Twang That Thang

This is a fast-paced, short, easy-to-learn song your kids are gonna love to sing. It is in a "Rockabilly" style, which was developed in the 1940s and became wildly popular in the '50s. The Rockabilly style is a fusion of Country (which used to be called Hillbilly music) and Rock 'n' Roll. It was in the late '30s that Country began mixing with the Blues and Jazz of the time. Once the Boogie craze began, various artists began combining Hillbilly vocals with that Boogie bass line and, voila, Rockabilly. You can read all about the fascinating development of Rockabilly along with the other dynamic musical genres of the era on web sites like wikipedia.com

This song is a modern recording of an old style, using typical slap bass guitar, drums, piano, and guitar. We think our rhythm guys really captured the style. You'll hear a standard Boogie Woogie bass line in the guitar and 6-string electric bass.

Though vocally this song doesn't require you to "twang," it will sound best if you have the kids observe the indicated scoops, even adding their own, and emulate the rock style approach. If the room is rockin', invite your audience to join in on the chorus and raise the roof! It would also be fun to have the kids play some "air guitar," or clap along in the instrumental sections. If you do, please be sure to clap on beats 2 and 4.

Though the story line premise is, obviously, make-believe, the second verse is an outline of our young star's touring schedule, incorporating cities all over the USA. It actually offers a great opportunity for a geography lesson. Have the kids point out the cities on a map and draw lines connecting the dots.