Ian Whitcomb Songbook Arranged for Ukulele and Easy Keyboard [Perfect Paperback]

Ian Whitcomb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2007

The first publication dedicated to songs written and composed by Ian over the last 40 years, starting with his 1965 smash hit, "You Turn Me On". The book includes his many styles ranging from Nashville country numbers ("Hands") and British comedy songs ("Wurzel Fudge", written for Benny Hill) to personal ballads "Old Friends", and his latest batch of songs--from waltz to rumba -- reflecting his life as an expatriate Englishman living in Southern California. Ian plays piano, accordion and ukulele as well as singing. The book provides top line melodies plus chord symbols for keyboard, guitar and ukulele. The accompanying CD is a treasure trove of commercial recordings of all the songs, including releases on Capitol Records and Warner Bros. Records. Other vocals are by Debbie Dawn, Corky Mayberry, and Regina Whitcomb. There's also a full description of how these songs came to be written, as well as an essay about Ian's famous uncle who wrote such evergreens as "Lady of Spain" and "Let's All Sing Like The Birdies Sing". This book takes the player inside the eclectic musical world of this Renaissance Man whom has risen from Teen Idol to Grammy Award winner, respected musicologist and author.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Whitcomb, born in England in 1941, has performed popular songs since childhood. In his late teens, he discovered ragtime and rhythm & blues. While he was a history major at Trinity College, Dublin in the early 1960s, he studied, wrote about, and played American pop music. By chance, his recording of a novelty songs he'd written, "You Turn Me On," shot him into the American Top Ten in 1965. After touring with the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys, he abandoned his career as a teen idol to concentrate on researching and performing ragtime and the music of Tin Pan Alley. The end result has been a flood of creative energy, producing a number of books, recordings, documentaries, and concerts. He has played everywhere, from the Hollywood Bowl and the Montreux Jazz Festival to shopping malls and private homes. He has contributed, on record and sheet music, his own rags and songs in the grand old Alley tradition. He was even allowed to perform on The Tonight Show, Today, and Tom Snyder. For over a decade, he spread the "word" in Southern California with his singing wife Regina.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (August 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786676345
• ISBN-13: 978-0786676347
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)