Written by Bennie Moten and Thamon Hayes and first recorded by Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra in 1924, “South” is a popular jazz and swing standard with well over 150 recorded versions, including the Light Crust Doughboys hit in 1940. The Doughboys were an early amalgam of fiddle-driven country music with jazz and pop elements, and featured a number of western swing luminaries over the years, including Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan, and Milton Brown. A highlight of their recording of “South” was Muryel “Zeke” Campbell’s electric guitar solo (at 1:47), which gave a thrilling jazz edge to the track. In this lesson, Matt shows you a hybrid guitar part that combines the basic melody with a harmony line similar to what one of the fiddles would have played in the Light Crust Doughboys setting. In this video, Matt shows you the A part of the song.
