In 1965, Bob Dylan hired a group of musicians for his U.S. Tour and then the 1966 World Tour.  This same group had backed up various frontmen and were just simply “the band”.  In ’68, they moved with Dylan to New York and recorded the infamous Basement Tapes,  which launched their own debut album the following year – Music from Big Pink.  They thought a great name was “The Band” for obvious reasons.  Ten successful albums later, they are now rock icons.

The Weight was never a significant hit but it is definitely their best-known song.  I remember sitting around a college dorm playing it over and over again trying to figure if they were singing “Take a load off, Annie” or was it “Granny”?  I think we even played it backwards.  Anyway, just for fun, put this one in your song list.  Everybody knows it (even the Millennials) and will sing along.  The words are basically nonsensical and have a vaguely religious context, but it doesn’t belong in church – it’s certainly nightclub material.

There are three lead tracks – harmonica, flute, and fiddle – because of that wonderful end phrase “you put the load right on me”.  You and your backups will have to work a little to get that right – worth the effort.

    This is late night stuff here.  It’s 1 AM and you’re coming back off break for the last set.  You only bring three members of the band with you for the first song – keyboardist, drummer, and the upright bass player.  You’re going to record this one for your upcoming live album, so your sound man has set up that vintage Shure mic you so dearly love.  It sits there now at the front of the stage – all alone.

Your album is a collection of jazz standards and “Body and Soul” is the most recorded ever.  You watched the video of Amy Winehouse performing it with some guy named Tony Bennett and knew this was a song for you.  It was Amy’s last recording before she died in 2011.  And now you’ll step up to that mic and make it as sultry and sexy as she did.

If you don’t have that great trio behind you, use this sequence to get the same effect (it’s on the jazz list).  Well, not quite the same, but close.  And you don’t have to pay high-priced musicians to make you sound good.  Take the sax lead out and let your vocals take over…. your mic is waiting.

  For Once in My Life was NOT written by Stevie Wonder. There, I said it! Contrary to popular belief, Wonder had nothing to do with the composition of this song, other than turning it into an upbeat pop version that was supposed to be swing style.  It was written for a female vocalist named Barbara McNair, but it somehow morphed into a Motown hit for Wonder.  I’ve never liked it… until now.

I’m giving you the song as it was meant to be performed – big band style.  I put in a clarinet to do the lead, just to give you the flavor that you need to perform it correctly.  I wish Stevie would have let this one go.  Give my way a shot…

It’s not on the Pop/Rock list – it’s on Jazz/Swing – as it should be.

    This is one of those instantly recognizable songs that’s guaranteed to fill your dance floor.  As soon as that clavinet kicks in after the drum intro, everybody knows Stevie Wonder is in the house.

Jeff Beck, often called “the guitarist’s guitarist” (and deservedly so), collaborated with Stevie on this tune off the album Talking Book  – recorded for Motown records in 1972.    Stevie performed the beginning drum solo and the clavinet and the bass.  Beck joined in with an almost inconsequential guitar part (playing against the clavinet), but it was Beck that came up with the drum intro.

Anyway, if your crowd is a little sluggish, trot this one out.  And before they leave the dance floor, give them the opening salvo to “Sweet Home Alabama” – the rest of the night is yours!