UkerDrew
Well-known member
Rob suggested this theme a while back and it stuck with me. Looking back on my submissions over the years I find one artist keeps cropping up, and that is Chuck Brodsky.
Chuck Brodsky is a storyteller, songwriter, troubadour, and a modern day bard. His songs rarely contain much more than him singing and playing his guitar. They are typically simple I IV V and relative minor affairs with mostly verses, the occasional chorus and rarely a bridge.
He uses a capo to change keys on his guitar and mostly prefers chord positions that would translate to C / F / G on the ukulele, G / C / D or D7 on the guitar.
Chuck plays with a syncopated strumming or finger picking style that is difficult to master but easy to approximate. This makes the songs approachable, easy to learn and they translate very well to the ukulele.
This simplicity in instrumentation and in song construction places the focus squarely on his stories. And oh what stories! Most of his songs are based on real persons and events, both historical and contemporary.
They are stories of oddball and underdog characters. His songs celebrate the goodness in people — the eccentric, holy, profound, courageous, inspiring, and the beautiful. They poke fun at what needs to be poked, and sometimes they challenge.
Now I know most if not all of you will be unfamiliar with Brodsky and his music. I am providing a lot of resources this week because you won't be able to find chord charts or lyrics to his songs online.
#1 - The Lyrics I am providing a link my Google Drive collection of his song lyrics. Peruse it and look for an interesting title. Take a peek at the lyrics if they don't grab your imagination right there, try another. When you find one that looks interesting, proceed to step 2
#2 - The Music - There are a number of videos of chuck on youtube. You can find almost his entire discography is available to listen to on Spotify. You can also listen to most of his songs directly on his own website. The links for all of this will be in Post #2
#3 - The Chords - I am trying to provide chords in all of them but some are still in progress. Figuring out the chords is usually pretty simple so you can do it yourself. If you get stuck I am happy to update that song sheet and will let you know when I have added the chords and you can download it again.
#4 - Original Songs - Original songs are most welcome. In honor of Chuck's style, keep them simple with just you and your uke. The song should tell a story about people or events in a personal way and attempt to adopt his ballad like song structure if possible.
#5 - Songs about Baseball - Chuck is also known for his collection of baseball ballads. Brodsky's favorite subject is baseball. He has at least two albums worth of ballads just about this subject. It's a rich vein of material full of amazing stories and characters. If you like, you can cover or write songs about baseball as well. A brief Google search will turn up quite a few. Centerfield by John Fogerty, The Bug by Mark Knopfler, Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen, All the Way by Eddie Vedder, Cheap Seats by Alabama, Catfish by Bob Dylan... you get the picture. If it's about the game of baseball - it fits.
#6 - Limits Etc - There is no song limit this week. The unfamiliar artist and material will probably limit most to a song or two, but I am looking for as many songs as possible which celebrate Chuck's unique style. Multi-tracks are welcome but not necessary. Chuck makes do with just his voice and guitar and we can too!
#7 Prizes - First prize (original or cover) is a Hilo vintage soprano ukulele circa early 60's. This uke was made in West Germany by Bruko and is light as a feather but is very loud! Second prize is a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Third Prize is a $10 Amazon gift code
That's it folks! Links in post #2
Chuck Brodsky is a storyteller, songwriter, troubadour, and a modern day bard. His songs rarely contain much more than him singing and playing his guitar. They are typically simple I IV V and relative minor affairs with mostly verses, the occasional chorus and rarely a bridge.
He uses a capo to change keys on his guitar and mostly prefers chord positions that would translate to C / F / G on the ukulele, G / C / D or D7 on the guitar.
Chuck plays with a syncopated strumming or finger picking style that is difficult to master but easy to approximate. This makes the songs approachable, easy to learn and they translate very well to the ukulele.
This simplicity in instrumentation and in song construction places the focus squarely on his stories. And oh what stories! Most of his songs are based on real persons and events, both historical and contemporary.
They are stories of oddball and underdog characters. His songs celebrate the goodness in people — the eccentric, holy, profound, courageous, inspiring, and the beautiful. They poke fun at what needs to be poked, and sometimes they challenge.
Now I know most if not all of you will be unfamiliar with Brodsky and his music. I am providing a lot of resources this week because you won't be able to find chord charts or lyrics to his songs online.
#1 - The Lyrics I am providing a link my Google Drive collection of his song lyrics. Peruse it and look for an interesting title. Take a peek at the lyrics if they don't grab your imagination right there, try another. When you find one that looks interesting, proceed to step 2
#2 - The Music - There are a number of videos of chuck on youtube. You can find almost his entire discography is available to listen to on Spotify. You can also listen to most of his songs directly on his own website. The links for all of this will be in Post #2
#3 - The Chords - I am trying to provide chords in all of them but some are still in progress. Figuring out the chords is usually pretty simple so you can do it yourself. If you get stuck I am happy to update that song sheet and will let you know when I have added the chords and you can download it again.
#4 - Original Songs - Original songs are most welcome. In honor of Chuck's style, keep them simple with just you and your uke. The song should tell a story about people or events in a personal way and attempt to adopt his ballad like song structure if possible.
#5 - Songs about Baseball - Chuck is also known for his collection of baseball ballads. Brodsky's favorite subject is baseball. He has at least two albums worth of ballads just about this subject. It's a rich vein of material full of amazing stories and characters. If you like, you can cover or write songs about baseball as well. A brief Google search will turn up quite a few. Centerfield by John Fogerty, The Bug by Mark Knopfler, Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen, All the Way by Eddie Vedder, Cheap Seats by Alabama, Catfish by Bob Dylan... you get the picture. If it's about the game of baseball - it fits.
#6 - Limits Etc - There is no song limit this week. The unfamiliar artist and material will probably limit most to a song or two, but I am looking for as many songs as possible which celebrate Chuck's unique style. Multi-tracks are welcome but not necessary. Chuck makes do with just his voice and guitar and we can too!
#7 Prizes - First prize (original or cover) is a Hilo vintage soprano ukulele circa early 60's. This uke was made in West Germany by Bruko and is light as a feather but is very loud! Second prize is a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Third Prize is a $10 Amazon gift code
That's it folks! Links in post #2
