Songs for a dance band

[smeet]

So, a drummer friend and I have been trying for a while to get players together for a cover band that plays music that gets people dancing. Funk, R&B, disco, funk/rock, rock, pop, reggae, Latin, afrobeat, country, etc. A smattering of styles, not focused on when the songs came out, also not too focused on genre, but we want to play a variety that many different kinds of people (young/old/hip/square/whatever) would want to dance to.

We finally found a great female vocalist, and now we are bass/drums/keys/guitar/singer. We all sing backgrounds, and the keyboard player sings some lead. Everyone seems nice, talented, responsible, and enthusiastic, so I have high hopes.

We plan to start by playing in bars within a month or two, and then start looking for events, private parties, and such. I would love to hear recommendations for songs and artists you think would be good for a band such as this. We are in Los Angeles if that makes a difference.

Here’s some of the stuff we have been thinking about:
James Brown, Madonna, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Bee Gees, Village People, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Chaka Khan/Rufus, Stevie Wonder, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Lizzo, Justin Timberlake, No Doubt, Pink, Patrice Rushen, The Time, Rick James, Daft Punk, Kool and the Gang, The Temptations.

That list is maybe tilted toward funk, as that was our first thought. But I would love to hear your suggestions. Thanks!

 

[CallMeAl]

Can’t wait to hear all the great recommendations!

maybe some funkadelic? I played this with a Seattle funk band and it always slayed:

(I know, horns. Keys could cover. Or… get horns )

Best of luck sounds like a fun project!

 

[5StringBlues]

Al Green?


Love and Happiness, Let's Stay Together.

 

[smeet]

Can’t wait to hear all the great recommendations!

maybe some funkadelic? I played this with a Seattle funk band and it always slayed:

(I know, horns. Keys could cover. Or… get horns )

Best of luck sounds like a fun project!

Great idea, love me some funkadelic! And the low-key plan is to add a couple of horns if/when we are successful enough to afford it.

Al Green?

Love and Happiness, Let's Stay Together.

Excellent, thanks!

 

[AncientNoob]

I don't play in a dance band, but we do have some covers that never fail to get butts moving (a couple of them, a bit surprising.)

• A "rockified" version of I Feel Good, James Brown
• Tush, ZZ Top
• Blitzkrieg Bop and Sedated, Ramones
• Livin' After Midnight, Judas Priest
• Head Like a Hole, NiN
• Hound Dog, Elvis Presley

You can probably see my bands genre leanings, but like I said, these songs always get people dancing. The Ramones songs were a bit of a surprise to me.

 

[smeet]

I don't play in a dance band, but we do have some covers that never fail to get butts moving (a couple of them, a bit surprising.)

• A "rockified" version of I Feel Good, James Brown
• Tush, ZZ Top
• Blitzkrieg Bop and Sedated, Ramones
• Livin' After Midnight, Judas Priest
• Head Like a Hole, NiN
• Hound Dog, Elvis Presley

You can probably see my bands genre leanings, but like I said, these songs always get people dancing. The Ramones songs were a bit of a surprise to me.

Good suggestions, and they make sense. Everyone seems to like the Ramones, a bit like AC/DC.
Jailhouse Rock is another one that I thought might be cool. I am a bit surprised to hear you got such a response with Living After Midnight. Did people actually dance to that?

 

[bass12]

Rock and Roll (Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, etc.) seems to go down well with a surprisingly wide age range around here.

 

[bass12]

I’m curious about what kind of reggae and Afrobeat you’re planning on playing.

 

[smeet]

I’m curious about what kind of reggae and Afrobeat you’re planning on playing.

I don’t know a lot about either genre actually, except that I have loved a lot of what I have heard without knowing the names of the artists.

I like Sly and Robbie and I had a Black Uhuru album years ago and thought they were great. But we are probably going to lean towards stuff people know and already like, so obviously Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and, I don’t know, Peter Tosh? Who would you suggest?

Afrobeat - I saw King Sunny Ade long ago and loved it. Fela Kuti is awesome, and I assume Femi is good too. I’ve heard about Afrofunk but I haven’t delved into it yet. I love African-influenced rock like some Eno, Talking Heads’ Remain in Light, and some of Peter Gabriel’s stuff.

But please, educate me. What is musically good, what is popular among Americans, and what lies in the intersection?

 

[AncientNoob]

Good suggestions, and they make sense. Everyone seems to like the Ramones, a bit like AC/DC.
Jailhouse Rock is another one that I thought might be cool. I am a bit surprised to hear you got such a response with Living After Midnight. Did people actually dance to that?

That was another surprising one honestly. It's gone over really well, especially when we play all ages shows. My daughter is 20, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree musically at least. She comes to all of our all ages gigs, and she will frequently sit in on a few songs with one of my basses while I take a seat and "proud papa". That's one of the songs she likes to play, and she always brings a fun energy when she does.

 

[hrodbert696]

One thing I've observed is that there are some songs that by all rights should work but, for some reason, don't. You've got No Doubt on your list: we've tried Just a Girl and Hella Good and neither of them ever really seemed to get a reaction. Great songs, great grooves, but for whatever reason, at least in our market, people don't get up for them. Walk This Way is hit or miss, but Play that Funky Music is a guaranteed dance-floor filler. With Lady Gaga, Bad Romance doesn't really seem to click with people but Poker Face does. Crazy Little Thing Called Love always works.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Twist and Shout. If you play Bruno Mars, try Locked Out of Heaven. Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

 

[Deleted member 341607]

Dancin in the Street- Martha and the Vandellas

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Love Shack. I Saw Her Standing There. (Yes, Beatles. I can't explain it, but it still fills the dance floor). Tom Petty had a killer version of Little Bit of Soul. And my favorite strip-club anthem "Pour Some Sugar On Me" I swear there are women who'll get up and pretend they're pole-dancing.

 

[jthisdell]

21st of September by Earth Wind & Fire has been played at every Wedding I have been to in the past several years.

 

[bassliner50]

Boz Scaggs. Stevie Wonder.
BTW, any dancable venue will attract young ladies. Young ladies will attract money spending dudes. A profitable stategy.

 

[bassicmike]

For the type band you're putting together, people want to hear what they know, can dance to, and sing along with. You'll get the room moving.

Play a cool deep cut, and you'll get that one guy in the corner nodding his head.

Check out the websites for the songlists of other show/ event bands. You'll probably see a lot of overlap. If all the bands are playing similar material, those are the songs that work.

 

[HardNHeavy]

good list so far, now take every group and pick atleast 5-10 top songs from each.. Some will work others wont, but you'll have many songs to practice either way.

 

[bass12]

I don’t know a lot about either genre actually, except that I have loved a lot of what I have heard without knowing the names of the artists.

I like Sly and Robbie and I had a Black Uhuru album years ago and thought they were great. But we are probably going to lean towards stuff people know and already like, so obviously Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and, I don’t know, Peter Tosh? Who would you suggest?

Afrobeat - I saw King Sunny Ade long ago and loved it. Fela Kuti is awesome, and I assume Femi is good too. I’ve heard about Afrofunk but I haven’t delved into it yet. I love African-influenced rock like some Eno, Talking Heads’ Remain in Light, and some of Peter Gabriel’s stuff.

But please, educate me. What is musically good, what is popular among Americans, and what lies in the intersection?

As far as anything African is concerned you can probably just choose anything that you think will make people dance and that the band plays well. Most people, I would think, won't know individual songs anyway. So it will be more about the style in general and what is danceable. Afrobeat (Fela, Femi - King Sunny played juju, not Afrobeat) is probably as good a place to start as any (though it might sound a bit empty without horns).

Reggae has been much bigger in California than it has been where I live so it's difficult to know what might work and what might be considered super-cliché at this point. Marley is generally a safe bet because even people who aren't into reggae often still like the familiar songs. Some other possibilities reggae-wise could be Toots & The Maytals, Gregory Isaacs, Steel Pulse, Dennis Brown, Dawn Penn, Marcia Griffiths, Etana, Koffee, Queen Ifrica.

 

[coy garcia]

I've been trying to get my bandmates to do this one for years...but they think they are too cool.