Las Vegas Guitar Lessons
On The Acoustic

Copacabana this was a single from his album "Even Now" back in 1978. Manilow co-wrote this one with two other writers while having a conversation at the Copacabana Hotel In Rio. He scored a #8 hit and his only ever Grammy Award.

I play this one in standard tuning with a steady up and down rhythm pattern but no lead required. Play the chords Gbm, Fm, Em, A7, Dmaj7, Bm, Db7 and B7.

I Can't Smile Without You was a #1 from the "Even Now" album of 1977 and it also crossed over to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Carpenters also recorded a version but with a slightly different vibe. For the record, Barry Manilow did not write this song.

For rhythm here you can play a down down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern in standard tuning and no lead. Chords in this one are G, Em, Am, Am7, D7, Dsus, Dm, Cmaj7, G7 and a  Gmaj7.

It's A Miracle appears on the 1974 album Manilow II. The album was re-leased two more time. The song was #12 in the US on one chart and #1 on another and peaked at #1 in Canada.

More info to follow.

Autumn Of My Life was released as a single back in 1968 from Bobby Goldsboro's album Word Pictures. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.

More info on this song to follow.

Honey was the name of Goldsboro 1968n album which became the largest selling album in the world that year. The single Honey, did very well and hit # 1 in the US and and was a top 10 in several other countries.

The More I See You first hit the airwaves in 1945 and was a hit for Joy Marshall in 1966.

But that same year Chris Montez had the most success with his version with a #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, a #2 on the Easy Listening chart and a #3 in the UK. Ella Fitzgerald also recorded this song.

This one I play in standard tuning with the chords F, Gb, G, D7, Gmaj7, Am7, A#, D#, C, Cm and E7 but no lead required. For rhythm play a down down down up - up up up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Just A Gigolo was originally composed in 1928 in German but was translated over to English a year later.

Louis Prima actually combined two songs, "Just A Gigolo" and "I Ain't Got Nobody" to come up with this great result in 1956.

And in 1985, David Lee Roth put his spin on the tune and scored a #12 in the US and #7 in Canada. You'll find the track on his 1985 album "Crazy From The Heat".

For this number I play a down up down up with walking bass for a rhythm pattern but no lead required in standard tuning. The chords here are G, Am, D7, Gmaj7, G6, Edim, D, F, E7, Cm, Gb, E, A7 and a Dsus.

Going In With My Eyes Wide Open was released in 1977 as part of his debut album titled "David Soul." The single proved to be a significant success, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and achieving favorable chart positions in other countries.

The song's popularity was bolstered by Soul's recognition from his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series "Starsky & Hutch." "Going In With My Eyes Wide Open" showcased Soul's musical talents and contributed to his reputation as a dual-threat entertainer, excelling both as an actor and a musician.

Play this one in standard tuning with a few riffs and a down down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. The chords are Bm, G, A7, Gbm, Em and an A.

Silver Lady by David Soul is a well-liked single that became a hit in 1977. It was written by Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens, with Macaulay handling the production. The song reached the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart.

Before securing the number one spot, "Silver Lady" spent five weeks in the top ten, surpassing even Elvis Presley. The single also performed well in Ireland, where it stayed at number one for four weeks. It reached number five in Australia but didn't fare as strongly in the United States, peaking at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 23 on the Easy Listening chart. The song is part of David Soul's second album, titled "Playing to an Audience of One."

Interestingly, the song was featured in the 2013 film "Filth" in the UK. Overall, "Silver Lady" remains a notable song in David Soul's musical career, achieving success in various parts of the world and leaving a lasting impact.

Dream A Little Dream is an old number from 1931 and was made popular in the 60s by The Mamas And The Papas. Ella Fitzgerald recorded her version in 1957 with Louis Armstrong.

I'm not sure if she released it as a single.

I play this one in standard tuning with no lead and with a down up stop up and repeat rhythm pattern. For chords you'll need a C, Am7, Dm7, G, A7, F, Fm, G#, D#, Ab, A#m, G7, C7, Abm, Gm and a C#7.

After The Lovin was a song recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck for his 1976 album of the same name. The song reached #8 on Billboard and #5 on Cashbox.

More info soon on this song.

How Do I Stop Loving You is a beautiful song recorded back in 1987 and found on his "Remember I Love You" album.

There was only one single released from that album but this song wasn't it, but its a very popular song at live shows.

A capo 1st here is the original key in standard tuning and played with a root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. Some lead in this version with the chords Em, Cmaj7, B7, Am7, D7, G, Gb, Em/D#, Em/D/, Gmaj7, E7, Cm, Em/A, D7/C, Bm, Esus and Gm.

Love Me With All Your Heart was translated from Spanish to English and published in 1961. Ray Charles had a #1 on the Pop charts in 1964 with his version. Engelbert released his album "Legacy Of Love" in 2009 that contains this track.

He never released the song as a single.

I play this one in standard tuning with the chords C, Am, Em, F, G, G7, Dm and A7 with no lead required. Play a root down up down up root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

I'm In The Mood For Love was recorded by Langford for the 1935 movie "Every Night At Eight" and became her signature song.

Many versions have been recorded by others including Vera Lynn, Fats Domino, Brenda Lee and more.

Play this one with a capo 2nd fret in standard tuning and with some lead. Play a down up down up down and repeat rhythm pattern and use the chords Gb, G, Am7, D7, Bm, A#m, Gmaj7, Am, Dbm, Bm, E7 and a G#.

I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight was recorded by Canadian Henry Burr, a New Brunswicker who had the most hits in the decade from 1900-1910.

Burr recorded more than 12,000 songs under various names and for various labels. This song was recorded in 1925.

I played this one in standard tuning with the chords G, Edim, D7, B7, C, E7, Am, A7, D, F, Ab, G7 and with some lead. For rhythm you can play a root down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow was officially called "Over The Rainbow" and was written for the 1939 movie The Wizard Of Oz.

In 1993 Israel Kamakawiwo covered the song for his "Facing Future" album scored a #2 in the US. Eva Cassidy and Cliff Richard also covered the song. 

For chords here you'll need a C, Em, Am, F, G and an E7 in standard tuning but no lead required. Play a root down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Moon River was first recorded in 1961 by Audrey Hepburn for the movie "Breakfast At Tiffanys". Over the years artists like Andy Williams and Jerry Butler and hundreds more have recorded the song.

Jerry Butler released his version also in 1961 and had a #1 hit in New Zealand and a #3 in the US. It can be found on his album of the same name.

Some lead here with the chords D, Bm, G, D/Gb, Em, A7/A#, D7, Gm, Bm/A, Bm/Ab, A7, Dmaj7 and in standard tuning. For rhythm I play a root down up root up down up pattern.

Mambo #5 was released in 1999 from German singer Lou Bega's album "A Little Bit Of Mambo". The song was originally released as an instrumental back in 1949.

This was a monster hit reaching #1 in too many countries to list and also hit #3 in the US.

I play a capo first on this one and in drop D tuning with the chords Em, D, A, and A7. Just one riff as you play a down down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

What A Wonderful World was released in 1967 by Louis Armstrong and topped the Pop charts in the UK but due to poor promotion in the US, the song did poorly.

It appeared in the 1988 film "Good Morning Vietman" and was re-released where it reached #32 on Billboards Hot 100 chart.

The track can be found on Armstrong's album of the same name.

I play a capo 3rd fret on this one in standard tuning with a down up down up down and repeat rhythm pattern but no lead. For chords you'll need a Dmaj7, Em, D, Gbm, Em, Bm, Gb, A#, A#/A, A7, Adim, A7sus, Dmaj7/B and a Gm.

Be My Lady was a song written by Filipino songwriter Vehnee A Saturno in 1983. 

I'm not sure when Matt Monro recorded this song but the track can be found on his album "The Singers Singer".

For this number you'll play a down down up down down down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern but no lead. Chords here are G, Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Edim, Gb, Bm, Bm/A, E, Am7, D7sus, D7, D#, G#, D#m, C#, C#m, Gb, Fm, A#m D, Db and an Ab.

Everything was released as a single back in 2007 from the album "Call Me Irresponsible".

The song hit #1 in Italy and was a top 10 in many other countries. A music video was produced for the song with guest appearances by Whoopi Goldberg and Bono. 

This one can be played in standard tuning but some lead work here while playing a down up stop up down up stop up and repeat rhythm pattern. The chords here are D, E, Bb-5, A7sus4, Bm, E7, G, Gm, D7, Gb, A, B, Dbm, Ab, Dbm and an Am.

It's A Beautiful Day was the first single from his 2013 album "To Be Loved".

The song was a top 10 in several countries with it's highest charting at #3 in Finland.

Played in standard tuning but no lead here with the chords C, G, Am, F, Esus, E7, Am/G and an Fmaj7. Play a down down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Gone Fishin was first recorded back in 1950 by Arthur Godfrey, The Three Suns and Johnny Guarnieri Quintet. None of these three versions charted. A Year later Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong did a radio show in which their duet was recorded and later released, which peaked at #19.

In 1958, Pat Boone recorded a version for his album entitled "Yes Indeed".

You can play this one in standard tuning with some lead required with the chords D, E7, A7, A#, G, Gm, B7, D7 and a C7 with a root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Moody River was written by Chase Webster and was first performed as a rockabilly tune.

In 1961 Pat Boone did a more mellow version for his album "Moody River" and had a #1 hit song.

I play a capo 2nd fret on this one in standard tuning and with just a riff throughout. Play a root up down up up down up and repeat rhythm pattern with the chords G, Em, G7, C and a B7.

Speedy Gonzalas was recorded first in 1961 by David Hess and a year later picked up by Pat Boone who managed a #6 hit with the song. He put the song on his Greatest Hits album.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder was a #2 hit in the US and a #4 in Canada when it was released as a single back in 1958.

More info soon on this song.

Times Of Your Life was originally written for a commercial back in 1975 but Anka then decided to record the song and made it a hot, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

More info on this song soon.

The Candy Man was written for the 1971 movie "Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" and was sung by Aubrey Woods who was the store owner in the movie.

Sammy Davis Jr was not fond of the song but recorded it for his 1971 album "Sammy David Jr Now" and when released as a single, became his only #1 hit. 

Barry Manilow used the original vocals from Sammy and created a duet for his album in 2014 called "My Dream Duets".

I play this one in standard tuning with no lead required and a root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. The chords here are Em, A7, D, Adim, A7, Bm, Bm/A#, Bm/A, Bm/Ab, Esus, E, A7sus, G, Ddim, Db7 and a Gbm.

Then I'd Be Satisfied With Life was written by George M Cohan who passed away in 1942 at age 64. He was involved in Vaudeville and Theatre at age 8 and became a founding member of ASCAP in 1914. Tiny Tim released a version in 1967 and Sid Selvidge also covered the song, but I'm not sure which album.

For this one you can play a root down root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern with some lead required in standard tuning. For chords play A, D, G, A7, Bm, E7, Em and a Gb.

The Streets Of Cario has also been called the Arabian Riff song or the Snake Charmers song or The Poor Little Country Maid. Some have dated the song back to the 1890s but not totally sure.

Sol Bloom revived the song in the early 1900s but never copyrighted the song and was involved in music publishing in Chicago. How exactly he got involved in recording the song, I'm not sure.

I play a cap 2nd fret here in standard tuning with some lead and a root down root down and also root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. For chords play a Dm, Am, A7, C7 and an F.

Buona Sera was a number one song from Louis Prima back in 1956. Many versions have been recorded through the years including from Van Morrison, Dean Martin and The Lucky Duckies.

The band is based out of Portugal.

Played in standard tuning and some lead with down strokes and then a steady up and down with walking bass rhythm pattern. The chords here are C, G7, F and an Fm.

Deliliah was first recorded by PJ Proby in late November 1967, but hated the song so much he decided not to include it on his album. 

Tom Jones decided to record his version in Dec, a month later. Delilah was a monster smash hit for Jones, hitting #1 in many countries. This was his 6th album and the first to reach the top of the UK charts. 

This song appears on the album of the same name.

I play a light strumming followed by down up up down up down down down and repeat for the rhythm pattern. A bit of picking within the rhythm in standard tuning with the chords Em, B7, E, Am, D7, D, C and Cm.

I Believe appears on the Tom Jones album from 1967 "Live At The Talk Of The Town."

Tom Jones never released this song as a single. Deana appeared with Tom Jones on The Voice UK 2019 and performed this song with him.

A capo on the 1st fret is the original key for this one while playing the rhythm down down down up down up using some arpeggio notes, followed by down down up down up down down down later in the song. No picking and the chords needed are D, Bm, Em, A7, D, Bm/A, A7sus, A#, D#, Cm, Fm, G# and B.

It's Not Unusual was first recorded in 1964 by an unknown Tom Jones via a demo for English singer Sandie Shaw. She was impressed and persuaded that Tom keep the song and release it himself, which he did. The song launched Tom's career as he scored a #1 in the UK and a top 10 in the US.

He later used the song as his theme song for his TV series "This Is Tom Jones" which lasted several years. The song can be found on the album "Along Came Jones Its Not Unusual".

I play this one in standard tuning and a capo on the 1st fret with the rhythm pattern down down up down up down up and repeat with some riffs in the rhythm. For chords play a   Dbm, Gbm, E, A, Bm and a C.

Just Help Yourself was another monster song for Tom Jones when it was released back in 1968. It was a #1 in five countries and a top 10 in three others. 

This is actually an Italian song with completely different lyrics, so the melody was put to new English lyrics and voila. The song can be found on the album "Help Yourself".

For this one play the chords D, Em, G, A7 and a Dmaj7 with a drop D tuning. Play a root down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern with some picking and a few riffs.

Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow was released by Tom Jones back in 1977 and the song became a #1 country hit in both the US and Canada. It also reached #15 on Billboards Hot 100, making it a crossover hit.

Slim Whitman also covered this song the same year. The song hails from the album of the same name.

For chords play a G, G7, C, A7, D, D7 and Cm with a root down up root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. A few riffs required in standard tuning.

She's A Lady is a single from the 1971 album of the same name. The song hit #1 in Canada and the US. It was Tom's highest charting single based on being on several charts at the same time.

Paul Anka wrote the song and released his version a year earlier in 1970, but the Jones version became the most popular. 

No lead work in this one as you play a down down up up down up down up and repeat and some shuffle strumming later on. The chords you'll need are Em, D, Bm, A#, F, D#, G, A and a Dsus.

Set Me Free hails from the Tom Jones album of 1968 entitled "Help Yourself". The album itself did very well overall but this song was never released as a single.

The album reached #4 in the UK and #5 in the US.

I use a capo 3rd fret in standard tuning for this one. No picking with the chords D7, G, A7 and Em while playing a down down down up down up down down and repeat rhythm pattern and use some arpeggio in the first two downs.

Candida was a major hit and reached #1 in 5 countries when it hit the airwaves in 1970.

The track can be found on the album "Candida".

A capo 2nd fret is the original key here in standard tuning and just a few riff in the rhythm. For chords play a C, G, Dm, C7 and an F with a down up stop up down up stop up and repeat rhythm pattern.

Knock Three Times was not actually credited as a Tony Orlando recording but as a Dawn recording because Orlando secretly recorded the song

without his record label knowing about it as he was working for a competing label at the time as a producer/singer. The song was released as a single in 1970 from his album "Candida" and made it to #1 in several countries including the UK and the US. 

In 1971 Billy Crash Craddock took the song to #3 on the country charts.

Played with a capo 2nd fret in standard tuning there is some lead here. Play a root up down up root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern with the chords D, G, A, Em, A7 and a D7.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon hit the airwaves in 1973 and was a huge hit reaching #1 in the US and the UK.

A yellow ribbon in the 1970s meant a loved one was away on military duty or serving time in jail, and upon their return would be welcomed home. The song hails from the album "Tuneweaving".

You can play this one in standard tuning with a root down up down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern. Some lead required with the chords F, Am, Gm, C7, Cm, D7, A#m, Dm, A#7 and an Faug.

Remember When We Made These Memories was released as a single and reached #15 in the US Adult Contemporary chart and as a crossover at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song can be found on the album "Wayne Newton Now".

For rhythm here play a root down up root up down up and repeat rhythm pattern in standard tuning and with no lead. Play the chords E, E6, B7, A, Am, B7, C7, F, F6, A# and an A#m.