LOTTIE’S BIOGRAPHY
(updated June 26, 2010)

In 1995, friends encouraged Lottie to learn square dancing.  She convinced husband Ray to try it; they both were hooked.  They quickly learned the mainstream and plus programs and they enthusiastically began attending hoedowns right away.  As then there were five or six clubs within a few miles of their home, they danced several times weekly. Square dancing was very fulfilling; they helped with beginner dancers as often as classes were conducted, and they enjoyed traveling with friends to weekend events.
Lottie had always had a flair for entertaining.  She sang in her church choir, frequently doing "specials", and once served as youth choir director.  As a square dancer, she provided a variety of entertainment and skits for numerous events and parties.  She was affectionately known around the local square dancing community as "Lulu"(the character she sometimes personified).

In May 2000 at a local barn dance, "Lulu" surprised her friends by calling a tip with one of the local callers as a part of her act.  Not knowing that she had never called before some visiting dancers wanted to hire her to call at their club. Of course she declined, telling that she was not really a caller.  Less than a year later, Lottie called for those folks at their club: 20 people from her hometown traveled over 200 miles to attend the dance.
After that barn dance, friends encouraged Lottie to learn more records so she could call again.  One week later, she called a club night for her home club.  She received enough positive feedback to decide she wanted to become a "good" square dance caller.

She attended the LONE STAR CALLER'S COLLEGE conducted by Jon Jones, Tony Oxendine, and Jerry Story in June 2000 and again in June 2001.  In the interim, she and Ray traveled extensively to hear and learn from various established callers.  Some invited her to do guest tips.  She relied upon a beautiful singing voice to entertain, but delivered dance commands with such clarity that she soon became known in the square dance community.  She began taking bookings after six months of guest tips.   She now maintains an increasingly healthy schedule of dances involving frequent travel.
Lottie attributes much of her early success and development to coaching by these and other established callers. Each of her mentors introduced and promoted Lottie as an "up and coming" talent in the activity during her first formative years as a caller.  She sought out the help of nationally known callers; many provided  assistance and support on a variety of issues.
Lottie is a proponent of the multi-cycle teaching method.  She and Ray founded MUSIC BOX SQUARES and DIXIE SWINGIN' TEENS in their hometown (Eros, Louisiana) in 2001.  These clubs were comprised primarily of the new mainstream and plus level dancers taught by Lottie.  She taught mainstream and plus workshops at least three times annually at her home club, whose membership emphasized fun and friendliness.

  She also called for and taught classes for SAINTS 'N' CENTERS and for OUACHITA SQUARES in Monroe when not traveling.  She is now teaching and calling A program square dancing weekly for a small group of local dancers called THE A TEAM.

Lottie's teens danced both mainstream and plus with confidence.  They accompanied Lottie and Ray to several of her "away" bookings and  participated in banner raids on other clubs.  They were featured in the USDA display in Anaheim.  They helped Lottie produce a "teach" video (which was mass-produced and distributed by the USDA throughout the United States).  Lottie and Ray were assisted with their teen group by John & Alitia Becker (USDA National Youth Directors) and took a group of teens to Orlando, Florida in June 2002 where they danced at plus clubs in Florida and at a regional association dance called by Lottie in Alabama.

Lottie has called in or currently is scheduled to call in 30 states and in British Columbia, Canada.  She has called at or is scheduled to call at state conventions or regional festivals in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.  She has called at 10 National Square Dance Conventions and (by invitation) for several after parties at each.  At the 2008 Convention, she was featured vocalist for the Fashion Show audience prior to the event.  She and Ray have attended 5 Callerlab Conventions.  She was a participant in the Callerlab Foundation Caller School prior to the St. Paul Convention and in the GSI Caller school prior to the Charlotte Convention.  She is the recipient of numerous caller scholarships from various square dance organizations.  She is a member of the Texas State Callers Association and maintains BMI/ASCAP licensing as a member of Callerlab.

She is one of six vocalists on the special fund-raiser recording "When The Saints Go Marching In" under the SD5K (SquareDancers4Katrina) label produced by Grand Square, Inc. (all proceeds from this recording go to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita).   She is on the caller staff and currently records with Hi-Hat Records; her High Hat recordings include "Tennessee River" (with Buddy Weaver & Scott Bennett), "You Are My Sunshine", "Dance", "Blue Clear Sky", "Blame It On The Bossa Nova", "Coal Miner's Daughter", "Strong Enough", "My Melody of Love", "Broken Wing" and "If Heaven"; and she has recorded "Tears In Heaven" and "Sugar" under the Dance Ranch label.  She has also recorded 2 promotional CDs featuring a variety of her favorite square dance tunes and recordings.

Lottie and her clubs were featured in the inaugural issue of SQUARE DANCING TODAY magazine.
Lottie's biography has been published in AMERICAN SQUARE DANCE MAGAZINE.

Lottie and Ray host LOTTIE'S LOUISIANA HOEDOWN, an annual square and round dance weekend event which debuted in January 2003 with participants from 8 states.  The event features Lottie with other national and international callers and professional cuers. The Ghost Riders Square Dance Band first appeared at the the event in 2005, with dancers from 15 states and 1 foreign country attending.  They were featured again in 2007.

Lottie's immediate and on-going goal is to promote square dancing as a wholesome family activity and to provide square dancing fun for all ages.

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