Three? Three? I'm with Randy...

Guitar
1) My Rough and Rowdy Ways (Jimmie Rodgers)
2) Oh, Lonesome Me (Don Gibson)
3) The Lucky One (?; recorded by AKUS)

Mandolin
1) The Rainy Day (?)
2) Swannanoa Waltz (Rayna Gellert of Uncle Earl)
3) Caledonian Laddie (?)

!. Big Sciota
2. Ashokan Farewell - Rickie Simpkins/Tony Rice arr
3. Travels - P Metheny (a little jazz sacrilege for a bluegrasser!)

I do play 'Ipanema". Also left off "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do. I"ve been in probably twenty bands, styles all over the freakin' map. Who songs are mainly Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again, Pinball Wizard. No windmill. But Pete Townshend is one of the great rhythm players in rock history. I also love "Ashoken Farewell", which our bluegrassy band does with a fiddle lead (she's amazing), and I play a double stop harmonized counterpoint line. Beautiful song. Hard to believe it was written in 1983, not 1863. Man, I love music. Thought I'd add that. Three songs only: Penny Lane; Don't Think Twice; Trouble In Mind. Tough, tough choices.

In this august group of musicians I will cast caution to the winds and submit my "usual suspects" (ones I like to play, in no order):

Bunyans Hymn/I Saw Three Ships/English Dance, John Renbourn

Holly And The Ivy, William Elwood

Merrily Kissed the Quaker, Pierre Bensusan

April, Come She Will/Dangling Coversation/Scarborough Fair/For Emily..., Paul Simon

Angie, distillation of Renbourn/Simon/Jansch

Windy and Warm, Watson/Emmanuel

Currently working on Jockey To The Fair, Pierre Bensusan's version but not yet recorded. Sublime.

I just got hired to play solo at a wedding, so I'm dusting off Noel Stookey's Wedding Song,in which I play the melody part over the quasi-travis picking. Been digging "Cakewalk Into Town", but that probably won't make the wedding play list. Or Stairway to Heaven. I do have some scruples.

What about trotting out the always popular (for these functions) Jesu Joy, Cannon in D, and, I Want Yor Sex by George Michael?

Omitted, of course, was the legendary Sheik Yabouti by Master Zappa. I'll probably play Michael from Mountains, I Will, In My Life, and a couple originals. Under no circumstances would I play a Geo. Michael song, except maybe Faith. Now, that's funky. Marvin(not)Gaye's "Let's Get It On" is probably not wedding appropriate. I know these people. OH, maybe Kate Wolfe's "Give Yourself to Love", that I first played at a wedding on the banks of the Snake River, summer 1987.

poor side of town J Rivers Magnolia JJ Cale
Rainy night in Georgia Brook Denton

Currently:

Mama your papa loves you (on my picking guitar)

&

Vivo sonhando (on my strumming guitar)

but of course there are lots of alternates.

Tough question... today?

The Fisherman - Leo kottke (love that melody... still) been playing this for years, this is one of my guitar "testing" tunes...

Livin' In the Country - Pete Seeger

Easy Money - Martin Simpson

At least, this is what I was playing this afternoon...

I'm glad this thread was revived....

1. You & Your Sister: Chris Bell
2. Thirteen: Big Star

Both work nicely as acoustic numbers... sweet tunes!

quote:

Originally posted by sonoman: Under no circumstances would I play a Geo. Michael song, except maybe Faith.

I'm completely in the tank for Old Time and Bluegrass music anymore, so I guess this comes under the heading of guilty pleasures, but I think "Careless Whisper" is absolute pop perfection ( here, if anyone cares to be reminded). And I loved this mash-up of images and "Freedom" that was viral before the 2006 elections (warning: political content!).

B