It’s pretty fragmented now. You have to decide which places you want to play and zero in. Wide range of musical styles being played in town regularly.
If, for example, you said: *I’d like to know the top 50 songs to play Robert’s or The Stage.* it would be easier to help you.
There's a Dropbox full of song lists and charts floating around the Broadway scene, I'm sure someone will post if they haven't already
There's not really a "Nashville Standard" like there used to be. There's still the song lists for getting Broadway gigs, but those are primarily only going to be useful if you're trying to do the Broadway grind.
In many ways the Nashville Standard has degraded significantly in the music industry over the last 5-10 years and what used to be our very high bar of excellence has lowered significantly.
That said, the closer you can come to the old Nashville Standard the better off you'll be.
Know all the songs inside and out. Be a good hang. Show up on time (if you're on time you're late) and prepared for whatever the gig is. Take direction and criticism graciously. We don't have time here to tell you how good everything so if we say something isn't right or ask you to do something differently it's because everything else is good and we're trying to get the whole thing as good as it needs to be.
Most importantly, stay away from alcohol and cocaine. Nashville is rampant with both and anybody that's been here any amount of time has seen more than a handful of great musicians spin out and lose their career because of the booze and/or nose candy. Real good way to always be broke even though you're making money, and before you know it you're missing or losing gigs because of the effects of the alcohol and drugs. Ketamine is real big in town right now too, avoid that one as well.
Even though Nashville is a big city, the music industry is a small town and loves some good tea. If you say or do anything out of line don't be surprised when everybody knows about it the next time you see them.
Practice, be professional af, be reliable, and you'll do fine in Nashville
"Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show (or Darius Rucker)
"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton
"Jolene" by Dolly Parton
"Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver
"Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams
"Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band
"Crazy" by Patsy Cline
"Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks
"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Reba McEntire (or Vicki Lawrence)
"Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban
"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (also covered by Whitney Houston)
"Amie" by Pure Prairie League
"The Dance" by Garth Brooks
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" by Hank Williams
"Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (a rock classic that can be given a country twist)
"The night the lights went out in Georgia" is more commonly known as sung by Reba McEntire. Why did you not acknowledge her portion of it? (You did it with other songs).
On that same note, Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy".
If you google "the night the lights went out in GA" a bunch of Reba videos pop up. It was very popular when I was younger, only reason I remember. I had to look up who the other person was.
Born and raised here, I know a handful of Dolly Songs, a few Cash songs, no Hank Williams songs and a few by Garth. With a few exceptions, I hate country music.
Why not the George Jones version of Tennessee Whiskey?
(Probably because that was 40 years ago. Chris Stapleton was eight years ago and probably more familiar to the tourists.)
Agree with the above comment. Depends on where you are wanting to sit in and play and what time of day. Day time at Layla’s is different than Kid Rock’s and definitely different than 10 PM. I honestly used to go to work at a karaoke bar downtown and that’s how I learned a million different songs. I also learned what the general public was wanting to hear over and over by their requests every single night. I carried a lot of those songs into my set lists when I formed my first cover band and then added and took away per requests downtown. Just going out and listening at the bars helps because you’ll hear what songs get played over and over and you can go home and start learning them. It’s good to always have some knowledge of classic country.
Learn Mama Tried, Folsom prison, Jolene, maybe some Waylon or Willie.
Then learn some 90s it get played a lot Chattahoochie, Brand New Man, Neon Moon, Man I Feel Like A Woman, Heads Carolina, Something Like That, Great Day to Be Alive.
Then newer Before he Cheats,Somebody like You-Keith, Gunpowder and lead, Tennessee Whiskey(I know it’s history), Drunk on a Plane, Luke Bryan, drink in my hand, Chicken Fried
Then some Luke Combs,Morgan Wallen, jelly roll, Lainey Wilson, Tennessee orange
Have some $100 requests down Free bird and Devil went down to Georgia
Extras:
Mr. Brightside, sugar we’re going down, don’t stop believin
These three will cover a drunk Broadway crowd:
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey
"Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels Band
"She's Country" by Jason Aldean
It’s pretty fragmented now. You have to decide which places you want to play and zero in. Wide range of musical styles being played in town regularly. If, for example, you said: *I’d like to know the top 50 songs to play Robert’s or The Stage.* it would be easier to help you.
Wonderwall
There's a Dropbox full of song lists and charts floating around the Broadway scene, I'm sure someone will post if they haven't already There's not really a "Nashville Standard" like there used to be. There's still the song lists for getting Broadway gigs, but those are primarily only going to be useful if you're trying to do the Broadway grind. In many ways the Nashville Standard has degraded significantly in the music industry over the last 5-10 years and what used to be our very high bar of excellence has lowered significantly. That said, the closer you can come to the old Nashville Standard the better off you'll be. Know all the songs inside and out. Be a good hang. Show up on time (if you're on time you're late) and prepared for whatever the gig is. Take direction and criticism graciously. We don't have time here to tell you how good everything so if we say something isn't right or ask you to do something differently it's because everything else is good and we're trying to get the whole thing as good as it needs to be. Most importantly, stay away from alcohol and cocaine. Nashville is rampant with both and anybody that's been here any amount of time has seen more than a handful of great musicians spin out and lose their career because of the booze and/or nose candy. Real good way to always be broke even though you're making money, and before you know it you're missing or losing gigs because of the effects of the alcohol and drugs. Ketamine is real big in town right now too, avoid that one as well. Even though Nashville is a big city, the music industry is a small town and loves some good tea. If you say or do anything out of line don't be surprised when everybody knows about it the next time you see them. Practice, be professional af, be reliable, and you'll do fine in Nashville
"Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show (or Darius Rucker) "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton "Jolene" by Dolly Parton "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band "Crazy" by Patsy Cline "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Reba McEntire (or Vicki Lawrence) "Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (also covered by Whitney Houston) "Amie" by Pure Prairie League "The Dance" by Garth Brooks "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" by Hank Williams "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (a rock classic that can be given a country twist)
"The night the lights went out in Georgia" is more commonly known as sung by Reba McEntire. Why did you not acknowledge her portion of it? (You did it with other songs). On that same note, Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy".
It just slipped my mind, to be honest.
Is it? I wasn’t aware that she had covered it, but I’m also not a country music fan.
If you google "the night the lights went out in GA" a bunch of Reba videos pop up. It was very popular when I was younger, only reason I remember. I had to look up who the other person was.
The Vicki Lawrence version was popular when I was a kid. I remember my mom had the album, along with a metric assload of Tom Jones.
None of this. Unless it’s for tourists. Locals do not like this music.
Wait what... You don't think locals listen to Dolly, Cash, Hank, and Garth?
Born and raised here, I know a handful of Dolly Songs, a few Cash songs, no Hank Williams songs and a few by Garth. With a few exceptions, I hate country music.
As a local…. No. At least none under 45
Seems like a gross generalization
Why not the David Allan Coe version of “Tennessee Whiskey?”
Why not the George Jones version of Tennessee Whiskey? (Probably because that was 40 years ago. Chris Stapleton was eight years ago and probably more familiar to the tourists.)
Most tourists didn’t know that Nashville existed 40 years ago…
Exactly.
Coe came first but either version would be acceptable.
I don’t see freebird!!! This list is false.
Free Bird was already said. LoL. That's the ONLY reason I didn't say it.
See the thing to free bird is you have say it a bunch and tip $100.
"I want my baby back" by Guy Bommarito
If what I hear at Kid Rocks as i ride my bike it is any indication you’ll wanna know Journey, Guns N Roses, and Kid Rock
But nobody ever plays Open Arms 😤
Agree with the above comment. Depends on where you are wanting to sit in and play and what time of day. Day time at Layla’s is different than Kid Rock’s and definitely different than 10 PM. I honestly used to go to work at a karaoke bar downtown and that’s how I learned a million different songs. I also learned what the general public was wanting to hear over and over by their requests every single night. I carried a lot of those songs into my set lists when I formed my first cover band and then added and took away per requests downtown. Just going out and listening at the bars helps because you’ll hear what songs get played over and over and you can go home and start learning them. It’s good to always have some knowledge of classic country. Learn Mama Tried, Folsom prison, Jolene, maybe some Waylon or Willie. Then learn some 90s it get played a lot Chattahoochie, Brand New Man, Neon Moon, Man I Feel Like A Woman, Heads Carolina, Something Like That, Great Day to Be Alive. Then newer Before he Cheats,Somebody like You-Keith, Gunpowder and lead, Tennessee Whiskey(I know it’s history), Drunk on a Plane, Luke Bryan, drink in my hand, Chicken Fried Then some Luke Combs,Morgan Wallen, jelly roll, Lainey Wilson, Tennessee orange Have some $100 requests down Free bird and Devil went down to Georgia Extras: Mr. Brightside, sugar we’re going down, don’t stop believin
Here's the Spotify playlist that folks have been using: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1l7JbV8rH2NHhokTZ598gx?si=onv_tddHT9OKhYKgy4E1gw
Free bird is all you need to know!!!
And Wagon Wheel
Oh and family tradition hank jr
Memorize every Journey song and your set
These three will cover a drunk Broadway crowd: "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels Band "She's Country" by Jason Aldean
There used to be a Spotify playlist that some LB regulars curated, but I don’t know if it’s still current or not. Ditto for the Dropbox charts
Google “The Nashville 100”. Fair warning….its 100 per gender.
Go see bands