November Artist’s of the Week

As part of our Island of Dance model, Suzy and I chose to feature a musical artist for each week of the year. Our four artists of the week for November are:

  • Santana
  • George Strait
  • Cher
  • Lawrence Welk

Santana

Santana

For our first November Artist of the Week we feature Carlos Santana, who is a Mexican-American guitarist, born in Aután, Jalisco in1947. You can hear his work often on Margaritaville channel 24 if you are a listener of Sirius Radio. The songs from Santana that we love most to dance to are:

  • Evil Ways (118 BPM Cha Cha Cha)
  • Smooth (118 BPM Slow Lindy/Cha Cha Cha)
  • Black Magic Woman (120 BPM Cha Cha Cha)

An interesting piece of trivia – in August of 1969 Santana brought Latin Rock Fusion to the famous American music festival known as Woodstock.

George Straight

In the world of Country Music George Strait is known as King George. He was is an American singer-songwriter who was born in Poteet Texas in 1952 and currently has over 60 number one singles to his credit. Among our favorite George Strait dance songs are:

  • I Just Want To Dance With You (118 BPM Cowboy Cha Cha)
  • Amarillo By Morning (120 BPM West Coast Swing)
  • One Night At A Time (114 BPM Georgia Peach Line Dance)

Not only is George Strait considered “pure country” his number one hobby is listed as the rodeo event “Team Roping.”

Cher

Cher is an American singer and actress who became famous as one half of the 1960s singing duo Sonny and Cher. Since her arrival on the music scene she has amassed international fame with an array of Top 10 hits and screen roles, winning an Oscar for her role in ‘Moonstruck.’ Cher was born in El Centro, CA., in 1946 and is the very definition of superstar. We particularly enjoy dancing to

  • The Beat Goes On (126 BPM Fox Trot)
  • If I Could Turn Back Time (109 BPM West Coast Swing)
  • I Got You Babe (78 BPM Slow Dance)
    • Her and Sonny’s most notable song!

An interesting piece of trivia – Cher is often referred to as the “Goddess of Pop.”

Lawrence Welk

For all you fellow Scandinavians out there we are extra proud to present Lawrence Welk as our final November Artist of the Week. Born in Strassburg, ND, in 1903 he was an American Big Band Leader, known for his accordion and his weekly TV program. The Lawrence Welk show continues to be a Sunday morning staple for many viewers who consider themselves from his era. We enjoy dancing to

  • Somewhere My Love (117 BPM Waltz)
  • Beer Barrell Polka (125 BPM Polka)
  • Bubbles In The Wine (148 BPM Swing or Two Step)

His style was called “Champagne Music” and many of his songs begin with the unmistakable sound of a cork popping and the “hissssssss” of bubbles.

Artist of the Week: Now What?

We hand picked all of these artists and songs so that you can practice to them. So, toss these songs on, and start practicing your basics! If there’s a dance you don’t know yet, check out the Island of Dance (Specifically the 90 Days to Dance program) or call us up to schedule a private lesson!

We hope you love these practice songs! Stay tuned for December’s!

Happy Dancing!