George Whitfield Solo Gigs
My solo gigs fall into various categories depending on what I’m doing: My solo performances are usually billed as “George Whitfield, Singer and Accordion Player” or just “George Whitfield”.
Music for Restaurants, Bars, Parties and Weddings
I sing hundreds of well-known songs from Abba to ZZ Top! The accordion makes a brilliant accompanying instrument and through my quality PA system the result is a big sound for a solo artist. With my large repertoire I can cater for most tastes without needing any music.
Here is a video of me playing “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”
Art Gigs
This is where I get to play what I want to! I write loads of songs and my art gigs tend to be a mixture of my own stuff and other songs that I’ve arranged to sing with an accordion accompaniment. I also play and sing with my homemade slide guitars. I don’t play much folk at these gigs – it tends to lean more towards a kind of “one man Pink Floyd” and yes I do sometimes cover Comfortably Numb.
Here is a video of me playing my own song “Flowers by the Road”
Interactive Sessions and Concerts for Care Homes.
I do a lot of these and there is a page about it here. I have loads of tambourines, sleigh bells, maracas, castanets, shakers and other percussion which I hand out to liven up my shows. I know hundreds of songs by heart and love to do requests wherever possible. Learning all these great songs has been a terrific education for me too – you get a much better insight into how a song works by singing it than just listening!