The lyrics to “Danny Boy” were written in 1910 by Frederic Weatherly to the tune of the traditional Irish tune “Londonderry Air.” It’s reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart several times by different artists including Conway Twitty, Andy Williams, Jackie Wilson, and Ray Price.
Category: Folk
My Get Up and Go – #Ukulele Strum-Along with Chords and Lyrics
“My Get Up and Go” was popularized in folk music circles by Pete Seeger. Pete didn’t write it but performed it regularly in concert. According to Pete Seeger’s autobiography, the actual author was a “newspaper man,” and when Pete contacted him to offer him royalties for the song, the author refused and said he’d rather remain anonymous, so Pete claimed to be the only one who knew the author’s true identity, and he never revealed that info.
I played it in the key of C as a ukulele strum-along in 3/4 time.
It’s a Crazy World – #Ukulele Travis Picking with Chords and Lyrics
“It’s a Crazy World” was written by singer-songwriter Mac McAnally when he was just 16 years old. It wasn’t a huge hit although it did reach #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s been a favorite of mine since I heard Doc Watson’s version on his 1978 album, “Look Away.”
This song uses “Travis Picking” fingerstyle accompaniment on the ukulele. Many of my songs use the same technique and it’s simple once you get the hang of it, although it may take quite a bit of practicing it slowly to master it.
The first three example patterns on my fingerstyle tutorial show you how to play it. Here’s a link:
I’ve also created a separate category just for the Travis Picking style where you can find other songs that I play in the same style. You can find it here:
Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian – #Ukulele Strum-Along with Chords & Lyrics
A favorite of ukulele players, “Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian” is from John Prine’s 1986 album, German Afternoons.
Blue Ridge Mountain Girl – Clawhammer #Ukulele Accompaniment with Chords & Lyrics
I don’t know much about this song other than I learned it many years ago after hearing it on the 1987 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album “Hold On.” I’m not sure if it might have been on one of their earlier albums or if they might have picked it up from somebody else. Anyway, it’s been a favorite of mine over the years. It’s also been popular among bluegrass bands, most notably Blue Highway.
I played it here with clawhammer ukulele accompaniment.
If you’d like to learn the clawhammer style, you can find my clawhammer ukulele tutorial here:
Clawhammer Uke Tutorial
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – #Ukulele Travis Picking with Chords & Lyrics
Bob Dylan wrote “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” in 1962 and released it on his 1963 album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” Since then it’s become a classic that has been recorded by almost everybody. The most significant cover version was probably the Peter, Paul, and Mary recording that reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart. My version is probably closest to the Doc Watson recording that I’ve been listening to for years.
This song uses “Travis Picking” fingerstyle accompaniment on the ukulele. Many of my songs use the same technique and it’s simple once you get the hang of it, although it may take quite a bit of practicing it slowly to master it.
The first three example patterns on my fingerstyle tutorial show you how to play it. Here’s a link:
I’ve also created a separate category just for the Travis Picking style where you can find other songs that I play in the same style. You can find it here: