Crossroads
Thump the Bottom
I've been playing chords and singing since the 60's so I have no problem with that, but trying to play nearly ANYTHING else while singing, is really tough.
I play pretty woman (Roy Orbison) in my show and it took for ever to get the main lick down well enough that I can play it and sing at the same time.
I always thought some of it has to do with the brain processing the licks and the speech in the same area? If they are in time with each other, I can make sense of it. But when they aren't watch out. Paint it Black still gives me nightmares.
Years ago I remember reading somewhere, Clapton said he couldn't play the lick and sing Layla at the same time. I always thought that was a misquote because I had seen him do it plenty of times.
But when you look at the video he was talking about the word Layla, not the song.
When he does the acoustic version without the lick he always sings Layla, instead of the backup singers, but when he plays the lick on electric he doesn't.
So if Clapton can't do it, maybe just some things can't be sung and played together, especially when they are different meters? Of course I guess that is all dependent on how your brain is wired.