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Top Downloads
(as of 2022-09-28)

All TimeLast 12 MonthsLast 30 Days
  1. RIV 242 - Fur Elise (Patter)
  2. RIV 295 - Fuji Mountain Breakdown (Patter)
  3. RIV 347 - Ode To Joy
  4. RIV 243 - Fiesta (Patter)
  5. RIV 250 - YMCA
  6. RIV 308 - Sonora (Patter)
  7. RIV 322 - Riverboat Hustle (Patter)
  8. RIV 318 - Riverboat Swing (Patter)
  9. RIV 251 - Mickey Mouse
  10. RIV 292 - On Que (Patter)
  1. RIV 1160 - Sailing
  2. RIV 1108 - Beethoven's 9th (Patter)
  3. RIV 1167 - Touch Of Ireland (Patter)
  4. RIV 1180 - Sea Chanty (Patter)
  5. RIV 1182 - Barging In (Patter)
  6. RIV 1084 - Robbie's Reel (Patter)
  7. RIV 1169 - Footprints (Patter)
  8. RIV 1078 - Irish Pub
  9. RIV 1183 - Umpire, The (Patter)
  10. RIV 1186 - Johnny O'Leary (Patter)
  1. RIV 1108 - Beethoven's 9th (Patter)
  2. RIV 438 - This Little Light
  3. RIV 1031 - Little Sister
  4. RIV 482 - Riverboat Polka (Patter)
  5. RIV 1210 - Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet
  6. RIV 297 - Funky Town
  7. RIV 377 - Into Something Good
  8. RIV 430 - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
  9. RIV 487 - Good Times (Patter)
  10. RIV 794 - Paddlewheel Polka (Patter)

NOTE: RIV 1062 - Silent Night does not appear in its proper location in this listing because it had to be split up into several smaller downloads. It is currently by far the top download for the year 2019!

book cover Lois Elling

Now Available

Lois Elling's book, Teaching Clogging is now in its second edition. Buy a downloadable PDF copy here for $25

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2022 Summer Gold packge

Posted on Sunday August 14, 2022

We have a new package of songs for you this month: Riverboat 2022 Summer Gold. Twelve singing calls are included in the package, and as usual, you can buy single songs from the package for $10 each, or the entire package of twelve for $60.

If you've enjoyed either the Desert Gold or Blue Star versions of Robin Williams' "Friend Like Me" (from Disney's Aladdin — or the rendition by Will Smith in the more recent live-action version), then you'll like the companion piece "Prince Ali" from our Japanese friends Gaku, Kaz and Noriko. The same trio gives us "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" from Disney's earlier Cinderella, which was left out of the live-action remake (apart from Helena Bonham Carter singing it over the closing credits).

Our friend Jack O'Leary from Silver Sounds Music contributes several vocals to this package "Do You Remember" is a nostalgic reminiscence from the Statler Brothers, while "Weave Me The Sunshine" came from Peter, Paul and Mary. "Over The River" is a classic traditional Thanksgiving song you probably learned in elementary school, while "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" should be familiar to everyone.

ESP Recordings' Elmer Sheffield, Jr. gives us a new version of Bobby Goldsboro's "Me And Millie," and his cohort Tom Miller contributes a vocal for "Follow That Dream" from the Elvis Presley movie of the same name.

Check them out — and keep in mind that six singles are the same price as the whole package of twelve!

2022 April Gold

Posted on Friday April 22, 2022

We have a new package of ten (10) singing calls for this month: 2022 April Gold...

"Emerald City" was originally done by the Seekers, and is about the Land of Oz (Baum, not Australia), set to the tune of "Ode To Joy." Elaine Davis (who IS from Australia) provides an alternative female vocal.

"Sing Away The Blues" is not actually from the Disney movie "The Princess And The Frog," but was on an album that Disney released to accompany the movie, with songs in a similar style, and was originally recorded by the movie's star, Anika Noni Rose. It's fun!

Jason Raleigh provides a song for yodelers, "Yodeling In Heaven." It has  very simple cuesheet...provided that you can yodel! (But, as Daryl Clendenin once observed, "Good Callers Don't Have To Yodel!")

ESP's Tom Miller provides a vocal for a new take on a classic, "Please Help Me I'm Falling," while Silver Sounds' Jack O'Leary voices the Kenny Rogers classic "You Decorated My Life" from the Red Boot library.

"Pick Her Up," "Locklin's Bar," "Love Can't Ever Get Better Than This" and "Leighann Loves To Dance" are all lively, upbeat tunes to give your floor a lift.

Last, but not least, is a perfect song for the upcoming patriotic holidays: our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." We're releasing it without a reference vocal, because the staff caller assigned it hasn't been able to record...but Lawrence assures us that he'll get it done as soon as he's over his current cold, and if you purchase the song before the vocal is released, you can request it for free when it's available.

The package of ten songs is now available for $50. As always, you can buy single tunes out of the package for $10 each...but if you like four of them, you might as well spend ten dollars more and get all ten!

2022 Spring Patter Gold package

Posted on Sunday March 27, 2022

For April, we're introducing a packge of 10 new patters:

"The Frog Prince" includes a vocal by Jason Raleigh; the others are music only. There are two Irish-style patters (unfortunately, just too late for St. Patrick's Day, but you can have them ready for next year!) and one with a patriotic theme for the 4th of July.

As with all of our most recent packages, you can either buy the entire 2022 Spring Patter Gold package for one price (in this case, $50), or buy individual titles from the package for $10 each. After two years, the titles will join our regular catalog at our regular single-title price (currently $7).

Looking forward to an increase in dancing, now that the masks are off here in California!

February Releases

Posted on Thursday February 10, 2022

It's been a few months since our last releases...seems that Covid has been preventing some of our callers from getting in front of the microphone. We have three new patters and three new singing calls for you, plus three re-releases from the Red Boot library:

Give a special listen to Duke's unusual opener/break/closer sequence on "Steel Guitar And A Glass of Wine" -- it's not difficult, but it is a little different!

October Releases (on Halloween!)

Posted on Sunday October 31, 2021

It's been a couple of months since we've had any new music to post. (Although our 2019 Christmas Gold package became available as regular-priced singles in September - check it out!)

In any case, we've saved up a bit and we have 13 releases for you -- some brand new, including 3 patters, and some from the classic Red Boot library and the Riverboat archives:

If the only version of "All I Want For Christmas" you've heard is the whistling Spike Jones version, give this one a listen -- it's based on the gentle swing of Nat King Cole's recording. And with three Irish-themed tunes, you can stock up for March...even though one of them is a Christmas song! Take a look at all of them, including the haunting "Ghost Of Danny Boy" that we're posting right on Halloween!

There's also a new female vocal by Nelda Eaton on RIV 557 - Summer Sounds. But, wait — there's already a female vocal by Nelda! Well, this is a female vocal for Christmas Sounds, the winter lyrics for Summer Sounds. Check out the "E" version -- and as always, if you've already bought the title and want the new track, contact Bob Elling directly.

About Riverboat Records

Riverboat Records was purchased in the 1980s by Bob Elling in the San Francisco Bay Area. His love of both square dancing and good music has driven his dedication to create the finest square dance music available. The early years produced several square dance records using top-notch musicians, including Phil Aaberg and Norton Buffalo.

Due to the priorities of raising a family, there was no new music produced for almost 20 years. Around 2005 Bob began to teach and call square dancing to local 3rd and 4th graders once a week. He loves teaching the kids and has a desire to use music that they could relate to.

A good friend and caller, Ken Bower, encouraged Bob to start recording square dance music again, and so he did. Ken then recorded the vocal for the first "new" recording on Riverboat, Misty.

Bob enjoys producing many types of songs and especially ones appropriate for grade schoolers. Some of his more popular songs for all ages include: Mickey Mouse, Oh Johnny Oh, Y.M.C.A., Heigh Ho, Funky Town, Best Years of Our Lives, Big Pig Jig, American Land, and On With the Show. Most of these recordings include alternate choreography that can be taught in just a few minutes to kids or adults. The kids have responded with amazing enthusiasm.

In addition, there has been a great deal of support from some of the best talent in the country to bring variety and more life to the music. These fun square dance tunes are fun for both kids and adults. Bob's dream is to have this music used in the classroom by school teachers all over the world.

Riverboat Records also has modern patter music with a great dance beat. The variety of music ranges from bluegrass to funky, so there's something for everyone.

In 2010, Riverboat introduced its Gold subscription series. For just $100, a package of 20 new hoedowns and singing calls is made available exclusively to subscribers. At the end of the year those titles enter the regular Riverboat catalog and a new package is made available to Gold subscribers.

Bob would like to acknowledge the help and support that he has received from Elmer Sheffield (ESP Records), Jack O'Leary (Silver Sounds), Michael Salacuse (Circle Left Recording), Bobby Kennedy, Carl Kaye, Tracy Brown, Rich Reel, and Lawrence Johnstone. He also wants to thank his wife, Lois, for her support in this endeavour that he loves so much.

Contact Us

Riverboat Records
c/o Bob Elling
16000 Marcella St.
San Leandro, CA 94578
510-278-8621
bob.elling@gmail.com

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This page address is: riverboat.com/records/index.html
Last modified/updated on: Thursday 2017-10-26 09:15 MST
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