  This was the more interesting of the two.  I get a kick out of arranging big band music anyway – so many instruments, so little time – but the beat is what makes this a terrific jitterbug swing number.  Louis Prima came out with this one in 1956, then due to a resurgence of swing in the 90’s, The Brian Seltzer Orchestra (love that band) re-recorded it and made it into something way more hip.

So, the next time someone cries out “Jitterbug”, it’s not time to find an exterminator – it’s time to play “Jump, Jive and Wail” and watch them hit the dance floor.  You know that’s what you want them to do…. and tip.

You might see a little jiggerbugging on the link  below:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jump+jive+and+wail&view=detail&mid=BB30C17B082D90B70FFFBB30C17B082D90B70FFF&FORM=VIRE

Cracklin’ Rosie

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    Download Instrumental    This was Neil Diamond’s first American # 1 hit – recorded in 1970.  It’s a dynamic and memorable melody coupled with terrific instrumental backing by L.A studio musicians called The Wrecking Crew  (I’ve written about them before).  The lyrics to “Cracklin’ Rosie” suggest his devotion to a certain “woman of the night”.  Or does it?

Diamond swears it’s not about a woman at all.  “Cracklin’ Rose” was a  wine favored by lumber jacks in the Northwest.  It seems many a lonely night was spent “lumber-jacking” without a woman in sight.  So they turned to their favorite beverage to help ease their..uh… tension.  Now the lyrics take on a whole new meaning.  “Cracklin’ Rose, you’re a store bought woman”  (I’m thinking local liquor store).  “You make me sing like a guitar humming”  (ever sing at the top of your lungs when you’ve had a few drinks?)

Then there’s “Cracklin’ Rose make me smile” (ever had a stupid grin on your face after 3 scotches?).  “If it lasts for an hour, that’s all right – we got all night”  (now I’m thinking we need TWO bottles).  It’s about a bottle of wine, folks!  Disappointed?  Me, too… kinda.  Still a good song with a great beat for your dancing crowd.

You know, it strikes me that this could also be about one of those sexy blow-up dolls.  Just sayin’…

So Far Away

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  Download Instrumental    Sometimes, feeling sad isn’t such a bad thing. Especially if that sadness brings out a song in you that never fades away.  Carole King knows this to be true.

She recorded “So Far Away”  in 1971 for her iconic album Tapestry.  There’s not been a more emotional and personal compilation of songs ever recorded.  In each and every piece, you can look straight into her soul and see what most of us try to hide – raw emotion.  She leans heavily on piano in all her arrangements, which suits me just fine.  She’s written so many songs for so many people it’s just ridiculous:  “Take Good Care of My Baby” (Bobby Vee), “Chains” (The Beatles), “A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin), “Up On the Roof” (Drifters), “One Fine Day” (The Chiffons), “Halfway to Paradise” (Tony Orlando), and “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits) are just a few of the artists who owe their careers to Ms. King.

This one, though, was personal.  Just for her.  You can feel the loneliness in her voice and the pain she must have been feeling.  The arrangement is very laid-back with almost no rhythm instruments.  Mostly, just her and the piano and her heartache.  She used a flute at the end to further set the mood, but I opted for a saxophone ’cause there’s nothing more forlorn than a lonely sax playing somewhere in the middle of the night.  If you lady singers out there decide to use these backups, pour your heart out for this one and let the tenor sax take over at the end… slowly lower your head and let the lights fade.  Your audience will love it.  I’ll bet you can make ’em cry if you try…

“Holding you again could only do me good – Oh, how I wish I could – but you’re so far away”

Handy Man

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  Download Instrumental    Sometimes, things really are better the second time around.  “Handyman” was a million-seller for singer Jimmy Jones in 1960, but James Taylor slowed it down in ’77 and had an even bigger hit with it.

The song is about a guy who considers himself to be the ultimate  gift to all women:  “Hey girls, gather ’round/Listen to what I’m putting down/Hey baby, I’m your handy man”.  Okay…. he has something going on that makes the rest of us look like pikers – I can live with that.  The original version was fun and crazy – Jimmy Jones didn’t take himself seriously at all.  But James Taylor is another story.  His slower version, even though the lyrics are the same, seems narcissistic and totally smug.  You get the feeling that James really does think he is very much the “ladies man”. Oh, please.  However,  Taylor was married to Carly Simon when he recorded “Handy Man” so he must have been doing something right.  Unfortunately,  he took it upon himself to “comfort” all of Carly’s girlfriends who were hurting from recent breakups or just having a bad hair day.  What a guy!  What a “handy” guy!  Carly eventually dumped him.  Good call…

I soured on James Taylor when he let himself be drawn into John Kerry’s (former Secretary of State) idiotic idea to sing “You’ve Got a Friend” to the French people in 2015 after a terrorist attack.  Very awkward and just plain dumb.  Even great artists have their down days, and this was one of them for Taylor.  He was used and I’m sure he regrets it.

Nevertheless, this is a great rendition of a recognizable song that would fit well into your repertoire.  I do think, however, that this  tune would have been better served as a love song for a woman who adores her man (now there’s a quaint idea) – renaming it “You’re My Handy Man”.  That takes the pompous swagger out of the song and doesn’t make you go “Ew”.  Just sayin’…

She Believes in Me

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  Download Instrumental    I don’t very often say a song is “sweet”, but there’s no other word to describe this one.  Makes me feel all cuddly inside and all my “macho” instincts go right out the window.  “She Believes in Me” was recorded in 1979 by Kenny Rogers and was a huge crossover hit from country to pop.  I never paid too much attention to it, but I should have.  It’s a tune I can definitely relate to, but I missed it completely.

It’s not easy being married to a musician – just ask Karen.  There’s the borderline obsession for music  that sometimes seems to crowd out all other things in life.  A woman can get tired of that rather quickly.  Then there’s the long, late nights when she stays home, fighting sleep, because she wants to be awake when you get home.  Then there’s the fact that a huge success in the music business belongs only to a few.  Usually, the most you can hope for is a bit of local celebrity – it rarely goes any further than that.  I’ve had plenty of that kind of notoriety, but it never made me rich…. even though I promised that it would.

The lyrics to this great song say it all (they usually do, don’t they?).  The very first line:  “While she lays sleeping, I stay out late at night and play my songs”.  Then, “Quietly she says how was your night?/and I come to her and say it was all right”.  Ah…  been there, done that.  But the chorus sums it all up: “And she believes in me/I’ll never know just what she sees in me/I told her someday if she was my girl, I could change the world/with my little songs… I was wrong”.  (sigh)  Doesn’t that make you feel “cuddly”, guys?  Well, it does me.

So, all you male singers out there with a woman at home while you’re out working the clubs, this song would be a terrific gift to her – just to show you care,  even through the hard times.  I solved many of these issues by marrying a musician (French Horn in her college symphony band), so she understood – most of it.  After a few years,  I managed to change her from being a church singer to working with me as a pop vocalist – she’s never forgiven me.  After that, those long musical nights were spent together – misery loves company, you know.

Hard Headed Woman

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  Download Instrumental    This somewhat obscure tune was actually a number one hit for Elvis. It might be considered just a hair “sexist” today, but it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it. The lyrics use biblical references to describe what apparently is a very stubborn woman – or maybe I should stay “strong-willed”. We’ll just look at the lyrics themselves as commentary. So here’s to all you hard-headed women out there… you know who you are:

“Well, a hard headed woman/a soft hearted man/been the cause of trouble since the world began

(chorus) Oh yeah, ever since the world began/a hard headed woman been a thorn in the side of man

Now Adam told to Eve/listen here to me/don’t you let me catch you messin’ round that apple tree  (chorus)

Now Samson told Delilah/loud and clear/keep your cotton pickin’ fingers out my curly hair  (chorus)

I heard about a king/who was doin’ swell/till he started playin’ with that evil Jezebel  (chorus)”

Obviously, these backups would be for male singers only.  Sorry, ladies.  But, just to be fair, check out “Hard Headed Man” by Sweethearts of the Rodeo:

 

Green Door

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  Download Instrumental    In 1956, this song soared to number one on the charts.  A honky-tonk piano player named Bob Davie wrote the tune and recruited a local disc jocky (Jim Lowe) to sing it.  It was recorded in Lowe’s Greenwich Village apartment with The High Fives doing backup vocals.  Actually, the original sounded like it was recorded in someone’s apartment, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a huge hit.

The inspiration for “Green Door” came from a popular club in Dallas, Texas.  There was something mysterious about this bar and its bright yellow door (Davie used “green” because it fit better in the lyrics).  Not just anyone could get in.  If you didn’t know the password, the door was promptly slammed in your face.  How rude!

Our singer tells us that he can’t sleep at night because he’s obsessed with what’s behind the green door of that enigmatic honky-tonk.  He hears partying and loud music and raucous laughter and rollicking piano-playing behind that door (sounds a lot like our house) and he just has to get in to join the fun.  He even tries a fake password – “Joe sent me”- not very original and the door remains closed.  “Green door, what’s that secret you’re keeping” has us all wondering what nefarious things are going on behind that green portal.  Doncha’ just love a good mystery?

I gave our arrangement a more “boogie-woogie” feel than the original.  A guy named Shakin’ Stevens recorded this one in the 80’s and I really liked his rowdy version – so I’m imitating that style – I’ve never had an original thought in my life.  And, just so you know, our front door isn’t green and you don’t need a password to get in… 5 bucks will do just fine.

 

I’m Walkin’

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  Download Instrumental   I love the sound of a clarinet, so I’ll throw a clarinet solo into a song every chance I get.  Granted, it has no business in a Fats Domino tune, but do we care?  I know, I know… the solo is supposed to be a saxophone, but I decided to make the lead vocal track a sax.  Any singer who uses these backups will mute the sax track anyway.  And… they’ll have a clarinet solo.  Cool!  Everybody confused now?  Good.

Fats Domino was stranded on a lonely country road in 1957.  As he walked away from his old car, a fan drove by and shouted out, “Hey! That’s Fats Domino – and he’s walking!”  “Yeah”, Fats muttered to himself, “I’m walking”.  He wrote this song in his head as he walked toward town.  Personally, I don’t believe this tale, but it has followed this song around for years.  In the first place, Fats Domino was famous in ’57 and wouldn’t have been driving an old car.  And, what self-respecting “fan” would leave him stranded?  I mean, if I saw Lady Gaga walking away from a broken-down vehicle, I would pick her up even though I’m hardly a fan.  Wouldn’t you?  Well, maybe not.

The title “I’m Walking” has nothing to do with the rest of the lyrics.  But all Mr. Domino (is that his real name?) was concerned about was cranking out a rollicking two minute tune that everyone would remember.  He certainly achieved that lofty goal with this one.  Stick this one in your repertoire and you’ll make your crowd happy – that’s what it’s all about.

Domino is his real name – Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. to be precise.  He was born in New Orleans to a French Creole family and never lived anywhere else.  Even in the heyday of his fame he insisted on sleeping outside in a hammock every night.  What a guy!  Ya know, living in “The Big Easy” all his life, you’d have thought he’d have put a clarinet solo in there somewhere.  Just sayin’…