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Written by Shauna

Holiday Release - "Santa's Reindeer Ride"

 The holidays are nearly upon us, so here we are with our annual holiday release! We have discovered that finding Christmas songs that have not already been adapted for singing calls can be a challenge. Last year we released "Baby, It's Cold Outside" as a duet, and followed it with Garth Brook's brand new song, "Ugly Christmas Sweater." This year, we step back to 1979 with a cute little Christmas gem by Amy Grant. "Santa's Reindeer Ride" is a catchy and whimsical song we discovered on a Christmas compilation CD. The melody is just so very merry! It had to be a singing call.

The male vocal was recorded by our newest Staff Caller, Scott Smith, and we invited his former Chaparral mate, Ken Bower to join him. What a treat to hear them calling together again! They both embraced the spirit of this fun song. This is Ken's first guest appearance on Chic Recordings, and we certainly hope it won't be his last. Ken and Scott also recorded the harmonies except for a little "la-la-la" help from Shauna Kaaria.

The female key was recorded by Chic's producer, Shauna Kaaria (me), with background vocals courtesy of Shauna and Jimmy Mac.

CHIC1035 in the male vocal range features Scott and Ken's amazing duet.

CHIC2035 in the female vocal range features the vocal from Shauna.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

October Release - "Runaway"

 Our release for October is just a little bit late (there's a good reason we'll explain shortly), but we think you'll find it was worth the wait! "Runaway" is a mega-hit, written and recorded by Del Shannon in 1961, and pretty much recognized simply by the title. When we received an email from one of our customers suggesting Bonnie Raitt's cover as an idea for Chic Recordings, we knew the song by title, but her bluesy rendition was quite a departure from the original cut. It only took one listen to know that yes, the "customer was right," and this rendition of the song needed to be made into a singing call.

We went to work in the studio, and Jimmy Mac did his always amazing job with the music. Similar to our inaugural release of "You're No Good," we went a little more rock/grunge with the male key and more pop/bluesy with the female key. The vocals were recorded and it was ready to go to market by the first of October, but as I listened to the final tracks I realized it was missing a key ingredient. Bonnie's version opens with an amazing blues harmonica riff, and we needed to have it! As luck would have it, I happen to know an amazing blues harp player (worked with him at the day job for many years before he retired), so I reached out and asked if he might be willing to share his talents with Chic. There are not words to describe how thrilled I was when he agreed to play. He matched the style of each key with two different harp sounds, and as soon you hear those opening (and closing) riffs, you'll agree that the wait was worth it. A huge Chic Shout-Out to Michael "Mo" Grundy (pictured above) for coming to our rescue with his incredible talent!

A great song needs a great vocal and we knew that Scott Bennett's voice would be perfect for this bluesy rendition. Even though expectations were high, the vocal track he sent blew us away! This is his fourth guest vocal for Chic Recordings and perhaps his best one to date! Scott appears courtesy of Crest Recordings and we sure appreciate his continued support of Chic Recordings!

The female key was recorded by Chic's producer, Shauna Kaaria (me), with background vocals for both courtesy of Shauna and Jimmy Mac.

CHIC1034 in the male vocal range features Scott's awesome vocal.

CHIC2034 in the female vocal range features the vocal from Shauna.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

September Patter Release - "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly"

 Another patter, another movie theme. This one is perfect for all those Western-themed dances! We start and finish the extended patter track of "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" with the vibe of the Ennio Morricone original release and sandwich the sound of the 60's hit from Hugo Montenegro in the middle. We blended it all together witih some class Jimmy mac guitar. (Jimmy did some impressive chanting and grunting, too.)

I even got to make a personal contribution to the music. We couldn’t find the right trumpet samples for the classic “wah-wah-wah” of the song, and we happened to have a real trumpet in the studio. It’s been a few years since I’ve played, but after a little warm-up, I managed to get some usable sounds out of it! We didn’t have the right mute, so we improvised with a plastic mug. Way too much fun!

CHIC4033 (4000 series identifies patters and hoedowns) is a fun piece of patter music that your dancers will recognize and love.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Click on the youtube link (to the left) for a preview!

Details

Written by Shauna

September Release - "Here Comes the Sun"

 We had such a positive response to our first two Beatles classics, that we return to the Fab Four for another. “Here Comes the Sun” was written by George Harrison and was introduced on the “Abbey Road” album. Harrison’s songwriting was greatly influenced by Indian classical music, which resulted in a series of unusual time changes in “Here Comes the Sun.” These time changes made translation to the 64-beat/section structure of a singing call a bit of a challenge. We refused to give up, and after an hour and a half in the studio with Jimmy Mac and Vic (not just my favorite caller, but also the biggest Beatles fan I know)…we found an arrangement that made us all happy. It also helps to have the Beatles’ number one fan in the studio while guitars are being recorded. Jimmy had just recorded his final strum, and was setting down the guitar and Vic says… “Uh, Jimmy, you’re not done…you haven’t played the ending riff.” Before we called it a wrap, the ending riff (along with the rest of George’s classic guitar) was played (in both keys), double bass was laid down, the Moog synthesizer was recorded, strings were added, hand claps and background vocals were done, and goosebumps were had (by me).

The Beatles’ number one fan may have been in the studio with us, but as Beatles fans go…Joe Saltel is a close second. Maybe even tied for first! Joe did such a great job with “I Will,” we had to invite him back to record the vocal for this one, too. Joe appears courtesy of Royal Records and we sure appreciate their support and enthusiasm for Chic Recordings!

The female key was recorded by Chic's producer, Shauna Kaaria (me), with background vocal assistance from Jimmy Mac.

CHIC1032 in the male vocal range features Joe's awesome vocal.

CHIC2032 in the female vocal range features the vocal from Shauna.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

August Release - "Fallen"

 It’s nearly Fall and our new release, “Fallen,” is a perfect fit for the season. “Fallen” is a beautiful smooth jazz ballad, recorded by Lauren Wood in 1989. The response from people who have heard it range from: “I don’t think I know this song,” to “I feel like I’ve heard this song, but I can’t remember where,” and then those who know…“It’s ‘Fallen!’ I love that song from ‘Pretty Woman!’” No matter where you fall in the “Fallen” spectrum, the beautiful melody will grab you and stay with you, and it dances like a dream!

We haven’t had a vocal from Mike since “A Summer Song” (a Chic best-seller), which was our second release back in September of 2015. I’ve been waiting for just the right song for his second vocal, and I knew this was it. Mike came into the studio prepared and delivered an amazing vocal. He test-drove the final cut at his class and his students reported they “loved it” and it “dances like butter.” Everyone who has heard this track agrees, this is Mike’s best vocal yet!

The female key was recorded by Renee' Ruud (courtesy of Fine Tune Records). Renee has a beautiful, Karen Carpenter-esque, kind of voice, and I knew it was exactly right for this beautiful song. When she sent me the “Fallen” vocal track, it was every bit as good as I had imagined!.

CHIC1031 in the male vocal range features Mike's vocal.

CHIC2031 in the female vocal range features the vocal from Renee'.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

2nd Anniversary Release - "I Enjoy Being a Girl"

 Wow! Our second Anniversary is upon us and another year is in the books! Where does the time go? Continued thanks for all the support and making our second year a great one! We celebrated our first anniversary with a show tune release, "Whatever Lola Wants," and our second anniversary is no different. (It wasn't by design, but maybe we should make it an anniversary tradition.) "I Enjoy Being a Girl" comes from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song." The original song was covered many times by popular singers of the day, including Doris Day and Peggy Lee. I was first introduced to this song in 1980 while performing with The Grandland Singers. It has been on the list of possible singing calls since before Chic was officially born, but I just wasn't sure what to do with the male key. The answer turned out to be very simple. We changed the first-person lyric to a third-person perspective, and Ta-Da! It worked!

We took advantage of the fact the David Mee (Chic Staff Caller) and Charlie Robertson (courtesy of Crown Records) were in the studio already, and recorded this second vocal. Add the additional voice of Vic Kaaria (Chic Staff Caller), and it's a tri-fecta of fun! We did have to keep an eye (and ear) on their recordings. They were trying to take some liberties and create their own lyrics. (No, we don't have any outtakes.) Deborah Carroll-Jones (Chic Staff Caller), Patty Greene (courtesy of Royal Records), and I have been dreaming about doing a singing call together, and with this song that dream finally came true. Both Deborah and Patty embraced the song, but in completely different ways. It was so fun to hear their interpretations and then throw in a bit of my own to round out the trio.

CHIC1030 in the male vocal range features Vic and Dave and Charlie (as stated above). They did manage to get their own names into the lyrics.

CHIC2030 in the female vocal range features the vocal from Deborah, Patty, and I.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

July Release - "Rolling Along"

 Our July release is a brand new country song from The Mavericks! It holds the distinction of being the first Mavericks song to include a banjo, along with a bit of a zydeco sound. The song rolls along, just as the title suggests, with a simple melody and a simple message. It was debuted at the National Square Dance Convention in Cincinatti, OH, with immediate positive reviews.

The male key features the amazing voice of former Chaparral recording artist, Scott Smith! Scott recently returned to the calling microphone and we were THRILLED when he agreed to record this vocal for Chic. It was a perfect song choice for Scott's smooth calling style, and he nailed it! We were even more thrilled when Scott agreed to officially join Chic Recordings as our newest Staff Caller.

The female vocal and background vocals were recorded by producer, Shauna Kaaria.

CHIC1029 in the male vocal range features Scott Smith's amazing vocal, with background vocals by Vic Kaaria.

CHIC2029 in the female vocal range features Shauna Kaaria, as stated above.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody and background vocals, and the vocal cut.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for the two vocal previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

June Bonus Release - "Pink Panther Patter"

 Once again, we turn to Henry Mancini for our patter music inspiration. "The Pink Panther" was written for the 1963 movie of the same name, with the animated Pink Panther cartoon being created for the opening credits.

We had such a positive response to "Baby Elephant Walk" that we couldn't resist creating patter music out of another Mancini classic. Jimmy Mac did a great job of capturing the feel of the original and laying it on top of a solid dance beat. And he nailed that saxophone melody!

CHIC4028 (4000 series identifies patters and hoedowns) is a fun piece of patter music that your dancers will recognize and love.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody, and the vocal cut.

Click on the youtube link (to the left) for a preview!

Details

Written by Shauna

June Release - "Seein' My Father in Me"

 Happy Father's Day! June was the perfect time to release this classic Paul Overstreet song. “Seein’ My Father in Me” was written by Paul Overstreet and Taylor Dunn, and first released in early 1990. I loved the song back then, but I had not heard or thought about it for quite some time. Hearing another song with a similar message brought this one back to the forefront of my memory. After a single listen, I knew that it would be Chic Recordings’ June release for Father’s Day. A week and two studio sessions later, it was finished.

Steve Moore is Chic Recordings’ first Staff Caller, and I had been searching for just the right song for his next vocal. Steve can sing anything but he really shines in the Country lane, so the minute the decision was made to produce “Seein’ My Father in Me” I knew it was the perfect choice for him. I sent an excited text message to let him know and got a quick reply saying that he loved the song, but he was afraid he couldn’t sing it. (When your Dad was your best friend, it’s a tough thing to lose him. Songs like this can hit you right in the “feels.”) With a little encouragement, Steve agreed to give it a shot. As you can hear, he delivered a beautiful vocal and the love for his father shines through. Steve kindly agreed to share some pictures of he and his father (and his own son & daughter as well) for our preview video.

The female cut is for my Dad. Although this song was probably meant for Fathers and Sons, there is still a lot of truth in it for Dad’s and Daughters. I treasure the times I’ve spent with my dad, especially our fishing expeditions that began at an early age and continue every summer. While I look more like my mother, there is a LOT of my father in me. I took a few liberties with the lyrics to make it more about what I learned from my father, as opposed to the physical similarities. We finished this song the day before Mother’s Day, so when we all gathered the next day to celebrate my mother (we lost her a few years ago), I played this song for my Dad. His reaction was a moment I’ll always treasure. I love you, Dad.

CHIC1027 in the male vocal range features Steve Moore's amazing vocal.

CHIC2027 in the female vocal range is my Father's Day gift to my Dad..

The background vocals for both keys were recorded by Shauna Kaaria and Jim MacDonald.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody and background vocals, and the vocal cut.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for the two vocal previews!

Details

Written by Shauna

May Release - "Thank You for Being a Friend"

 Having just returned from the annual CALLERLAB convention with so many wonderful and supportive callers and friends, "Thank You for Being a Friend" is a perfect release and message for May! Chic Recordings would not be a reality without the amazing assistance and support of so many wonderful friends!

This song was brought to our attention via the Square Dance Music group on Facebook (keep those great ideas coming), and we couldn't wait to get into the studio to record. We brought in brand-new Chic Staff Caller, David Mee, and Charlie Robertson (courtesy of Crown Records) for the male vocal. The studio was full of fun that day! These guys have been a tremendous support, and they knocked this vocal out of the park!

The lead vocal and backgrounds on the female key were recorded by producer, Shauna Kaaria.

CHIC1026 in the male vocal range features the tag-team vocals of David and Charlie.

CHIC2026 in the female vocal range features Shauna Kaaria.

David Mee added his harmonizing skills to the background vocals for the male key with an assist from Shauna Kaaria on the higher parts. The background vocals for the female key were recorded by Shauna.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Introductory price is $7.50 and includes the music with and without melody and background vocals, and the vocal cut.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for the two vocal previews!