This song is so much fun that it almost even makes sense. Think fondly of the Mills Brothers when you sing this tune.
Western
Anything You Can Do
An eight-part song from Annie Get Your Gun that is a sure hit for a combined number with a chorus or quartet of the opposite sex. Can you guess who wins in the end? Also available in eight-part male and female versions.
Learning tracks available from:
Tim Waurick
Tim Waurick
SATB
SATB
Desperado
Yes, this is the Eagles’ big hit, and it can even be sung in contest. So “come to your senses” and give this heartfelt tale a try. Good news: This powerful arrangement, which had not been available for a few years, is now cleared via Sheet Music Plus!
Learning tracks available from:
Tim Waurick
Tim Waurick
TTBB
SSAA
TTBB
Farmer and the Cowman, The
From the all-time great musical Oklahoma, this tune is rollicking fun. Somehow a song about folks who don’t see eye to eye trying to get along anyhow seems very fitting for the age we live in, so give this one a . . . ride.
Folsom Prison Blues
Do you have an outlaw sort of bass who is looking for a solo? This is a good one, with one caveat: The song is arranged to be accompanied by guitar and bass fiddle. It could be redone someday but not just yet, for the piece is exclusive to Boardwalk right now. After all, doesn’t Pookie remind you quite a bit of Johnny Cash?
Grandma’s Feather Bed
This lively, happy, nostalgic John Denver song is great fun for either sex to sing. Now available in contest and show versions. James Estes has recorded learning tracks for the contest chart.
Learning tracks available from:
James Estes
James Estes
TTBB
Green Green Grass of Home
Recorded by various country artists, this melancholy song is sure to move your audiences’ hearts. There are many ways to get back home, but this method is clearly not recommended. . . .
Learning tracks available from:
Shawn Thomas
Shawn Thomas
TTBB
Happy Trails
For Western shows, this is the quintessential Roy Rogers & Dale Evans song. I even had the chance to tell Dale personally about arranging her song in the barbershop style! Use this classic tune to end any performance, Western-themed or not.
Learning tracks available from:
Daniel Gillis
Daniel Gillis
TTBB
Hey, Good Lookin’
This country classic is as lively and cheery as they come. I promise you this will be extra fun for you to sing, and for your audiences to hear.
Learning tracks available from:
Tim Waurick
Tim Waurick
TTBB
SSAA
SSAA
I Guess He’d Rather Be In Colorado
A poignant song of a city dweller who yearns for the great outdoors, this song is just a little bit melancholy. Sure is beautiful, though.
I Like Beer (bass melody)
Tom T. Hall’s ode to the ethereal amber beverage is great fun. This whimsical tune is available as either a lead or bass solo.
I Like Beer (lead melody)
Tom T. Hall’s ode to the ethereal amber beverage is great fun. This whimsical tune is available as either a lead or bass solo.
I’ll String Along with You
Do you want an easy, happy way to profess your love? You won’t come to the end of your rope if you sing this easy-beat tune, which is no longer exclusive. So tie it up for your group!
Learning tracks available from:
Shawn Thomas
Shawn Thomas
TTBB
Just A-Sittin’ and A-Rockin’
What do you do when your lover just ups and disappears one day? Do you run around like a chicken with its head cut off? Or do you take a, well . . . easier approach. This fun arrangement is no longer exclusive to Cahoots, so do keep it in mind, for a Western-type or any other kind of show.
Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
Not your run-of-the-mill barbershop tune, Mammas would go great in a Western show, or use it as a novelty number for a change the pace. Audiences just plain like this song!
Moonshine Lullaby
An most unusual type of lullaby, this catchy tune from Annie Get Your Gun has a lazy, fun feeling to it. This tune is especially suitable for women to sing.
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Willie Nelson is probably the best-known singer to perform this poignant song. Shades of America’s pioneer past.
Old Shep
This wonderfully maudlin tale of a boy and his dog was written by Red Foley and Arthur Willis. The story was based on a German Shepherd, Hoover, a dog Foley owned as a child. Hoover died due to an unfortunate incident with a neighbor. Elvis Presley really made the lyric live, and so can your quartet or chorus.
Pass That Peacepipe / I’m an Indian, Too
This cute Western medley looks at the other side of the coin.
Rocky Top
This tune is high-energy, recognizable and just plain fun. On top of that, the arrangement is fine for contest. So what are you waiting for? Have a sip of moonshine and give it a try!
Thank God I’m a Country Boy
You know how some songs are just plain fun? Well, this is one of them. John Denver’s popular classic can be a hit for your group too—whether you are really country or just pretending.
That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine
How long has it been since you heard a good old Gene Autry song? Well, your audiences probably haven’t either, so take them back in time with this heartfelt tempo ballad. By the way, my daddy’s hair is more, well, flesh-colored.
Western Medley
Here are seven songs that could be the centerpiece to a Western-themed show: Back in the Saddle Again, Home on the Range, Deep in the Heart of Texas, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Clementine, Red River Valley and Oh Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie. This medley is also available in a shorter version.
Learning tracks available from:
Shawn Thomas
Shawn Thomas
TTBB
Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott
This Statler Brothers’ lament about modern times stresses solid, old-fashioned values. Things were just a whole lot clearer back then. . . .
You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun
The great Irving Berlin makes some of his best word plays in this delightful song. From the musical Annie Get Your Gun, this contestable tune is for women only.
Learning tracks available from:
Anne Bureau
Anne Bureau
SSAA