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May Releases

Posted on Wednesday May 28, 2025

It's almost the end of May, but we do have seven new releases for you, including three new patters:

"God Only Knows" was by the Beach Boys in 1966, and Renee makes another guest appearance to lend her vocals to it. "Down To The River To Pray" is an old spiritual song dating back to before the Civil War. "Dancing In The Streets" is a 1965 song from Martha and the Vandellas, while "Oktoberfest Is Coming" has a polka beat that'll liven up your fall parties!

We've released a number of patters based on classical music: Ode To Joy and Fur Elise to name a couple. "The Happy Farmer" (also known as "The Merry Peasant") comes from Robert Schumann's 1848 "Album For The Young," composed for his three daughters. The melody was used as the basis for a number of popular songs, such as "Red Wing," as well as part of the score for the 1939 movie "The Wizard Of Oz." Undoubtedly, you'll recognize it!

Several of our staff callers will be at the National Square Dance Convention in Shreveport next month, and at the USAwest Convention in Spokane the following month. Look us up!

April Releases

Posted on Wednesday April 23, 2025

Our April releases are here! Three patters and four singing calls make up this batch:

Brent Mawdsley has been busy, and has supplied harmony/background vocals on two of the four singing calls this month. We have a nice gospel number from Fine Tune / Gold Wing's Renee Ruud, and Tim Tyl gives us one of his trademark fast-paced humorous songs. Be sure to check out our patters this month, especially The Great Escape!

Memorial Day is coming up next month, so if you haven't already, check out our patriotic-themed patters and singing calls. They're listed under 4th of July, but they're good for any patriotic holiday...especially the one where we acknowledge all those who have fallen while serving their country.

March Releases

Posted on Wednesday March 26, 2025

March is nearly over, but we have six new releases for you: three patters, and three singing calls, including one re-release from the classic Red Boot library

"Make A Little Magic" is a 1980 song by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from the album of the same name. "I Ain't Never" was written by Webb Pierce and Mel Tillis and released by Pierce in 1959, then later by Tillis in 1972; both versions were hits. And Larry Marchese pulls "Dancing Through Life" from the stage play and recent motion picture musical Wicked to give us something fresh.

Please keep the family of the recently departed Tom Miller in your thoughts. Tom was a staff artist for ESP Recordings, but he lent his vocal to four titles in the Riverboat library: "Follow That Dream," "Please Help Me I'm Falling," "Say Hello" (with his great friend Bill Harrison), and "The Girl With Gardinias In Her Hair."

Our good friend Elmer Sheffield, Jr. also passed away, last month. Elmer was the owner and producer of ESP Recordings, but he had a hand (or throat) in nearly 70 Riverboat titles, including some that he originally recorded for Red Boot Records. Elmer may be gone,  but ESP is still going and still producing quality square dance music.

The 50th CALLERLAB convention is coming in April. Some of our staff will be attending. Please say hello, and let them know if you like our music!

January Releases

Posted on Thursday January 30, 2025

January is almost over, but we have eight new releases. Three are patters, and five are singing calls, including one re-release from the classic Red Boot library:

We welcome Scott Coon and Stephen Noseck to our Riverboat staff. Scott's first tune is Elvis Presley's "Hawaiian Wedding Song" from the movie "Blue Hawaii," while Stephen brings us "Stay," made famous by Maruice Williams and the Zodiacs. (Although this rendition leans more toward Jackson Browne.) "Two Sleepy People" was conceived as the followup to Bob Hope and Shirley Ross' Academy Award-winning "Thanks For The Memory" in 1938, and was a hit for Fats Waller that same year; Linda Rawlinson follows Shirley's example of performing both songs. And, of course, "Magnificent Seven" is the title song for the motion picture of the same name, from the hand of the incomparable Elmer Bernstein, who wrote so many memorable movie themes.

Groundhog Day is coming up...do you have a Groundhog Day song? I do...but I can't mention it here because it's not on Riverboat! Check out our love songs for Valentine's Day, instead! (See our Themes page, under Holidays.)

December Releases

Posted on Friday December 20, 2024

Merry Christmas! We have a bunch of releases for you, just before Santa makes his yearly run:

Erin Tennessee is a song about an Irishman coming to America and finding love in a small town, so you might think about it for St. Patrick's Day in a couple of months. Memory Lane is from a 2024 song by Old Dominion, while Swingin Doors was a Red Boot Star release based on a Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson song. And, of course, Thanks For The Memory won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1938, after Bob Hope and Shirley Ross sang it in The Big Broadcast Of 1938.

We also have a few new vocal tracks on older releases. Jason Raleigh provided a new yodeling vocal on RIV 368 - Climbing Them Golden Stairs, and Heather Reynolds added her take on RIV 1287 - Gone Gone Gone. Also, Dean Black adds a male vocal on last month's release of RIV 1414 - Boxcar Blues. As always, if you've purchased one of those titles and would like the new track, please contact Bob Elling directly.

We'll see you in the new year! (And don't forget RIV 1217 - Bringing In A Brand New Year or RIV 621 - Auld Lang Syne for New Year's Eve!)

November Releases

Posted on Friday November 15, 2024

We have ten releases for you this month, including three patters:

"Lavender's Blue" is a song introduced by Burl Ives in the 1948 Disney movie "So Dear To My Heart." (Beulah Bondi also sang a verse in the movie!) On the other hand, "It'll Never Get Old" is a brand new song written and recorded by Gene Turner, with Renee Ruud of Fine Tune / Gold Wing Music contributing a female version. She provides a similar counterpoint for Tim Tyl's vocal on "Friend For Life,"  which is a song about man's best friend by the Australian group called The Bushwackers, as well as going solo on "Boxcar Blues." There's also Jason Raleigh channeling his inner Elvis in "Suspicion," and a transposition of Dean Black from Yreka to "Detroit City."

With Christmas coming up, check out Jack O'Leary's "Christmas Sounds I Love," a version of our recent "Summer Sounds" with Christmas bells added to the mix and a merry lyric from Jack.

Happy Thanksgiving! (Maybe a good time for Meredith "The Music Man" Wilson's "May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You"  [RIV 472]...or a couple of our other Thanksgiving songs from the Holiday category on our Themes page!)

October Releases

Posted on Monday October 14, 2024

There are six releases for this month, and not one of them is spooky. One is, however, a typically hilarious Tim Tyl submission:

Check them all out, and we hope that you have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

Cheerio...I'd better be...shoveling off...
(Digby "Digger" O'Dell, the Friendly Undertaker on "The Life Of Riley")

September Releases

Posted on Tuesday September 17, 2024

Six new releases for September!

In addition, we now have a male vocal by Jason Raleigh in the original key of A for last month's release of RIV 1391 - Turn It Loose to accompany Nelda Eaton's vocal. We also have a new female vocal by guest artist Renee Ruud (courtesy of Fine Tune / Gold Wing Music) for one of our past releases, RIV 824 - Dumas Walker. As always, if you've already purchased a title and would like the new additional tracks, contact Bob Elling directly!

August Releases

Posted on Friday August 09, 2024

We have seven releases for August -- three patters and four singers, including one from the classic Red Boot library...

In addition, Nelda Eaton has added a female vocal to accompany Jack O'Leary's original on RIV 1207 - Footsteps. As always, if you've already purchased the title and would like the new track, email Bob Elling directly.

Have a great August! Labor Day is right around the corner...

July Releases

Posted on Saturday July 20, 2024

We've got 9 releases for you this month, including three patters:

Hava Nagila is a patter version of our previously-released singing call, Hava Nagila Texas Style. If you wanted to use that for patter but found it too busy, give this a try.

There are some nice harmonies by Brent Mawdsley this month, and Jason lends his vocals to a new version of John Michael Montgomery's Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident). And, of course, Tim Tyl's humor comes through with Someone Poured Ketchup On My Ice Cream. Give them a try!

June Releases

Posted on Thursday June 13, 2024

Here come our June releases, in time for the National Square Dance Convention in Milwaukee over the last week of the month:

Bob won't be at the National, but several of our callers will be. Make sure to look them up!

May Releases

Posted on Thursday May 09, 2024

We have three patters and three singing calls for you this merry month of May:

We've previously released a version of Summer Sounds (RIV 557). That was the Gold Star version from the classic Red Boot library. But this is a brand new version with lively music and a vocal by Mike Seastrom of Rhythm Records. Check it out!

Also, please give a listen to "I'm Gonna Love You Through It." I'm sure that this Martina McBride song had special meaning to Jason Raleigh when he recorded it, because of his wife Katie's battle with cancer. I know it brought tears to my eyes.

The patter "Irish Spoons" may sound familiar to you. We've released similar music in the past, as RIV 1187 - Irish Delight. However, this version has added percussion (the 'spoons' referenced in the title). We felt that the difference was significant enough to warrant a separate release.

Also, check out RIV 1191 - Sing Away The Blues in our older catalog. Nelda Eaton has just contributed a female vocal to complement Jack O'Leary's original. As always, if you've already purchased the title and would like the new tracks, contact Bob directly.

Have a great month! Memorial Day's coming up...and summer will be right on its heels!

April Releases

Posted on Friday April 19, 2024

Our April releases include two singing calls and three new patters:

If you listen to Jason's vocal on Old Rattler, you'll hear some rather realistic barking in there -- the song is about a dog, after all. We've included a separate track with the music split on the left channel and just the barks on the right, so that you can mix them in with your balance control to your preference.

Enjoy!

March Releases

Posted on Wednesday March 20, 2024

We have five new singing calls for you this month, including three re-releases from the classic Red Boot library. We also have three new patters for your enjoyment:

In addition, Jason Raleigh has contributed a vocal to our previously released patter, RIV 1341 - January 7th Jig. As always, if you've already purchased the patter and would like the new vocal track as well, contact Bob Elling directly.

Remember, the CALLERLAB Convention is coming up next week in Grapevine, TX. Hope to see some of you there -- Bob won't be attending, but some of our staff and featured callers will be.

February Releases

Posted on Wednesday February 07, 2024

Just a few releases for February...three patters and two singing calls.

While Jack lends his usual Irish touch to Galway City, Brent applies a Cajun flavor to his selection...just in time for Mardi Gras next week! And be sure to check out our new patter selections as well!

January Releases

Posted on Monday January 15, 2024

The new year has arrived, and here are our January releases for you! We're bringing you songs originally done by Taylor Swift, Don Williams and Bruce Springsteen, as well as an Irish-themed singing call and patter for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day:

"Love Story" is Larry's first recording on Riverboat, and the song comes from an original by Taylor Swift. "My Oklahoma Home" is a humorous tale done originally by both Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger, with Tim giving his recognizable upbeat, up-tempo performance. "Then It's Love" is the Don Williams tune, with a fairly full band sound backing Brent. "Let Your Light From The Lighthouse Shine On Me" is a classic gospel melody from Dean, while "In Our Magic Ship" is presented in two different keys by Jason and Nelda. And we can't forget our friend of Irish heritage, Jack O'Leary, reminding us that "There's Irish In Our Eyes!" (The "January 7th Jig" would make a good patter to accompany it!)

Valentine's Day is coming up, too -- be sure and check out Brent's and Larry's love-themed selections for that!

December Releases

Posted on Saturday December 16, 2023

Just before Christmas, we have seven fresh titles for you — three patters and four singers:

Three of the singers are Irish-themed, so you can start practicing for St. Patrick's Day. Drunken Sailor is a traditional sea chanty which was used for many years by the Irish Rovers as the closing song in their concerts, and Tim performs it with his usual exuberance. An Irishman Will Steal Your Heart Away is a song originally performed by Dennis Day, and the smiling Irishman Jack O'Leary does him proud. McNamara's Band (sometimes spelled MacNamara's Band) was probably most famously done by Bing Crosby, and Lawrence loved it so much that he nearly wore out his recording of it that he received for Christmas in eighth grade!

In addition, Sue Dellere of Rawhide Music has contributed an alternate female vocal for RIV 1066 - You Make It Feel Like Christmas to accompany Dan Nordbyes original rendition from two years ago. Give it a listen...and pick up our version of the Blake Shelton / Gwen Stefani tune if you haven't already.

Also, with New Year's Eve coming up, please don't forget RIV 621 - Auld Lang Syne and  RIV 1217 - Bringing In A Brand New Year for that occasion!

Check all of them out, and have a Merry Christmas, or any other holiday you might celebrate at this time of year!

November Releases

Posted on Monday November 20, 2023

Here come our November selections, right before Thanksgiving. If you're looking forward to St. Patrick's day next year, two of them should be right up your alley:

The two Irish-themed songs are "Sentimental Irish" by our Irish friend Jack O'Leary, and "Clancy Lowered The Boom" (made famous by Dennis Day of The Jack Benny Program). There's also a lively and humorous Pete Seeger tune from Tim Tyl, "My Get Up And Go," and a cute Chet Atkins gem, "Frog Kissin'" from Dean Black. Not to mention three patters!

In addition, Heather Reynolds has contributed a female vocal for RIV 340 - Riverboat Blues, which was originally done by ESP's Elmer Sheffield. This isn't just a female vocal to the same music, but the instrumental has been key-shifted to the female vocal range as well. As always, if you've already purchased the tune (part of the 2013 Gold package), contact Bob Elling directly to receive the new tracks.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

October Releases

Posted on Friday October 27, 2023

Trying to get our October releases up before Halloween, and just barely made it. Not that we have anything particularly Halloween-y this year, but we do have a couple of re-releases, new patters, and several new singing calls:

If you want to hear a younger-sounding Bob Elling, check out Sloop John B — he sounds ready to set sail himself! Dominique is a song originally introduced by a French singer known as The Singing Nun, and Jack includes both English and French versions. Tim provides a nicely energetic version of Lucky Lucky Lucky Me, not to be confused (as Google does) with a similarly-named song by Marvin Gaye. And Ten Guitars is a song originally done by Englebert Humperdinck, and done well by Steve.

In addition, we've had a female vocal by Heather Reynolds added to RIV 426 - The Lion Sleeps Tonight, in a slightly lower key from the original. We've also included the lower music track (with background vocals) that Heather used. As always, if you've already bought the title and would like the new tracks, contact Bob Elling directly.

Have fun on the 31st!

2023 Christmas Releases

Posted on Friday September 29, 2023

With Christmas less than three months away, we're bringing out a group of Christmas releases so that you can practice and learn them with plenty of time before the season to use them rolls around! We have three patters, a re-release from the classic Red Boot library, and a couple of brand new releases that we think you'll like:

Check out all of the patters -- "Dueling Jingle Bells" has a little bit of guitar / banjo back-and-forth reminiscent of "Dueling Banjos," and "Santa's Sleigh Ride" sounds like a lot of fun.

Speaking of "Sleigh Ride," Brent's done a great job on that song that was covered by many artists, but originally performed by the Boston Pops in 1948. Tim Tyl introduces a fun version of a cowboy's lament for someone to share his life...and Nelda gives it a turnabout! Jason Raleigh brings a Jim Reeves classic back to our lineup, while Dean Black introduces a Bing Crosby song that many might not be familiar with.

Don't forget...if you pick ten songs (including our newest ones), you can bundle them together in your cart and save 50%!

September Releases

Posted on Monday September 11, 2023

It's September, the month in which summer turns into fall, and we have seven new titles to celebrate: three patters and four singing calls...

All That Jazz features tracks in both male and female keys, with a female vocal by Heather and a male vocal by the wonderful (and recently retired from dentistry) Mike Seastrom of Rhythm Records. Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes features two harmony tracks, one with Jason's voice and one with Pam's, and several vocals including Jason alone, Pam alone, both together singing, and yodeling. And with St. Patrick's Day only six months away, there are a couple of Irish-themed patters to add to your collection!

August Releases

Posted on Tuesday August 22, 2023

We're a little late getting the August releases out because our webmaster got slightly overloaded in the past few weeks, but they're now up on the website. We have three new patters, and three new singing calls:

"Love Struck Baby" is a Stevie Ray Vaughan tune from 1983, while "Bring On The Good Times" is a 2015 song from Lisa McHugh. But surprisingly, "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" is a Dean Martin tune released in 1950 that Jason puts a bit of a country spin on. Take a listen to all of them!

Also, take a look at one of our releases from January, "My Old Home In Mayo" (RIV 1245) — Krista Baird has just supplied a great female vocal for it, to accompany Jack O'Leary's male vocal.

July (and June) Releases

Posted on Friday July 07, 2023

We have three new patters and four singing calls to run out for you in July:

Take a listen to the lively "Cactus Swing," which is Tim Tyl's first Riverboat recording...and it really suits his lively style. You also might want to check out the 1995 Canadian Film Board's amusing video of the same song.

One note on the song "Country Rhythm In Your Soul:" it was written by our own producer, Bob Elling, and he's darned proud of it. Give it a listen!

We actually did release a selection of tunes in June as well, but I completely forgot to post the news about them. Just in case you missed them, they were

May Releases

Posted on Thursday May 11, 2023

The month of May brings eight releases, one of which is from the classic Red Boot library, and one from Riverboat's pre-Internet days. There are three new patters in the batch, as well:

Please Mr. Please, if you don't recognize it, is an Olivia Newton-John Top Ten hit from 1975. The Elmer Sheffield vocal on I'm Getting High On Love is the original from the Red Boot Star release, but is recognizably and utterly Elmer. And Minnie The Moocher includes a split track with the "hi dee hi dee hi dee hi" echos of the lyrics included on the right stereo channel, just as the band echoed them back in the original Cab Calloway recording, and you can use your L-R fade control to mix as much of them in as you want.

The National Square Dance Convention is coming up next month...are you registered? Some of us are planning to be there, so say hi! (dee hi dee hi dee hi...)

April Releases

Posted on Friday March 31, 2023

It's no April Fool -- we're bringing out our April releases a day early! Four singing calls and three patters for your enjoyment:

"Scarborough Fair" includes an instrumental in the male key range, as well as the female range that Heather used. "Stop In The Name Of Love" is a well-known hit by the Supremes, while "Together Wherever We Go" is a great song from the musical "Gypsy," sung on Broadway by Ethel Merman and Jack Klugman, or in the movie by Lisa Kirk (dubbing Rosalind Russell) and Karl Malden. (Unlike Jack and Karl, however, Brent is a GREAT singer, and he and Heather do a great job on the duet!)

March Releases

Posted on Wednesday March 15, 2023

We have six new titles for you this month, including three patters...plus a new release of a long-ago Riverboat title:

The long-ago title is I Feel Love, which was the theme music from the 1974 motion picture "Benji" (remember that?). It was originally released as Riverboat 106, and Mel Wilkerson has put a nice new vocal to the Charlie Rich tune.

Brent and Heather have a great live-recorded vocal for Ain't No Mountain High Enough -- be sure to give it a listen. Also check out Jason's touching Where Do You Go?

Speaking of Jason, he's added a new alternate vocal to RIV 254 - Rocking Over. Elmer's original vocal remains, but now you can get Jason's take on it as well. And, as always, if you've already purchased the title, contact Bob Elling directly to get the new vocal track.

Hope you have a great Saint Patrick's Day -- and thank you for putting RIV 1252 - An Irish Lullaby into our Top 10 downloads for the past 12 months!

February Releases

Posted on Wednesday February 15, 2023

We've got eight new releases for the month of February, including a song that's absolutely perfect for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday:

"An Irish Lullaby" is, of course, the song made famous by Bing Crosby in the movie "Going My Way," which he also released on Decca Records. Check out Jack's vocal, and grab a copy for next month!

Also, give our new patters a listen — we think you'll like them!

January Releases

Posted on Tuesday January 24, 2023

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, we have several new releases to fit in with that theme...not to mention one that could be good for St. Valentine's day as well:

Our Irish tunes are My Old Home In Mayo, Take Me Home Johnny (both with vocals by Silver Sounds' Jack O'Leary) and Roadie (a patter based on "My Old Home In Mayo"). Check them out for the upcoming occasion!

Say It With Love was originally from an obscure 1944 movie called Swing Hostess, which contained several songs written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The picture starred "Liltin'" Martha Tilton, probably most famous for recording "And The Angels Sing" and "Loch Lomond" with the Benny Goodman orchestra. It's right up Lawrence Johnstone's alley!

You All Come might be more familiar with the shortened title "Y'all Come," recorded by a variety of artists from Bing Crosby in 1953 to Gillian Welch & David Rawlings in 2020. Mitchell and Max do their own bang-up job on our version.

Note that three of these titles are patters -- check them all out!

December Releases

Posted on Wednesday December 07, 2022

We have a few new tunes for you in this month of December at www.riverboat.com/records. They're not Christmas songs...but they might make someone a nice Christmas present! Three re-releases from the classic Red Boot library, and three patters:

Also, it's come to our attention that one of our staff callers, Nelda Eaton, has just lost her home and everything in and around it to a tornado in New Boston, TX. Luckily, she and her husband were not home at the time, but they literally have nothing left. Tony Oxendine has set up a GoFundMe for their benefit at this URL: https://gofund.me/9287d9b7. In the spirit of the season, please consider a donation to assist them!

November Releases

Posted on Friday November 18, 2022

We have several releases for you in the days before the Thanksgiving holiday, including three new patters and several songs from the classic Red Boot library:

We also have two new female vocals (with accompanying instrumentals) for two previously-released titles: RIV 245F - Those Were  The Days by Krista  Baird (in the key A), and  RIV 265B - Oh Johnny Oh by Heather Reynolds (in the key G). As usual, if you've already purchased those titles and want the new tracks, contact Bob Elling.

There's a special story behind one of this month's songs. Kati Raleigh, wife of our staff caller Jason Raleigh, has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. (A benefit dance is being organized — see this link for information on donations:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10225914845851575&set=gm.5681429128630766&idorvanity=4349848648455494) When Bob Elling found out that Kati said she wished someone would make the song "I Can Only Imagine" into a singing call, he had the music produced and called on Jason to supply the vocal. Please check it out!

More October Releases!

Posted on Thursday October 27, 2022

We have a few more releases before the end of the month: three Christmas songs (two of them patters), as well as a couple of re-releases from the classic Red Boot library...

If you don't recognize "That Christmasy Feeling," a Google search says that it was originally recorded by Johnny Cash. "Swingin'" is a John Anderson song that I remember hearing on the radio frequently in the early '80s, and Krista's singing SEVEN — count 'em, seven! — Dolly Parton songs in her medley. (And be sure to check out the Christmas patters, both these and the earlier ones you can find on our Themes page!)

Introducing Bundles! (Build your own!)

Posted on Thursday October 20, 2022

We now have a new way to save money on our music! In addition to our packages, which generally give you a 50% discount over buying the included songs as individual titles, we are giving you the opportunity to create your own package, or bundle.

Add any 10 songs to your shopping cart. When you view the cart to check out, you'll notice a new button on the cart page that lets you bundle 10 songs together for $50. Got twenty songs? Do it twice -- the bundler takes the first ten qualifying songs in the cart, each time it's run. If there aren't enough songs, it'll tell you, so you can go add more. (Note that  it only works on individual songs, not packages or CDs!)

Give it a try!

October Releases

Posted on Wednesday October 12, 2022

There's good news and bad news this month.  First, the bad news: we've had to raise our price on single releases to $10.00, across the board. But we haven't raised the price for buying singles out of our packages -- those are still at $10.00, so there's now no reason to wait for the package to come apart two years after release. The packages are still generally half the price of the cost of buying all of the contents as singles, so if you want most of the songs in the package, it's a better deal.

We are also working on implementing a 10-songs-for-$50 deal, where you pick the songs and then make your own package out of them in the cart before checkout. That should be ready before the end of the month.

We have seven new releases for you this month, including two patters, a Christmas song, and a New Year's Eve song:

'Twas The Night Before Christmas is a musical version of Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" -- although not the same music used by Jim & Marian Jordan on "Fibber McGee and Molly" or by Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. Check it out!

Gary Baker makes his Riverboat debut with a gospel song, while Brent Mawdsley contributes another nice vocal on a song set in his native Canada. Jason Raleigh brings us both a patter vocal and a yodeling demonstration -- or is it a tutorial?

Finally, Lawrence ran across a New Year's Eve song by B. B. King earlier this year and sent a suggestion in to Bob...and here it is as a singing call! That makes two New Year's Eve songs for Lawrence, along with Auld Lang Syne.

All of these are now available as singles at our website, www.riverboat.com/records, so go take a listen!

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.

July Releases

Posted on Thursday July 08, 2021

Between the National Square Dance Convention and a few other events, what should have been our June releases got pushed back to July. We have eight songs this time around, two of which are new patters, and one is a re-release from the Jay-Bar-Kay side of the classic Red Boot library:

"Nothing Could Be Finer" is a little unusual. It was originally recorded at a time when the 7 x 64-beat singing call structure was not as near-universal as it is today. Like classics such as the original "Running Bear," "Pickle Up A Doodle" and "Grand Colonel Spin," it was made for a 128-beat figure done four times. Nelda has reproduced the original figure almost exactly here, but you could also treat it as an 8 x 64-beat piece and use more standard choreography by throwing in an extra middle break. But, why? There's charm in the original!

Also, at the end of June the 12 titles in our 2019 Summer Gold package joined the main catalog as regular-price singles. Check them out!

May Releases

Posted on Sunday May 23, 2021

We're passing through May and heading toward June. Next month will bring with it the National Square Dance Convention in Jackson, MS. Will you be there? Some of us will, and we'd love to see you!

We have seven releases this month, two from the classic Red Boot library and one from the pre-Internet days of Riverboat Records:

We also have a female vocal for RIV 557 - Summer Sounds by Nelda Eaton, and one for RIV 1074 - Color My World by Australia's Elaine Davis. Plus, a typo (2022 instead of 2021) caused RIV 1136 - If Bubba Can Dance (vocal by Jason Raleigh, formerly RB 3040) to be omitted from last month's listing.

Hope your Memorial Day Weekend is a pleasant one!

April Releases

Posted on Thursday April 22, 2021

April is here, and we're starting to see some signs of life. The Pear Blossom Festival just took place in Roseburg, Oregon. California's governor is proposing to "open" the state in June, but it isn't yet completely clear what that will entail.

In the meantime, we have seven releases for you, including two new singing calls with vocals from our Japanese friends:

In addition, Ted Kennedy has supplied SSD and Advanced vocals for last month's patter release, RIV 1130 - Chicken & Dumplings. Jason Raleigh has contributed an alternate vocal for our 2014 release, RIV 376 - Waltz Across Texas. Finally, Nelda Eaton has contributed a female vocal (with music in key D) for RIV 849 - Baby I'm Burning.

Making plans to attend the National Square Dance Convention in Jackson, MS this June? Several of our staff and featured callers are planning to be there -- look them up!

March Releases

Posted on Monday March 29, 2021

We still have a couple of days left in March, and we're squeezing our March releases out just before we become April fools! We have two new patters for you, and three re-releases from the classic Red Boot library:

"Good Hearted Woman" was slated to be one of last month's releases, but a problem with the music discovered at the last minute led to it being postponed...as it turned out, by a full month.

The new patter "Cajun Drums" features two vocals by Ted Kennedy -- one with Plus choreography, and one using only the 50 calls on the SSD (Social Square Dancing) program championed so staunchly by the late Jerry Story.

Hope to see you soon!

February Releases

Posted on Sunday February 21, 2021

February is here -- the month of Edison's, Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays, Valentine's day, the Columbia and Maine disasters, and John Glenn's first orbit.We have a couple of new patters for you, and four re-releases from the classic Red Boot library:

We're welcoming Mel Wilkerson and Barry Wonson to Riverboat. Anyone who receives the "Behind The Mike" caller note service from Australia will recognize both names immediately.

Ready for March to come in like a lion this year and start us on the road to recovery!

January Releases

Posted on Wednesday January 27, 2021

It's almost February, but we're just now getting our January releases out on the website. We have a bunch of re-releases from the classic Red Boot library (including three patters), and three new singing calls...

Be sure and listen to "Be Our Guest" -- Gaku and Kumi did a bang-up job on it, with Kumi taking Mrs. Potts' part on the break.

Our 2019 Winter Gold package has also now been released as regular-cost singles.This includes songs such as "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," "Great Balls Of Fire," "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes," and "The Boys Are Back In Town."

Check them all out -- and see you next month!

Merry Christmas! December Releases

Posted on Thursday December 24, 2020

This is a bit late coming out, but we finally have our December releases up on the Riverboat website on Christmas Eve itself!

Here's wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season! Hope to see you in the coming year!

November Releases

Posted on Friday November 20, 2020

The month of November here in California has brought a tightening of restrictions on our activities, and news of the cancellation of next year's CALLERLAB convention. But we're remaining optimistic, and introducing two new singing calls and three patters:

In addition, Krista Baird has contributed a female vocal for RIV 635 - Downtown. While Krista used the same key (Eb) as the original, we're also including a new track of lower-key (C) music. As always, if you already purchased the title and want the new tracks, contact Bob.

You may also notice a few more new releases since last month. We've introduced our 2020 Autumn Gold package with 15 titles, but also the 7 titles in our 2018 Christmas package have become available as regular-priced singles, including O Holy Night, Country Christmas, At Christmas, Silver Bells, and three patters.

Have a great Thanksgiving — and please remember, only wild turkeys can fly!

Boo! Trick Or Treat! 2020 Autumn Gold Is Here!

Posted on Friday October 30, 2020

It's almost time for the ghosts and goblins to be coming out. The one time of year when wearing a mask and using music in a minor key is expected! Happy Halloween!

Our 2020 Autumn Gold package is making its debut on October 30, just before the big day. We have 15 new titles for $75, fourteen of them singing calls. As usual, you can buy individual titles from the package for $10 each.

Both Good Friends and E Mau Ke Aloha have a number of harmony options, including split tracks that let you fade the background vocals in and out with your balance control. Who Let The Dogs Out has tracks with and without the barking dogs, and Two Ol' Country Girls Like Us includes tracks with either Krista or Heather singing just their parts so you can do it as a duet. (Sorry guys, Jack and Kip didn't do that!)

Check all of these out on our Packages page, www.riverboat.com/records/packages.php

October Releases

Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2020

Our October releases are out, featuring three new singing calls, two new patters, and two songs from the classic Red Boot library:

Beauty And The Beast is, of course, the love theme from the Disney movies of the same name, sung by Angela Lansbury in the original and by Emma Thompson in the live-action remake.

Just in time to start practicing for Christmas, we have a new version of the Bing Crosby / Andrews Sisters hit Mele Kalikimaka, with Hawaiian steel guitar and sleigh bell sounds, and Max contributed a backing harmony track for it as well. And last month, we mentioned Nelda Eaton's newly contributed female version of Beethoven's Ode To Joy (RIV347) — but did we mention that both the male and female versions make a great Christmas selection as well?

And with Halloween coming up, take a gander at Bubba Mingus' Devil Woman (RIV 974) — it's a very different song from the Marty Robbins song you're probably thinking of, and a good seasonal choice!

In addition, Krista Baird has contributed a female version (key E) to the Bugs Bunny / Road Runner theme, On With The Show (RIV 329)

September Releases

Posted on Thursday September 17, 2020

Our September releases come to you just a little smoke-tinged from all the fires in Northern California. No, we're all fine here, but it's been smoky enough some days to turn mid-afternoon into twilight, with an orange coloring more suited for Halloween than September.

We have six new releases this month, including three new patters (each with vocals from multiple dance programs by Dave Eno) and two songs from the classic Red Boot library

We also have female versions for two of our previous releases:

To top it off, Aussie Tempos Recordings' Steve Turner has provided an alternate vocal for RIV 564 - Jingle Bells that has a unique Australian flavor!

As always, if you've already purchased one of the previous releases and would like the new tracks, contact Bob Elling directly.

You'll see more new releases than the six listed above if you go to our catalog page, www.riverboat.com/records/allmp3.php That's because our 2018 Autumn Gold package was just released as regular single titles. If you haven't already checked them out, this is a good time to do it!

Looking forward to the time that we can get back to dancing. Until then, stay safe and enjoy our new music!

August Releases

Posted on Saturday August 15, 2020

"We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave..."

It's been warmer than this in the past, but we're at a high point for this year right now. The Giants radio broadcast said yesterday that it had been 96 in San Francisco...almost unheard of!

With that in mind, we've got eleven titles for you this month at www.riverboat.com/records/allmp3.php: three new patters, and three from the Red Boot Library (including Jay-Bar-K):

A Whole New World is, of course, from the Disney film Aladdin (both versions, so take your pick!). Step By Step is the Whitney Houston song, not the Eddie Rabbitt one. And Butterfly was a 1957 song by Andy Williams.

Enjoy!

July Releases

Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2020

A slow month this month. Here in California, our governor has just announced a rollback in the reopening that has been taking place, so it looks like it'll be even longer before we can get back to square dancing again.

However, we do have a few titles coming out for you this month. Three new patters, a new singing call, a re-release from the classic Red Boot library, and another tune from Bubba Mingus' IAM Music catalog:

Note that "Devil Woman" is NOT the Marty Robbins song. It's a completely different song originally by Cliff Richard, and a nice fit for a Halloween dance.

Give them a listen and have some fun!

June Releases

Posted on Tuesday June 09, 2020

We have a few releases for you this month at our website, www.riverboat.com/records/allmp3.php -- two new patters, and two re-releases from the classic Red Boot library:

In addition, Brent Mawdsley has provided the vocal for the male version of last month's release RIV 964 - Annie's Song. Plus, Linda Rawlinson has contributed a female vocal (with re-keyed instrumental) for RIV 343 - So Long Red River Valley.

You can listen to samples and/or purchase at our website. The newest releases are always at the top of the listing (including package titles that have been recently released from package, as with the 2018 Summer Gold package that un-bundled last month).

As always, be sure to visit our friends at ESP and Silver Sounds!

May Releases

Posted on Sunday May 17, 2020

They say that April showers bring May flowers -- but around here, we only had about 1/2 inch of rainfall in April, and getting out to see the flowers is problematic. So we're bring you five releases this month: three new patters, plus a song from the classic Red Boot library. Plus, Bubba Mingus is bringing his "I Am Music" collection over to Riverboat, with the first one releasing this month:

Annie's Song is, of course, the late John Denver's ode to his wife. And Disney fans will immediately recognize the song behind New Beginnings.

We also have a female vocal added to one of our prior releases. Nelda Eaton has added her rendition to RIV 929 - Taste Of The Wind, with accompanying instrumental rekeyed to D. As always, if you've already purchased that title and would like the new tracks, contact Bob Elling directly.

Hoping that all of you are weathering the current difficulties, and looking forward to a return to living and calling in the near future!

April Releases

Posted on Saturday April 11, 2020

In spite of the trying times in which we find ourselves today (or, possibly, to distract us from them), we are making a few new releases in the month of April, and are also adding a couple of female versions of songs already in our catalog:

Born To Run isn't the Bruce Springsteen song; rather, it's a song introduced by Emmylou Harris and later done by Jessie Buckley in the movie "Wild Rose."

We also have a new female vocal for RIV 238 - White Lightning, done by Nelda Eaton, as well as a female version (in key F) for RIV 871 - This Is Me (the song from the movie "The Greatest Showman"), done by Krista Baird.

We hope you are all weathering this situation without serious strains. Purchasing music may not be an essential activity, but we're presenting these releases in the hope that it might help to break the monotony of sheltering at home and perhaps make things a bit more enjoyable!

February Releases

Posted on Friday February 21, 2020

In the wake of our 2020 Winter Gold package, we have four new releases for February (a singing call and three patters), plus new female versions for 4 other songs already in our catalog. The new stuff first:

The new rekeyed female versions added to the catalog: (as always, if you've already purchased any of these and want the new tracks, contact Bob)

All of these are now available on our website. www.riverboat.com/records -- to find the songs with new female versions, just use the song search function.

As always, be sure to visit our friends at ESP and Silver Sounds! Jack O'Leary at Silver Sounds has a brand new singing call for St. Patrick's day, Peggy O'Neil.

2020 Winter Gold

Posted on Friday January 24, 2020

Our newest package (it's not really a "mini" package, because there are 17 songs in it this time) is now available: 2020 Winter Gold. You'll find 16 singing calls and 1 patter, all for the price of $85 or $10 for each individual song. Several are available in both male and female keys...

This list includes songs originally done by Kenny Chesney, Bobby Darin, Sawyer Brown, Michael Bolton and Dick Van Dyke, among others — a variety of styles and energy levels, and lots of fun in the making. There are several Irish songs for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebrations, too! Check them out and add them to your repertoire!

January Releases

Posted on Monday January 13, 2020

While we'll have more music coming out near the end of the month in our 2020 Winter package, we do have a few releases for the month of January: three new patters, a new singing call, a re-release from the classic Red Boot library, and two new female versions for past Riverboat releases...

Our new female versions (including rekeyed music) are...

Also, you may have noticed a number of songs being flagged as new releases on January 1. Our 2018 January package has just been released into the catalog at our regular $7 single-title price, including

The full package is still available for $40, but you can now buy these titles as $7 singles instead of $10.

Check back here later this month for our 2020 Winter package release. And, as always, be sure to visit our friends at ESP and Silver Sounds!

December Releases

Posted on Monday December 16, 2019

We have a few non-Christmas titles coming out this month to tide you over until the New Year. A couple of new singing calls, one from the classic Red Boot library, and three patters:

One thing to be aware of: on Behind Closed Doors, the opener, break and closer are all only 32 beats rather than 64.

Yes, Kimosabe is a version of our Lone Ranger patter from the 2018 Spring Gold package, but without the strong melody line.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas season (and Hanukkah, and the other holidays that fall around this time), and our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

More Christmas Goodies!

Posted on Monday November 11, 2019

We've added a couple of female versions to our 2019 Christmas package that came out in September:

In the past month, we've also added Japanese and Swedish versions of Silent Night (RIV 1062) to the package. As always, if you've already purchased the package (or the individual titles) and would like the new tracks, contact Bob Elling directly.

We also still have last year's 2018 Christmas Gold package available, including At Christmas, Country Christmas, Silver Bells, Oh Holy Night and three holiday patters. Check both packages out on our Packages page!

In addition, two years have gone by since we released our big 2018 Gold package, and the 30 titles in that package have now been released into our regular catalog as singles for the regular $7 price. These are all of the titles between RIV 751 and RIV 780, including I Need A Hero and I Love How You Love Me.

October Releases

Posted on Thursday October 24, 2019

We're a bit late getting our October releases out, but it's not the end of the month yet! Two new singing calls with vocals from our Japanese friends, and three new patters:

Both of the singing calls include harmony tracks. Enjoy!

2019 Christmas Gold

Posted on Thursday September 19, 2019

Our 2019 mini-package of 6 Christmas songs is now available for $30, or you can buy individual titles from the package for $10 each. You'll have plenty of time to practice them up before the Christmas season comes! All 6 are singing calls this time around...

Silent Night and Oh Christmas Tree are, of course, classic Christmas carols. God Rest Ye... / Star Of Wonder is a mini-medley of two carols, with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on the opener and figures, and the chorus of "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" on the middle break and closer. Christmas Stuff is a song originally by Nathan Carter, Meet Me Under The Mistletoe was originally done by Randy Travis, and You Make It Feel Like Christmas came from Gwen Stefani. So, you have a variety of sources and styles to choose from!

Check them out at our packages page -- or, you can now see them in our main listing as well on the "All MP3s" page.

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