Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance - Paul Elwood

It Had To Be You

“It Had to Be You” is a popular song composed by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was published on May 9, 1924. by Jerome H. Remick & Co. of New York. The Isham Jones Orchestra recorded an instrumental version of it on April 24, 1924, at Brunswick Studios, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, and it was released in July.

A version with lyrics by Gus Kahn and vocal by Marion Harris (who had signed with Brunswick in 1922) and Phil Ohman on piano was recorded for Brunswick in March 1924.

“Music is only understood when one goes away singing it and only loved when one falls asleep with it in one’s head, and finds it still there on waking up the next morning.” – Arnold Schoenberg, 1934

Paul2026-04-19T08:52:39-04:00

Desperados Waiting for a Train

“Desperados Waiting for a Train” is a song written by Guy Clark and originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker for his 1973 album Viva Terlingua. It subsequently appeared on Rita Coolidge’s 1974 album Fall into Spring, David Allan Coe’s third album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy (1974), Tom Rush’s album Ladies Love Outlaws the same year, before Clark’s own rendition was released on his first LP, 1975’s Old No. 1. Clark stated that the song is about his grandmother’s boyfriend named Jack who was a grandfather figure to him.

The American country music group the Highwaymen released it as a single in September 1985. It was the second single from the album Highwayman. The song reached #15 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Nanci Griffith recorded it for her 1998 album Other Voices Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful), accompanied by Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Eric Taylor.

Jason Isbell covered the song for Guy Clark’s induction into the 2015 Austin City Limits hall of fame ceremony.

Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time

Paul2026-04-08T18:31:05-04:00

It’s a Jungle Out There

It’s A Jungle Out There

“It’s a Jungle Out There” is a song written by Randy Newman and used as the theme song of the TV series Monk starting with its second season. In 2004, it won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. As the first season’s theme song “Monk Theme” had won the same award the previous year, Monk became the first series to have two different theme songs win an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in consecutive years. The song is not to be confused with the Harry Nilsson song of the same name from his 1975 album Duit on Mon Dei.

Paul2026-04-19T13:51:31-04:00

Blue Moon

Download the Blue Moon leadsheet

“Blue Moon” is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 that has become a standard ballad. The song was first recorded by Ted Fio Rito with Muzzy Marcellino on vocals. Other early recordings included those by Connee Boswell and by Al Bowlly in 1935. The song was a hit twice in 1949, with successful recordings in the U.S. by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.

In 1961, “Blue Moon” became an international number-one hit for the doo-wop group the Marcels, on the Billboard 100 chart and in the UK Singles Chart, and later that same year, an instrumental version by the Ventures charted at No. 54. Over the years, “Blue Moon” has been covered by many artists, including Frankie Avalon, the Beatles (as studio jam), Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Ray Stevens, Billie Holiday, Al Bowlly, Elvis Presley, Bobby Vinton, Sam Cooke, the Platters, Julie London, the Mavericks, Dean Martin, the Supremes, Showaddywaddy, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, and Rod Stewart. Bing Crosby featured […]

Paul2026-04-14T08:20:20-04:00

L.A. Freeway

“L.A. Freeway” is a song written by Guy Clark in 1970, a few months after he moved from California to Nashville, Tennessee. It was originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker for his self-titled 1972 album; his version reached #98 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” in July 1973. It was later released by Clark in 1975 on his debut album Old No. 1. It has been covered by artists including Steve Earle and Yellowstone actor Ryan Bingham.

“There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake.” – Robert Fripp

Paul2026-04-13T17:10:20-04:00

clap for the wolfman

“Clap for the Wolfman” is a song written by Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, and Kurt Winter performed by their band, the Guess Who. The song appeared on their 1974 album, Road Food. The song was ranked #84 on Billboard magazine’s Top Hot 100 songs of 1974.

Background

The song is an homage to Wolfman Jack, who is featured talking in his typical on-air DJ voice several times on the recording, including echoing Steve Miller‘s “pompatus of love” remark from his own contemporary hit The Joker. Wolfman Jack performed the song with the Guess Who in “The Midnight Special” and even in some live dates with the group. On other occasions Burton Cummings would impersonate Wolfman Jack’s voice.

“I don’t think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of TRYING to do your best.” – Townes Van Zand

Paul2026-04-13T16:53:06-04:00

New Orleans Weekend

A trip to New Orleans with Mrs. E was lots of fun and very inspiring!

According to our tour guide, if you have New Orleans in mind as a final resting place, he suggests as a first step, moving here and learning to play an instrument. The musician’s tomb in Cemetery #1 would be your last port of call. I especially like the symbolism of the blue note in the center of the cross on top. The blue note is pretty darn important!

During some down time on our last day in N’awlens I put this down- “New Orleans Weekend”. Sounds like it has a sort of French influence to me. Or maybe that’s the fried oyster po’boy I hear… This sheet music you can get here

This (and all my other music too, come to think about it) was written with musescore which is a FREE! notation software and pretty easy to get a handle on. If you like music and you want to look under the hood a little I highly recommend it.

“If you want to work consistently, you have to be a team player.” – Russell Malone

Paul2026-04-30T07:55:19-04:00

Six String Shrink

You’re never smarter for NOT knowing something

Paul2026-04-30T08:08:39-04:00

Ken lockwood Gorge

This was created on an Akai MPK mini (keyboard) and Logic Pro on the iMac.

The MPK mini is quite a useful addition to your studio equipment, especially if you don’t play keys! Using a piece of equipment like this makes digital music composition fairly easy to do. If you’re interested in making your own digital music and you want some help, just reach out!

“Music heard so deeply, that it is not heard at all, but you are the music while the music lasts.” – TS Eliot

Paul2026-04-30T07:53:25-04:00

Doom Scrollin’

Doom_Scrollin’

You ever lie in bed looking at bad news on your phones? Me too.

Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time watching short-form content or watching large quantities of user-generated content or news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. The concept was coined around 2018, and became more widespread in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) observed that the pandemic was accompanied by widespread misleading information, conspiracy theories, and false reports, which it referred to as an “infodemic”.

Surveys and studies suggest doomscrolling is predominant among youth. More specifically, research indicates that doomscrolling tends to be more common among males, individuals in younger age groups and those who actively follow political events. It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that doomscrolling can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health. Numerous reasons for doomscrolling have been cited, including negativity bias, fear of missing out, increased anxiety, and attempts at gaining control over uncertainty.

“The good teacher….knows that the best learning environment is always student-centered, never teacher-centered.” -Yvone Enoch and James Lyke

Paul2026-05-01T12:54:57-04:00

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