Peter Noone was born in the county of Lancashire, England in 1947. At the tender age of 16, he bacame the lead singer and frontman for a band called “Herman’s Hermits”. They released their first song in 1964 – a cover of “I’m Into Something Good” – and it went straight to number 1 in the U.K. and as high as 13 in the United States. They had a slew of hits through the mid-sixties – mostly silly love songs (emphasis on silly) – but their music was uncomplicated, non-threatening and quite well-produced. Peter re-released the song as a solo in 1989 for the movie “The Naked Gun” (see below) and was used in The Family Guy and “The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue” (I told you they were silly).
We worked this song into our act and people love it – most have never heard of it. Peter Noone now resides in Santa Barbara, California, and I’m sure he’d be pleased that one of his hits is still so well-received. I’m sharing our sequence for it on my list.

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/xmafudbfnxt1x7j/I’m_Into_Something_Good_-_Listen

    Way back when in ’72, I first heard a cello used in pop music. The song was “Taxi” by Harry Chapin. I quickly became a huge fan and was devastated in 1981 when Harry was killed in a car accident. If you’ve never heard of Harry Chapin, it’s worth a “google” to listen to some of his music – especially the cello behind it all. Harry always told a story and I think you might enjoy it.
But I digress – my main focus here is the song “Secrets” by One Republic. There’s that haunting sound of the cello again and played so artfully by Brent Kutzle. I found a midi sequence for the song, tweaked it a little (well, a lot) and put it on my list. If you’re a singer who could use some backing tracks for this song, this is for you. Give a listen and a download and… here’s to Harry!

 Try my sequence for “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (I use a Yamaha Keyboard PSR-910 arranger workstation to do my sequences). While I like the old version well enough (Marvin Gaye’s – NOT Gladys Knight), I thought it needed an update. I’ve used this version for a couple years and people seem to like it. It’s listed as “Grapevine 3” on the Pop/Rock list.

 For all you insomniacs out there – forget the pills to help you sleep. Just listen to any Roberta Flack record and you’ll nod right off, I promise. The woman can sing – no question – but, man, are her arrangements BORING (just try listening to more than a minute of “The First Ever I Saw Your Face”). I do one of her songs (Feel Like Makin Love) in a more upbeat, jazzier style.
Listen to it first (above), then download the midi for your instrument. Roberta… I love you, but YAWN…

 My apologies to John Sebastian (one of my favorite people on the planet), but I’ve put up my (sorta jazzy) version of his hit song “What a Day For a Daydream”. This works best in a quiet venue -lounge, hotel lobby, etc. where people might actually want to hear what you’re singing. It’s on the Jazz/Swing list. You don’t always have to sound like the original record, you know…

   It’s one o’clock in the morning and you’re playin’ a honky-tonk bar in Loxley, Alabama. You need something to get your inebriated crowd into the action. What song – what song? Oh, no… not “You Never Even Called Me Darlin” again! Try “Dixie Chicken” by Little Feat. This sequence is a little different than the original recording.  It used just piano, bass and drums – but I added organ and guitar for more flavor.  Learn it and I guarantee you’ll have the crowd salivating to get to the chorus so they can sing along.

You can listen to the mp3 (with lead line) by pressing the play button above.  Go to the Pop/Rock link on the right to download mp3 (without lead) or  the midi file.

Midi sequences!  Is it cheating or just creative liberty?  Your call.  As a solo performer, I’ve used them on and off over the past 20 years.  Frankly, I love ’em.  Back in the 90’s I bought hundreds of them and spent countless hours tweaking  so they’d be exactly right for a stage performance.  Alot of time and alot of trouble – not to mention a boatload of money.

The midi songs (and MP3 versions) I’ll present here are the best of the best.  You won’t have to search and explore other free midi sites to find the right mix.  They’re here, and yours for free, just ’cause I love doing them.  Some are mine – some are borrowed from other sites but are mixed properly and are stage-worthy.  Need a guitar taken out or changed?  I’ll do it for you if you don’t have the equipment yourself.  Need a different piano solo?  Let me know what you want and we’ll work together to fix it.  Need a different key?  No problem.  Whatever changes you think you might want, email me by clicking on the contact button above and I’ll work it to your specifications.  It won’t cost you a dime.

I think the music ended in 1982, so most of this stuff is prior to that.  If you want something that was just released yesterday, I’m not messin’ with it – unless it happens to be extraordinarily good, which is quite rare these days.  The crowds I play for love these songs because they’re timeless.  You should be playing them too.  I’ll constantly be adding and changing titles as they come out of my home studio. Some computer sound cards won’t play the data to specifications – the midi file might sound like crap. But I’ve provided a “listen” file for each song so you’ll know what it should sound like when you get it in your keyboard or midi-player.

Trust me.  I know what works and I know what sequences don’t work.  Let’s have some fun with midis!