What's New at Chinook Records, September 2024

What's New at Chinook Records, September 2024 September 2024        Chinook  &  Hoedowner Square and Round Dance Music   SSD Lesson Number   We recently added "SSD Lesson Number" to ChinookRecords.com website. This can be helpful for your beginner dance program. You can easily find choreography based on the highest SSD Lesson (1 thru 12) in the supplied or "called" figure. You can sort on SSD Lesson Number (or any other column) by simply clicking the column heading. You can search on any column by clicking "Advanced Search". Multiple Figures for a Song   Some Chinook songs now include more than one called figure. When you select a Chinook song with multiple figures, you get all the vocals and all the cue sheets.   For example, CK-265 "Blue Skies" was released last year with a Mainstream figure. Today it has a new figure for SSD Lesson 5 and another new figure for SSD Lesson 6. Therefore "Blue Skies" has three listings in the catalog. CK-265 is Mainstream CK-265A is SSD-5 CK-265B is SSD-6   No matter which figure you choose, you get the complete download package: instrumental, all vocals, and a big cue sheet with all the figures.   But Wait, There's More! If you bought any Chinook tune back when it had just one called figure ... and if it now has multiple figures ... and if you want the additional figures .... Just drop us a line and we'll gladly send you the additional vocals and cue sheets, complimentary.   You probably wonder, "Why does Chinook Records do all this for little old me??". Simply put, we love it when your beginner dance program is successful. We especially love it when your beginners learn to dance to Chinook music. :)   The Mother of all Bargains   Wanna know where you can get the cheapest square dance music? The answer is probably "Chinook Records". The price has remained an ultra-low $6 for over 10 years. We could raise the price, but we don't.   You might wonder, "Why is Chinook music so inexpensive?" For starters, we own our recording studio and everything in it, and it's all paid for. We had successful real-world careers and thus we don't actually need to raise the price. But the main reason is that we want you to spend less on music (or perhaps spend the same but get more music).   Yes indeed, Chinook music is cheaper than most, because we want the same thing that you want. We want you to get more music for less money.   Recent Releases   You'll surely enjoy these recent releases on Chinook:   Country: A Way to Survive (CK 280) - Ray Price 1966, Gene Watson 1972 and others Country Club (CK 270) - Travis Tritt #9 hit 1989 First Taste of Texas (CK 278) - Ed Bruce 1983 Goodbye Marie (CK 283) - Bobby Goldsboro, Johnny Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers and others He's Getting Me Ready (CK 279) - Statler Brothers gospel hit 2003 Let's Get Back to Me and You (CK 281) - Alan Jackson 1994 Lot of Leavin' Left To Do (CK 272) - Dierks Bently #1 hit 2005 Love Put a Song in my Heart (CK 282) - Johnny Rodriguez #1 hit 1975 Somewhere Out In Texas (a.k.a. Texas Is Calling Me Home) (CK 273) - Ray Price 1983 Too Much Month  (CK 276) - Marty Stuart novelty song 2003 Who Left the Door to Heaven Open (CK 271) - Hank Thompson, early 1950s You and Your Sweet Love (CK 277) - Connie Smith 1969, Conway Twitty 1970 You've Got to Stand For Something (CK 275) - Aaron Tippin top ten hit, 1991   Rock and Roll: I Won't Back Down (CK 284) - Tom Petty mega-hit, 1980s. You get vocals for SSD Week 1 (Basic) and also SSD Week 10 (Mainstream) Surfin' Safari (CK 273) - Beach Boys classic, 1962   Previous release which now have additional Beginner figures and vocals: Blue Skies (CK 265) - now has three figures and vocals: Mainstream, SSD Week 5, SSD Week 6 When I'm 64 (CK 212) - now has two figures and vocals: Mainstream and SSD Week 2   Instant Happiness   If you ever need cheering up, or if you'd just like to hear some good square dance music, please surf over to chinookrecords.com and have a listen. Browsing and listening are free and enjoyable.   You just might find some great tunes and/or some great choreo you can use in your program. Your dancers will thank you for keeping things varied and interesting, your pocketbook will thank you for finding the best bargain on square dance music, and we will thank you for making Chinook Records part of your show.   With best wishes,   Doug Davis and the usual gang of mischief-makers at Chinook Records

Two Announcements (April 1) from Chinook Records

Two announcements for April 1, 2024 April 2024        Chinook  &   Hoedowner Square and Round Dance Music   TWO important announcements today from Chinook Records:   First, are you tired of dancers who can't dance what you call?   Here's the answer! Simply book The Chinook Dancers to show up at your dance! The Chinook Dancers will:   - flawlessly execute your most intricate choreography. - stay until the very end of your dance. - pretend to be friendly and sociable.   A standard booking gives you one square of expert dancers. Add-on options carry a small additional charge:   - Choose option "EARLY" and dancers show up early to help you set up. - With option "LATE" they stay late to help clean up. - Option "REFRESH": they bring refreshments.   But wait, there's more!   - Choose option "HAUL" and dancers haul your equipment in and out for you. - With option "SMILE" they smile the entire tip. - Option "HAHA": they laugh at your lame jokes.   Don't just sit there! Grab the ultimate calling experience, while you can! Book the Chinook Dancers and fill your heart with pure calling exhilaration.   There's just one tiny catch. The Chinook Dancers will dance only to Chinook or Hoedowner music. If you play any other label, they immediately leave the dance floor. Fortunately, you can easily find enough music for an entire dance at ChinookRecords.com   Available starting April 1.    = = = =   Announcement #2:   In addition to the Dance Level of each vocal, the Chinook Records website now lists the SSD Lesson Number (1 thru 12) for each SSD (Dance Level SSD-B or SSD-MS) selection.   (We sincerely thank dance leader Paul Marrs of Alabama, USA for originating the idea and for painstakingly reviewing each cuesheet to determine the SSD Lesson Number!)   Let's agree, many callers like to invent their own singing call figures. Yet some callers always use the supplied figure and never change it. Also, some groups have no caller and dance only to the vocal track.   Now that the website shows SSD Lesson Number, anyone can easily select choreography to fit your SSD beginner sessions, based on the highest SSD Lesson (1 thru 12) needed to dance the figure.   You can click on the column heading to sort by SSD Lesson. Or you can use "Advanced Search" to pinpoint your custom requirements.    = = = =   Of today's TWO announcements, at least ONE is real. But which one? There's only one way to find out. Surf over to ChinookRecords.com to browse and listen. Browsing and listening are free and enjoyable.   You just might find some great tunes you can use in your SSD beginner sessions, and/or enough tunes for an entire dance so you can book The Chinook Dancers to show up at your event.   Squarely,   Chinook Records Doug Davis Music Producer

N E W Releases from Chinook Records !

Four recent releases including Blue Skies May 2023        Chinook  &   Hoedowner Square and Round Dance Music   Greetings Fellow Square Dance Enthusiast,   We hope you agree that Chinook Records gives you great music at bargain prices! Despite rampant worldwide inflation, your cost for Chinook music remains the same low measly $6 as it has been for years.   Why does our price stay the same while all other prices go up? Well, we believe caller income nowadays either remains steady or decreases each year. We can't change world economics, yet we can still do one tiny little thing to help our square and round dance friends. We keep prices low so that you get great music for less money!   You're probably thinking, "Wow, I'm definitely in favor of high quality and low prices. How can I support this concept?". It's easy! Simply visit the website chinookrecords dot com and listen to a few tunes. Listening is fun and it's free! You just might find some new favorites that you and your dancers will enjoy!   Four recent releases for your consideration:   *********************************************************************************** "Gone Country"      CK 269   #1 hit for Alan Jackson in 1994.   **********************************************************************************   "Let the Good Times Roll"      CK 268   A jump blues song originally recorded in 1946 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. One of Jordan's best-known songs, this mid-tempo twelve-bar composition became a standard. Our version is based on BB King's 1999 album "Let The Good Times Roll".   **********************************************************************************   "Blue Skies"      CK 265   This time-proven song by Irving Berlin has been in movies and on Broadway. At the song's Broadway debut in 1926, audiences cheered wildly, demanding and receiving 24 encores!   Over the years, "Blue Skies" has been recorded by almost everyone: 1927 (Al Jolson), 1935 (Benny Goodman), 1946 (Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire), 1946 (Count Basie), 1954 (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye), 1958 (Ella Fitzgerald), 1978 (Willie Nelson, reached #1 on the charts).   Of course, all Chinook customers are far too young to remember any of the above. :)   "Blue Skies" is already a hit in the future! In the year 2390, both Commander Data and his brother sing the tune in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis. The song appears in various episodes of the 2020 TV series Star Trek: Picard. We challenge you to find any other square dance song available today that will, for a fact, still be popular 370 years from now.   Most square dance versions of "Blue Skies" are relaxed ballads. Our version is more energetic. We think you'll really get into the upbeat rendition of this timeless standard. Give it a listen!   **********************************************************************************   "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"      CK 267   Written by legendary American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, the song was first released in 1976 as a duet (Chet Atkins and Dolly). Parton performed the song live throughout the 1970s. She released her solo version in 1982.    **********************************************************************************   Thank you for bringing variety and joy to your dancers by choosing Chinook Music, and continued congratulations to you for finding the very most bang for your music buck. Visit us at chinookrecords dot com to get safe secure shopping and instant downloads of MP3s. Squarely, Doug Davis Music Producer Chinook Records 18825 North Dunn Road, Colbert, WA 99005

Calling Tips from Chinook Records - F.A.B.

Want more dancers in your club? Use FAB! Want more dancers in your club?  Use FAB!    What is FAB? FAB is a proven selling technique whose initial letters mean:  F = Feature  A = Advantage  B = Benefit A FEATURE is what the product "is". Square dance ads often mention only features: exercise, fun, friends, music. Features are easy to identify. Most features are nouns. While square dancing indeed offers many great features, persuasion requires much more than just features. An ADVANTAGE is what the product "does". Sometimes an advantage compares your product to competing products. Advantages are often modifiers: faster, better, friendlier. For example, square dancing is not just exercise: it's fun exercise. Square dancing isn't just friends: it's lifelong friends. Advantages are great, but persuasion requires more than just advantages. A BENEFIT is what the Feature and Advantage will do FOR YOU. Benefits explain the main thing your prospect wants to know: "What's in it for ME?". Benefits sell People buy benefits. Think about a store selling beds. But nobody actually wants a bed. People buy a bed to get the benefit they want: a good night's sleep. Likewise, nobody wants to buy "exercise". They don't even want "fun exercise". Instead, "at the annual office party, I want to look better than that flirty girl from accounting". Nobody wants "music". They don't even want "a wide variety of music". Instead, they want to "feel your stress melt away while you sing or hum along to your favorite songs from past and present". Benefits make it personal. Benefits make it persuasive. Benefits spell out what the product actually does ... for ... YOU. Take a good honest look at your square dance advertisements. Surely you will see many Features. Square dancing is exercise, music, friends, a mental challenge, fun, sociability, etc. Occasionally you'll see Advantages: easier exercise, all kinds of music, more fun than other activities. How often do you see Benefits in square dance ads? How often do we describe what square dancing does for the reader? Can you come up with ways to put yourself in their shoes, and describe exactly what square dancing will do for them? Examples: You'll be happy. You'll feel energized. You'll feel a closer tie to your community. You'll look better. You'll get (or stay) in shape the FUN way. et cetera What is BAF? Let's step FAB up a notch and talk about BAF. BAF is Benefit-Advantage-Feature. It's the same as FAB, except BAF mentions the benefit first. With today's short attention spans, it makes sense to mention the benefit early in the conversation. FAB example:  - Feature: Appalachian Mountain Girl on Chinook Records features an authentic bluegrass band.  - Advantage: Live instruments stir up more down-home happy energy than synthetic instruments.  - Benefit: You'll have happier dancers and they will admire your keen ear for good music. Same thing, except BAF:  - Benefit: Do you want happy dancers who admire your good taste in music?  - Advantage: Choose music recorded by a live band and specifically produced for square dancing.  - Feature: Appalachian Mountain Girl on Chinook Records features a real bluegrass band. The guitarist is Doug Davis, owner/producer of Chinook Records. Don't delay! Get your copy right now at www.chinookrecords.com  Other BAF examples: Want a memorable and fun night out, while spending none of your hard-earned money? Come to our once-a-year Free Community Dance! Tired of feeling tired? Gain energy, balance and ease of movement, the fun and exciting way, through American Square Dancing. Looking for a fun exercise so you can get (or stay) in shape with your partner or your whole family (ages 11 and up)? Square dancing is good, clean, all-American fun. You can try it yourself, next Tuesday evening. When's the last time you made a new friend? The average adult has made zero new friends in the past five years. Would you like to easily rise above that average? What's in it for me? People don't buy features or advantages. They buy benefits. So, start spouting benefits! Instead of describing what square dancing is, describe what it does, and specifically, what it does for your prospect: Look more toned and attractive. Have more friends. Enjoy life more. Become mentally sharper. Proudly support your local community. Improve your health. Get FAB Would you like more people at  your beginner sessions? Focus on benefits! Every time you talk to people about square dancing (whether in person, social media, advertising, etc.) think FAB, and focus on the benefit. Explain what square dancing will actually do for your prospect.   FAB. Feature. Advantage. Benefit. Features Tell. Benefits Sell !     From your friends at Chinook Records Chinook Records 18825 North Dunn Road, Colbert, WA 99005

One-Two-FREE Sale at Chinook Records continues until December 31

Buy any two songs at the regular low price. Then your third song is FREE. Dear caller, Chinook Records One-Two-Free sale continues until December 31. Purchase two selections at regular price, then your third selection is FREE ! If you're curious about exactly when is 'the last minute', the promotion ends at midnight on New Years Eve, Hawaii Time (GMT - 10 ). Why wait until the last minute?  Surf to www.chinookrecords.com right now and choose your freebie(s). Happy Calling! Doug Davis, owner and producer Chinook Records ( You received this one-time-only message because you bought music from chinookrecords.com and/or subscribed to the Chinook Calling Tips newsletter. ) Chinook Records 18825 North Dunn Road, Colbert, WA 99005

One-Two-FREE sale at ChinookRecords.com

Buy any two songs at the regular low price. Then your third song is FREE. Dear caller, Here's something new from Chinook Records: our first-ever Customer Appreciation Sale! For a limited time, purchase two selections at regular price, then your third selection is FREE ! Chinook Records always brings you high-quality music at the lowest price on the internet: just six dollars per tune. To make your holidays brighter, our One-Two-FREE sale nets out to a crazy ultra-low four dollars per song! (because after you purchase 2 songs for 12 dollars, your 3rd selection is free.)   Surf to www.chinookrecords.com right now and choose your freebie(s). Happy Calling! Doug Davis, owner and producer Chinook Records ( You received this message because you bought music from chinookrecords.com and/or received the Chinook Calling Tips newsletter. ) Chinook Records 18825 North Dunn Road, Colbert, WA 99005

Hints and Techniques for Square Dance Callers (April 1, 2017)

Let's celebrate April with several hints and techniques for better calling.

Memory Calling

Has this ever happened to you? You're calling a song. Things start out great. But near the end of the song, you forget the words. This common problem has a simple solution. When learning a new song, play the music backward. That way, you can practice the end of the song first, and it will remain fresher in your mind.

Showmanship

Would you like to express more emotion and feeling in your singing calls? You probably already use facial expressions such as smiling. But do you move your eyebrows enough? Eyebrow movements transmit tremendous meaning. Raise both eyebrows, or just one, and the message speaks louder than words. Practice your eyebrow movements often.

Recruiting

Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam where everyone slowly creeps along? And when you eventually get to the front of the blockage, you discover that the huge line was caused by one stalled car on the roadside? Clearly, people consider the sight of a stalled car irresistibly appealing. They'll wait in line for HOURS just to catch a glimpse. This basic human urge can help you recruit new dancers. At your next open house, park a stalled car inside the dance hall. People will line up for miles just to see it.

Teaching

Do you teach by definition? Consider the plus call "anything and Roll". The definition requires you to turn an additional one-quarter (90 degrees) in the direction you were already going. Consider, from Ocean Waves, "All 8 Circulate ... and Roll". The original outfacers walk a curved path, so they "roll" by facing right or left. But what about the original infacers who walked straight ahead? They are required to rotate one-quarter more ... but HOW? There's only ONE answer: they must fall to the ground, flat on their face.

Styling

Consider the call "Right and Left Grand, Every Other Girl with Every Other Hand". Your dancers probably do an ordinary Right and Left Grand. But that's so wrong. Here's the correct way: do a RIGHT Pull-by with your partner. IGNORE THE VERY NEXT PERSON (thus satisfying the "Every Other Girl" directive). Now give a LEFT (thus satisfying "Every Other Hand") Pull-By to the next person (i.e. your original opposite). Ignore the next, give a RIGHT to the next, etc. It takes TWO trips around the square (four pull-bys and four "ignores") to properly dance "Every Other Girl with Every Other Hand".

Choreography

Be very careful with Mini-Waves. Let's review. An Ocean Wave is "a formation of THREE or more dancers". And a mini-wave is "an Ocean Wave consisting of TWO dancers". Combine the two equations: a mini-wave is a formation of THREE or more dancers, consisting of TWO dancers. Huh?? Three dancers suddenly become two dancers?? That's a huge problem! A mini-wave makes dancers disappear! Experts have long puzzled over the continued decline in dancer population. Now we know why. Mini-waves make dancers disappear. Stop using mini-waves.

Speaker Placement

Race car drivers already know this trick. It's called "slip-streaming". Whenever you use two speakers, place one speaker directly in front of the other. Sound from the first speaker clears a path so that sound from the second speaker can follow along smoothly in the wake. Make sure to alternate your speakers, i.e. the front speaker this time becomes the back speaker next time, so that your speakers will wear evenly.

Go Green

Save energy. Set your amplifier to the lowest possible volume. Of course you'll need to yell into the microphone, but that's a small price to pay for being eco-friendly.

Dancers Moving to Higher Levels

We bemoan the fact that dancers want to move up to higher levels, yet callers are to blame. How often do callers tell dancers to "move up"? We tell them to Square UP, Circle UP four, dance UP to the middle and back, Spin the Top and the Boys Move UP, etc. Callers constantly tell dancers to move UP, and then we're mystified when they actually do move UP. To nullify the "move up" effect, simply call "Chain DOWN the line" more often.

Voice Effectiveness

It's important to grab people's attention so they will listen carefully. Fact: the sound of a crying baby is impossible to ignore. So ... when you call intricate choreography, and you want dancers to pay close attention, punctuate each command by screaming like a baby who needs a diaper change. Your dancers will listen better and thus they will dance better.

Music

Chinook Records, headquartered in Washington state, partnered with another state resident: ultra-billionaire Bill Gates. He agreed to give One Million Dollars (if you're Bill Gates, that's merely pocket change) to one lucky Chinook Records customer. To earn your chance at a cool million, visit Chinook Records website ( www.chinookrecords.com ) and buy music. The more you buy, the bigger your chance to win. You saw this announcement on the internet, therefore you know it's true. Forward this to all your friends.

April Fools

Happy April Fools Day from Chinook Records!