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Written by Shauna
Holiday Release "Stretchy Pants"
We all already know what an inspirational leader that Patty Greene can be. On November 10th she made the following post on social media (as part of her gratitude series): “Today, the older I get, the more I am thankful for stretchy pants. They hardly ever let me down and are always there for me. Just sayin' ”
On November 11, Carrie Underwood released a brand new song and video titled “Stretchy Pants.” Coincidence? No way. Clearly, Carrie was so inspired by Patty’s gratitude that she immediately went into production mode to have her release AND video ready for the world within 24 hours.
How could we do anything less than reserve the song and create a new holiday singing call, celebrating something that beautifully embraces all holidays and holiday celebrations? The wonderfully inclusive tradition of ”Stretchy Pants!” (Even Twiggy can appreciate them during the holidays.)
Of course, we HAD to let Patty record the vocal for the female range. Anything else would have thrown pie in the face of her inspiration. In hindsight, probably not a good analogy, but you get the point. As always, Patty did a great job with her vocal, and Jimmy and I had a little fun (maybe a lot) with the background vocals.
My favorite caller-on-sabbatical and I spent all of 15 seconds discussing who was the right choice for the male vocal. By the 16th second we already had Mike Seastrom on the phone. HUGE thanks to Wade Driver and Rhythm Records for lending Mike’s talent to Chic Recordings. You all have to agree that he knocked this fun song out of the park! So much fun having Mike and Lisa in the studio with us for a few hours. Of course, Jimmy and I added our BGV fun to this track as well.
CHIC 1073 in the male vocal range features the vocal by Mike Seastrom, courtesy of Rhythm Records.
CHIC 2073 in the female vocal range features Staff Caller, Patty Greene.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
October Release "455 Rocket"
“455 Rocket” was recorded by Kathy Mattea and released in 1997 as the first single from her “Love Travels” album. From Wikipedia: “The song is about someone who buys a used Oldsmobile with a powerful 455 V8 engine. Despite its flaws, which include a leaky roof and excessive noise, they enjoy racing and winning against local car enthusiasts. During one race, though, the car skids on a curve and crashes through a guardrail and ends up so badly damaged it has to be towed away.”
This song has been on the list of possible singing calls for YEARS. Probably 15 or 20 years before Chic Recordings was born, since it was transferred from a wish list started by Vic before we were married. Although on the list for so long, timing is everything, and the timing had just not been right to pull the trigger on production. The number one reason on the list was the need for a Dobro. The resonator guitar sound was needed for us to be true to the song and we just didn’t have the connection to a player in our bag of tricks.
Enter Matt Workman. Matt is a gifted musician who married my niece a few years back. Matt and Emily have been living in Nashville the past few years while Matt was working the music scene there. He had enough success to be playing on the road with an act that was opening for the likes of Ronnie Milsap, and performing at the Opry and the Ryman while home in Nashville. The shutdown of the pandemic brought Matt and Emily back to California and Nashville’s loss became Chic Recording’s gain! Matt nailed the Dobro tracks, and we had the bonus of he and Emily (who frequently sing together) recording the background vocals.
The second, and just as important, hurdle was the need for a harmonica in this song. Again, timing is everything. I had just returned from visiting a studio session in Nashville with Wade (for Rhythm Records) and I made contact with the studio harp player, Mike Schrimpf, while I was there. Mike gladly agreed to lay down the harp tracks (in TWO keys) and returned his tracks to us within 24 hours of receiving ours. One listen, and you’ll know he nailed it, too!
A few years back, Hunter Keller called me to suggest “455 Rocket” as a singing call for Chic Recordings. I chuckled a little as I explained that it had been on the list for years. So, once the rest of the puzzle pieces fell into place (and with Vic in retired status), we invited Hunter to record the vocal. Hunter appears courtesy of Royal Records and, as always, delivers a stellar vocal. You can hear how much he loves the song in the recording.
The female key was recorded by Kristy Williams who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Kristy started calling in 2010, and already has one recording (on Silver Eagle Records) under her belt. I heard her call and sing during the National Square Dance Convention in Jackson, MS this past June and immediately offered her an opportunity to record a guest vocal for Chic. One listen, and you’ll hear why! She NAILED this song! Guaranteed, you’ll be hearing more from Kristy.
CHIC 1072 in the male vocal range features a vocal by the Hunter Keller, courtesy of Royal Records.
CHIC 2072 in the female vocal range features Kristy Williams of Louisville, KY.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Anniversary Release "Man Smart, Woman Smarter"
Is it possible that Chic Recordings is celebrating six years? It's true! It's true. We are so grateful for all the amazing and incredible support, and happy to be back in the studio (hopefully on a regular basis now) after the craziness of the past year or so.
"Man Smart, Woman Smarter" is such a fun song that it was recorded by an eclectic group of artists that were all over the map. Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, The Carpenters, Chubby Checker, Robert Palmer, and even The Grateful Dead! It was also featured on the I Love Lucy show. And that's not even a complete list!
Our singing call was inspired by the version released by Dr. Victor and the Rasta Rebels. This song (and version) was suggested to Patty Greene by one of her dancers (as I recall), and Patty passed the idea on to me. The title made me chuckle, but it was the Jamaican rhythm of the song that sold me on it immediately. Such a cool and fun groove. As I did my initial song research, I found a second (totally country) version by Rosanne Cash. I almost went Jamaican for the male key and country for the female. But that Jamaican groove was not going to be set aside for anyone. It screamed at me loud and clear as we were making the rough tracks…everyone gets to go to Jamaica!
With this release, we welcome the legendary Jon Jones to the Chic family as an official Staff Caller. His lovely wife, and Staff Caller, Deborah Carroll-Jones is featured on the female vocal. I had been searching for the right song to give to both Jon Jones and Deborah, and once the rough music tracks were ready, I knew this was IT. The rough tracks were completed in late February of 2020. We all know what happened in March. The world shut down, and so did most music production. Things finally started to open up in the May/June time frame this year, and in June, many of us went to Jackson, MS for the National Convention. During the Chic music hour, Deborah debuted this song (with the rough track, no less), and those that were in the hall went nuts! Including me! I could not wait to get home and get this song finished!
Both Jon and Deborah knocked their vocals out of the park. They each brought their own style, and I LOVE them! Jimmy and I had so much fun as we took the vocals and added all the live music and live percussion. It is so fun as it all comes to life, one track at a time. Vic (my favorite caller-on-sabbatical) and I even went back to the studio one more time for some final mixing, to make sure each of those instruments were heard in all the right places.
A quick note about Jon's vocal. Guess what? Jon Jones (as you probably all know), does not have an average male vocal range. He is a pure bass! When we found the key that felt most comfortable for him to give us his best vocal…it was just a half-step different than the female range. Great for Jon, but wouldn’t give the average male voice a separate track. So we gave Jon the rough track in digital format and both he and Deborah recorded tracks in almost the same key. We first finished up Deborah’s vocal and music, and then we shifted all of it by a half step in the studio and mixed it again with Jon's vocal. With a single click (or maybe two), you can get away with that without notable music distortion.
But THEN…we created new tracks with new live instrumentation in the average vocal range for the male voice (a five to seven click difference, depending on whether you up up or down). Because of this, the male vocal range package will have Jon's reference vocal, along with two instrumental tracks in the average male vocal range (different than the vocal track) If your vocal range is close to Jon's you can either purchase the female range key and take it up by one click, or you can purchase the dual-key package where we have actually included the instrumental tracks for all three keys.
I hope you love this as much as I do. It’s just time for some fun in this world!
CHIC 1071 in the male vocal range features a vocal by the legendary Jon Jones, Staff Caller and newest member of the Chic family.
CHIC 2071 in the female vocal range features Staff Caller, Deborah Carroll-Jones.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Special Collaborative Release - Deep Purple - RRC 1002
"Deep Purple" is a new collaborative release from Rhythm Records and Chic Recordings, featuring producers Wade Driver and Shauna Kaaria on the vocal track for this new duet.
The music for “Deep Purple” was written by Peter DeRose and published as a piano composition in 1933. Sheet music sales made the song so popular that Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1938.
The second most popular version (and our inspiration) was recorded in 1963 by brother and sister duo, Nino Temple and April Stevens. This version was very different musically, and won that year’s Grammy Award for “Best Rock and Roll Record.” The song was on the Top 40 charts for twelve weeks, hitting number one on the Hot 100 the week before the assassination of John F. Kennedy. If you’re looking for cool random trivia, how about this nugget? This version of Deep Purple was the 100th song to hit number one on the U.S. Pop charts.
Part of the charm of the Tempo/Stevens version is the way April Stevens spoke the lyrics while her brother echoed in song. Rumor has it that she initially did this because Nino was having trouble remembering the lyrics, so April spoke them ahead of the line as a reminder for him. The producers liked the charm of that interplay and wanted it on the final cut of the record. April said that her brother needed some convincing because “he didn’t want anyone talking while he was singing.”
Donny and Marie revived the song in 1975, with their version peaking at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. This cover by Donny & Marie was on the charts for 23 weeks, longer than any other song by the Osmond family.
RRC 1002 features Wade Driver (Producer-Rhythm Records), and Shauna Kaaria (Producer-Chic Recordings).
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
New Release in our Duets Series - "It Takes Two"
“It Takes Two” is not just a tagline for the vaccine industry! It is also the title of a hit song, and our first release in 2021.
Chic has been laying low for the past year, and it felt so great to get back into the studio working on new music! Up first this year is a new addition to our Duets series.
Recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston, “It Takes Two” was first released in December of 1966. The lyrics highlight the fact that many things in life are better with two people, instead of just one.
The song quickly hit the pop, soul, and UK charts, and was Gaye’s first major hit in the UK.
“It Takes Two” was subsequently recorded by many duos, including Donny & Marie (where it was featured on their 70’s variety show), and in 1990 by Rod Stuart & Tina Turner, featured in a Pepsi advertising campaign. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that the Donny & Marie version is the first one I heard, and how I first learned the song. Even though my “puppy love” for Donny is alive and well, the Gaye/Weston version of this song was the only one to use for our inspiration.
Staff Caller Patty Greene and Tony Oxendine (courtesy of Royal Records) were my first and only choice for recording the vocals for this duet. The pandemic drove a year-long delay for getting them in the studio to record, but it was worth the wait. They both knocked it out of the part, and they sound great together!
CHIC 3070 features Tony Oxendine (courtesy of Royal Records), and Staff Caller, Patty Greene.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Anniversary Releases "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" and Extended Patter "Blowin' the Stars Around"
“Hello. Yeah, it’s been a while. Not much, how ‘bout you?”
Chic has taken a bit of a hiatus during this down time, but we had to come out with a release for our fifth Anniversary. Hard to believe that Chic Recordings is already five years old. The time has just flown by! Thanks so much for the incredible support for the past five years!
“I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” is the well-known hit from England Dan & John Ford Coley. Originally released in 1976, it quickly climbed the charts, peaking at number two (right behind “Play That Funky Music”). Of course, it did hit number one on the Easy Listening charts, where it didn’t have to compete with Wild Cherry.
As recognizable as the original song is, we found new inspiration for it from Barry Manilow. I have been a HUGE Manilow fan for years (high school again). He was the first artist I ever saw in concert. I have all his early LP’s on vinyl, and they are well-worn. Anyway, Barry covered the song in the same ballad style as the original for his “Summer of ’78” album. (Great album.) Years later I purchased the “Essential Barry Manilow” compilation album on CD and that’s when I discovered his up-tempo remix of “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.” It was very different, but I fell in love with it immediately.
The subject of my love of all things Barry came up in my interview about music production with Paul Cote and he asked if I had produced a Manilow song. Ummmm…nope. I had looked some without success, but I told him I was going to look again. I activated the Manilow playlist on my iPod and listening commenced. The minute this song started, I knew. It may not be a Barry song, but it is a Barry arrangement. We spent extra time in the studio, hoping to truly capture it and do the song justice.
Because it has such a cool groove, we also created an extended patter mix, with a lot of extra stuff that you won’t find in the singing calls.
MISHEARD LYRICS! Almost 45 years of listening to the song, and I was SURE that the lyrics were “there’s a warm wind blowing the stars around.” WRONG! The funny thing is, every single person I talked to about this ALSO had the same wrong lyrics. The right lyrics? “There’s a warm wind blowing, the stars are out.” DOH!
So, as a tribute to 40+ years of singing the wrong lyrics, we have titled the extended patter track as, “Blowing the Stars Around.” In the BGV version of the patter, Jimmy even sings the wrong lyric, just to make us all feel better. (Non BGV versions of the patter are also included, but no correct lyrics in the patter. We did it right in the singing calls.)
CHIC 1068 in the male vocal range features Staff Caller, David Mee.
CHIC 2068 in the female vocal range features Staff Caller, Patty Greene.
CHIC 4069 is the extended patter version "Blowin' the Stars Around."
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
April Release "Downtown"
“Downtown” is an iconic pop tune, first recorded by Petula Clark in 1964. Songwriter, Tony Hatch, conceived the song during his first visit to New York in the Fall of 1964. From Wikipedia: Hatch recalled “"I was staying at a hotel on Central Park and I wandered down to Broadway and to Times Square and, naively, I thought I was downtown. . . . I loved the whole atmosphere there and the [music] came to me very, very quickly". He was standing on the corner of 48th Street waiting for the traffic lights to change, looking towards Times Square when "the melody first came to me, just as the neon signs went on."
Following his trip to New York, Hatch visited Paris and pitched a few songs from the New York publishers to Petula Clark. Not inspired by anything presented, Petula asked Hatch if he had anything he had been working on of his own. Although the song was nowhere near finished, he “reluctantly played her the tune of his New York inspiration and slipped in ‘Downtown’ in the appropriate places. Just like the millions of Americans who quickly made “Downtown” a number one hit, Petula recognized a great hook when she heard one. She reportedly told Hatch: “That’s the one I want to record. Get that finished, get a good lyric in it, get a great arrangement and I think we’ll at least have a song we’re proud to record, even if it isn’t a hit.”
“Downtown” WAS a hit, topping the charts at number one in the states and peaking at number two on the British charts. It has certainly stood the test of time, and has been covered by multiple artists over the years.
Jimmy Mac was the only choice possible to record the vocal for the male range of “Downtown.” When you spend hours in the studio with someone, working and focusing on music during those hours, you learn things about a person’s own musical history. More than once, Jimmy had asked “What about ‘Downtown?’ Would that work?” He would go on to say how that song would take him back to his childhood, playing in the garage, etc. So I knew he would be excited when I told him, “let’s make a rough, and see if we can get ‘Downtown’ to work.” Once we finalized the arrangement and the rough, the next step is to transpose the roughs into the two keys most suitable for the male and female ranges. He locked in the male range, and then sang along to see how it felt, claiming “I think it’s good. It works for me.” I told him, “That’s good! You’re singing it!”
We often hear Jimmy’s voice in our background vocals, but this is the first time he’s sung the lead since our duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” back in October of 2016. With a little coaching on timing of the calls from my favorite caller-on-sabbatical, Jimmy did a great job with this vocal and we all had fun recording it! We love it and hope you do, too!
The female range was recorded by Shauna Kaaria, with backgrounds for both courtesy of both Shauna and Jimmy Mac.
CHIC 1067 in the male vocal range features our studio magic man, Jim MacDonald.
CHIC 2067 in the female vocal range features Producer, Shauna Kaaria.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
March Release "Every Little Honky Tonk Bar"
“Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” is a George Strait hit, released in February of 2019. It was written by George, along with his son, Bubba, and longtime collaborator, Dean Dillon. The song peaked at number 17 on the country charts, and was the first from George Strait to hit the Billboard Top 20 since 2013.
Country music fans were thrilled with the new release. Comments like “George Strait....The Man, The Myth, The Legend is STILL the King of Country Music!!!,” and “This is old skool country right here. The man is a legend,” were flying and for good reason. This is classic country, and classic George Strait! Your dancers will be singing along and loving it.
The male key was recorded by Charlie Robertson, courtesy of Crown and Lou Mac Records. Charlie has been a friend of Chic Recordings from the beginning and has lent his voice on two previous collaborative/shared vocal releases. This is his first “solo” appearance on Chic, and he knocked it out of the park.
The female key was recorded by Staff Caller, Patty Greene. A consummate professional, Patty received the music for this song and returned an awesome vocal just two hours later! So thrilled to have her as part of the Chic Recordings Staff.
CHIC 1066 in the male vocal range features Charlie Robertson (courtesy of Crown and Lou Mac Records).
CHIC 2066 in the female vocal range features Staff Caller, Patty Greene.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
February Release Brings TWO New Patters!
That's right! We are releasing two new patter tracks this month. First up, "Apache." “Apache” is an instrumental piece composed by Jerry Lordan. There have been many versions of the song over the years. The 1960 version by The Shadows topped the UK Singles chart for five weeks. Danish guitarist, Jorgen Ingmann, covered the song in 1961 and went to number 2 in the US and Canada. A 1973 version by the Incredible Bongo Band was not widely known upon release, but has later been deemed “hip-hop’s” national anthem (for its long percussion break).
Our version is a combination of all three, with focus on the Ingmann guitars, and then moving into the exciting rhythm track and horn section of the Bongo Band release. Vic and Jimmy put their heads together for this arrangement in late January, and Jimmy and I finished the track. Personally, I love this. Hope you do, too.
“Home Sweet Hoedown” is a project that I’ve been meaning to do for nearly four years now. I love the rhythm track on the “Home Sweet Home” singing call, and have been meaning to get back to it and create an extended patter with the singing call’s rhythm track as the baseline. We had time this past Saturday and, as usual, Jimmy just knocked it out of the park. He created new melodies, added more rhythm guitars, electric guitars, and two different mandolin voices, and created a really fun piece of hoedown music.
CHIC4065(4000 series identifies patters and hoedowns) is a seriously cool patter with two really cool grooves that work great together.
CHIC4011(4000 series identifies patters and hoedowns) is a very different patter, full of banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and fun!
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
January Release "Smile" - and other Chic News
Happy New Year! January 2020 brings new things for Chic Recordings. We have a new release, an annual subscription opportunity, and new prices as of 1/15/20.
First up, our new release!
“Smile” is a well-known song with an interesting history and a meaningful message. It was initially written as an instrumental piece in 1936 by Charlie Chaplin (for his movie “Modern Times”), with lyrics added in 1954 by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons. Nat “King” Cole was the first to record the song with lyrics. With a major Nat “King” Cole fan for a father, I grew up with this version. Somewhere along the way I crossed paths with Michael Jackson’s single (it was cited as his favorite song), and fell in love with the song all over again.
Both were great recordings, but the acoustic arrangement produced by the “Glee” cast in 2009 is the version I love the most. The beautiful acoustic guitar and harmonies just spoke to me. As you all know by now…when a song speaks to me…it becomes a singing call. :)
Jimmy Mac picked up his acoustic guitar and actually had to learn some new and interesting chords for this one, and it is beautiful. Exactly what I had hoped it would be. Both keys!
The male key was recorded by Staff Caller, David Mee, who delivers what may be my favorite vocal from him so far. The female key was recorded by yours truly, with background vocals from Jimmy Mac and myself for both.
The message of this simple song is profound. Sometimes life delivers heartache. It hurts. But learning how to smile anyway…it’s a gift that makes life still worthwhile.
CHIC 1064 in the male vocal range features Staff Caller, David Mee.
CHIC 2064 in the female vocal range features Producer, Shauna Kaaria.
To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
As for new pricing, our single-key package price will increase to $8.00 as of 1/15/20. There will be no change to the pricing of our dual-key packages. They will remain at $12.00, and provide both keys for those with two callers in the family, or if you aren’t sure which is best for you and you want to have both in your music catalog. The price does not change until January 15th, so you have another two weeks to take advantage of current pricing before it increases.
Finally, I have had inquiries about an annual subscription and have provided that opportunity to those who have asked. This year, the annual subscription will be available for everyone who is interested. The price of the annual subscription for a single key is $100.00. We typically have 14 releases in a single year, so that is a savings of at least $12.00. More, if we have more than 14 releases. It saves you the trouble of single purchases throughout the year, and you will receive the packages as soon as they are finished and ready (often a week or more before the public release). This will include all singing call and patter releases for 2020. The annual subscription for the dual key packages will be $140.00. With the dual-key subscription, you will get both keys for every dual-key release, along with all the patter and duet packages that may be released in 2020.
If you want to purchase an annual subscription, please email Producer, Shauna Kaaria at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to order.
Wishing everyone a happy and productive 2020 from the entire Chic Recordings team!