2 Chord Songs and Non Bluesy Blues 12 Bar Songs

Trader Todd

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Hey Everybody! I've been teaching my wife,(young) kids and a few students the uke. These are all people who have never played music or stringed instruments before.

I've struggled to come up with some good 2 chords songs. For example Keep On Moving (Bob Marley's cover of I've Gotta Keep on Moving) just repeats the I and IV chord. Great way to practice getting a steady beat. Looking for other similar suggestions?!?

Also looking for some popular songs that use the 12 bar blues progression that non-blues fans would recognize and relate to. I'm a blues fanatic, but I realize not everybody is ready for a greasy Little Walter version of Temperature, so I'm thinking more of Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman kind of thing. I know there are hundreds, but I'm drawing a blank. What comes to mind?
 
Jambalaya

You Never Can Tell

Don't Mess With My Toot Toot..

C and G7.....
 
Here's some to get started.
Achy Breaky Heart Billy Ray Cyrus D A7
A horse with no name America Em D
Anyone else but you The Moldy Peaches G Cmaj7
Down in the valley D A7
Drunken sailor Am G
Eleanor Rigby The Beatles C Em
Feeling alright Traffic Dave Mason C7 F7
Fire on the mountain Greatful dead B A
Go tell aunt Rhody A E7
Hey Gyp Donovan A G
Jambalaya Hank Williams C G7
London bridge is falling down F C7
Mary had a little lamb G D7
Oh my darling Clementine C G7
Paperback writer The Beatles G7 C
Row row row your boat A E
Skip to my lou G C
Songbird Oasis G Em
What I got Sublime D G
Tom Dooley G D7
Tulsa time Don Williams E B7
Working class hero John Lennon Am G

My fav is probably C'est la vie (goes to show you never can tell, Chuck Berry). Just a I V, I usually do C G.
Folsom Prison for 12 bar.
 
Thanks CeeJay and bunnyf (kudos for sneaking in a Grateful Dead two chorder) - that's the list I was looking for! Why can I never remember this stuff?
 
And don't forget Johmmy B Goode.
 
Here is the best 2-chord song, according to me, this week anyway:

(A) Long (E7) distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee,
Help me find a party that tried to get in touch with me
She (A) could not leave a number but I know who placed the call
'Cause my (E7) uncle took a message and he wrote it on the (A) wall.

Here is another great 2-chord song but not enough people know it (which means we have work to do). A and F#m: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqk9kO089Iw
 
Good list by bunny, but horse with no name can be played using Dm and Am7, which actually turns it into a one chord song, seeing that the Am7 is just open tuning on most stock ukes.
 
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