The Floridians, Karen and Bounce, were back in New York just in time for some exceedingly-hot weather, bringing another Florida pal, Mimi, with them. It's Mimi's first time with us, but she plays down there. Also present were Larry, Jack, Joe, Bill, Arlene, Sam, Scott, Charles, Vin, Jen and Ken. We played songs that mentioned booze and/or brawling.

1. Bottle of Wine, Tom Paxton, 1967 (Arlene)

One of Paxton's better-known compositions, most of us didn't know it, but it was easy enough that we played it all right.

2. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Elton John, 1973 (Charles)

This was my favorite song of the night. It sounded great on the verses and choruses. It was the brief transitions between those that threw us. I just tried it again. On one transition, it was a simple Dm, played on the drawn-out "Ohhhhhh.....," sung just before "Don't give us none of your aggravation." That was a matter of our timing being slightly off, but nothing that couldn't be corrected. The other transition started with an Eb and had a bunch of chords requiring fast changes. I bet that could be simplified and still sound good. This is one of Elton John's full-throttle rockers, a big hit when I started ninth grade. (In order to add to our sound, Bill fashioned and played a kazoo/funnel contraption.)

3. In Heaven There Is No Beer, 1956 (Jen)

It's a polka, describing Heaven as a place where there is no fun because nobody is drinking. The atheists ought to use this song as a recruitment tool.

4 & 5. Rheingold and Schaefer beer jingles (Dan) (paper handout)

All through the sixties and into the seventies, these brands had ads on TV and radio, along with Schlitz, Ballantine and Miller High Life, and they all had good songs, imprinted on my brain, even 45 years later, due to constant repetition. It took the behemoth Budweiser of St. Louis to arrive in New York and displace all these old favorites in the early seventies. (Budweiser is now owned by the Belgians.)

6. Drunken Sailor aka "What Shall We Do with a/the Drunken Sailor?" (Vin)

Oddly, in all the past jams we've never sang a sea shanty before. This one played pretty well. Maybe this should be a future theme night?

7. Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas, 1974 (Ken)

Surprisingly easy: D to Em7, never varying.

8. Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffet, 1977 (Scott/Sam)

We couldn't miss on this one, and we had three actual Key Westonians to help.

9. The Philosopher Song, Eric Idle (1970) (Dan) (paper - video)

I take great pleasure in singing this nonsense song. It's one of the few I can do without the chords in front of me (though I do use them if I have them.) Only three chords.

10. Six Pack to Go, Hank Thompson, 1960 (Bill)

Bill sang this country song. It was another we didn't know but we all played it fine. Quite straightforward.

11. Cracklin' Rosie, Neil Diamond, 1970 (Dan)

This was a pick of Vin's back in April when doing a flower and plant theme. We made no mistakes except not knowing how to end it.

12. Whiskey in the Jar, The Dubliners, 1967 (Jack)

Jack sang this Irish drinking song. Those Irish ought to stop writing so many songs about drunkenness. They're going to start to get a reputation.

13. Don't Know Why, Norah Jones, 2002 (Ken)

What a gorgeous song. Ken sang it. There was a B augmented (B+) and a D suspended 4 (Dsus4) to learn, but it is not impossible.

14. Honky Tonk Women, Rolling Stones, 1969 (Dan)

Mick Jagger often has problems with his diction. Maybe it's the English accent colliding with the American, southern persona he affects that makes him unintelligible. I was probably 50 years old before I found out that in the first line of this song he's slurring about "a gin-soaked barroom queen." Mick, you're going to have to speak more clearly if you hope to have success in this rock and roll business.

15. All of Me, 1931 (Larry)

There's the nasty little F# diminished on this one that only a Mongolian contortionist could play. I may have mentioned it before that a cheat is to substitute a B7, as long as you don't hit the A string, thus: G string 2nd fret, E string 2nd fret, and C string 3rd fret.

16. Ain't That A Shame, Antoine "Fats" Domino, 1955 (Larry)

This song and the previous one had nothing to do with alcohol. Larry said he doesn't know why he picked these. He just got distracted. Ken suggested that maybe Larry got the instructions for the theme wrong. Instead of picking songs ABOUT drinking, Larry picked songs WHILE drinking. (It's a common mistake.)

For our next session, Vin had a primo idea: ONE-HIT WONDERS, or The Great Disappearing Acts of Rock and Roll. These are folks who came onto the scene with a splash, had a big seller, a song which was on everyone's lips, then proceeded to never be heard from again, perhaps stuck in an insurance office or driving a UPS truck.

There were so many such bands and artists that we could fill up two sessions with their songs. Who could forget Sammy Johns, Robert John, the Joe Jeffrey Group, the Jaynetts, the Jarmels or Jaggerz? (And those are just the Js.) For people of a certain age (my age), look up these names and I bet you'll recognize the hit records they made.

-- Dan.