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Written by Shauna
Holiday Release - "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
"Baby, It's Cold Outside!" ” is a “call and response” duet where one singer attempts to convince another (their guest) that they should stay for a romantic evening, due to the cold and inclement weather.
Frank Loesser wrote the duet in 1944 and premiered the song with his wife, Lynn Garland, at their Navarro Hotel in New York housewarming party. They performed it toward the end of the evening, signifying to guests that it was nearly time to end the party. Garland wrote that after the first performance, "We became instant parlor room stars. We got invited to all the best parties for years on the basis of 'Baby.' Garland considered it their song and was furious when Loesser told her he was selling the song. Garland wrote, "I felt as betrayed as if I'd caught him in bed with another woman." MGM was the buyer and used the song in their film “Neptune’s Daughter,” starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban.
The song has been recorded by many artists over the years, but this is the first adaptation as a singing call for square dancing.
While working on the rough tracks for the singing call, I mentioned to Jimmy Mac that I hadn’t decided who I was going to ask to sing the male part and he said “Pick me! Pick me!” It was all of two seconds before I replied, “Done!” We had a blast recording this song together.
This is a great song for singing with another caller, but if another caller is not available we have you covered. We have included tracks with both sides of the duet to allow one caller to share a duet even though another caller is not in the room.
CHIC3017 is the third in Chic's "Duets" series with a vocal by Jim MacDonald and Shauna Kaaria.
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 previews!
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Written by Shauna
October Release - "Windy"
"Everyone knows it's Windy!" I couldn't be more excited about our October release, "Windy" by The Association, because I have a personal connection to this song. I first sang "Windy" when I joined the 6th grade chorus in Elementary School. The luck of the draw sat me on the side of the room that received the harmony part for our first attempt at a non-unison song. I so clearly remember the first time we sang it correctly, and the feelings and sensations that came with it. I was hooked! Because of that moment, this song was a labor of love for me. I hope you enjoy it too, but for me...it was a trip down memory lane to the moment I first knew I loved to sing harmony.
"Windy" was written by Ruthann Friedman and released by The Association in 1967, quickly rising to #1 on the Billboard charts. The Association was six members strong and well-known for their impressive sound and harmonies, so we knew we had to either "go big, or go home" with the background vocals. Dancers know this song and won't be able to stop themselves from singing along with you.
We invited Steve Moore, of Chula Vista, CA to record the male vocal of Windy. It has been a few years since Steve has been in the studio and we were thrilled when he agreed. He did an amazing job! In honor of 6th grade chorus, the female vocal was recorded by me.
CHIC1016 in the male vocal range features Steve Moore's vocal.
CHIC2016 in the female vocal range features Shauna Kaaria (as stated above).
Both versions include background vocals by Jimmy Mac and 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.
Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
September Release - "For What It's Worth"
"Stop! Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down." It's our September release of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth." We worked hard in the studio to maintain the simplicity and purity of the original song, and not over-produce it. After 14 releases, we finally get a lead vocal from our favorite caller, Vic Kaaria, who delivers a spot-on vocal for this tune. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. makes a guest appearance, courtesy of Rhythm Records, and delivers an equally great vocal for the female key.
CHIC1015 in the male vocal range features Vic Kaaria on the lead vocal (as stated above).
CHIC2015 in the female vocal range features Sylvia's great vocal.
Both versions include background vocals by Shauna Kaaria.
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.
Both are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Anniversary Release - "Whatever Lola Wants"
It's hard to believe it's already been a YEAR since our first release. We want to send a huge thank you all of you for making it so great! We're launching year two with a fun show tune from "Damn Yankees." Our version of "Whatever Lola Wants" is another song brought to our attention via a Facebook post, this time by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who suggested The Gotan Project's version for calling patter. Their version had such a cool vibe, it was exciting (and challenging) to turn it into a singing call. Of course, we invited Johnny Preston (courtesy of Royal Records) to record the male vocal, since he was the one who first brought it to our attention. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. was the only choice to record the female vocal, so she returns for her second appearance on Chic Recordings.
CHIC1014 in the male vocal range features Johnny Preston (courtesy of Royal Records) on the lead vocal (as stated above). Johnny had some fun with this song delivering a stylized vocal, complete with accent.
CHIC2014 in the female vocal range features Deborah's amazing vocal and proves that she lives and breathes "Lola."
CHIC4014 is another version for calling patter with an extended arrangement and additional instrumentation included.
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.
All three are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
New Release - "I Will"
We had such a positive reaction to “’Til There Was You” last March, we are back in July with another beautiful love song from The Beatles. “I Will” was written by Paul McCartney and first heard on their “White Album.” Although the original cut was only 1:46 minutes long, it required 67 takes in the studio to get it just right. We loved Paul’s “vocal bass” and knew we had to include that effect in our version. A big thank you to Michael Haworth for his arrangement of the song. It stays as true to the original as we could possibly get. We invited Joe Saltel (courtesy of Royal Records) to record the male vocal, knowing his voice was a perfect fit, and discovered that Joe is a HUGE Beatles fan. The perfect fit was even more perfect than we knew. Joe delivered such a stellar vocal, one dancer had this to say: “So beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. It's probably the best singing call ever made.” Okay, so it was Joe’s mother who said it, but she’s right…it IS beautiful. (And Joe didn’t require 67 takes.) The vocal for the female key (along with harmony) was recorded by Shauna with “vocal bass” and additional harmony support from Jimmy Mac.
CHIC1013 in the male vocal range features Joe Saltel (courtesy of Royal Records) on the lead vocal (as stated above). Jimmy Mac’s beautiful guitar work and “vocal bass,” along with Shauna Kaaria’s harmony complete the package for the male key.
CHIC2013 in the female vocal range was recorded by Chic's producer, Shauna Kaaria.
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.
The two keys are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Ghost Riders are Chic!
The awesome Ghost Riders Square Dance Band added three Chic songs to their playlist! All three songs were debuted on Thursday, June 23rd at the National Square Dance Convention in Des Moines, IA. Hunter Keller was the first to join the popular square dance band as they rocked his latest Chic release, “Cleopatra, Queen of Denial.” Next up was Patty Greene with a passionate performance of Chic’s inaugural tune, “You’re No Good.” Last, but certainly not least, Tony Oxendine joined the band for his Chic song, “’Til There Was You.” Extra props to the Ghost Riders’ lead guitar player, Gary Bauman, for his stellar performance of George’s guitar solo on that one! The "Chic" Ghost Rider performances continued as the band switched keys on Friday night to allow Scott Bennett and Patty Greene to rock their versions of “You’re No Good” and “Cleopatra, Queen of Denial.” It was amazing to watch the crowds dancing and singing along. Saturday night brought a final Chic performance of “You’re No Good” by Lottie Ainsworth.
A massive Chic shout-out to Brad Barnett, Gary Bauman, Ron Pfisterer, Dave Zachry and John Moore for bringing the Chic music to "live" and going the extra mile to learn them in TWO keys! Another Chic shout-out to all of the callers who delivered such amazing performances at the National Convention! Be sure to click on each of their names above to see video of the live performances.
It was a “pinch me, I must be dreaming,” surreal kind of moment for Chic Recordings!
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Written by Shauna
New Release - "Because"
Chic's June singing call release, "Because" brings us back to the music glory days of the 60's. Written and recorded by The Dave Clark Five, "Because" was released in August of 1964 and quickly skyrocketed to #3 on the U.S. charts. We recruited Tom Miller (courtesy of ESP Recordings) to record the vocal on the male version of this song and his golden voice is bringing in rave reviews. One Facebook user said the following about Tom's recording, "the right music, the right song, and one of the best singers in this activity makes it so you just want to get up and dance." We agree!
CHIC1012 in the male vocal range features Tom Miller (courtesy of ESP Recordings) on the lead vocal (as stated above). Tom knocked the vocal out in one take. Background vocals were recorded by Chic's producer, Shauna Kaaria.
CHIC2012 in the female vocal range was recorded by Shauna Kaaria, who also recorded the background vocals for the female key.
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.
The two keys are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
New Release - "Home Sweet Home"
Chic's May singing call release, "Home Sweet Home" is a fun, upbeat song from the hot new Canadian duo, The Lovelocks. The melody and rhythm track of this brand new tune will hook your dancers and they'll go home humming a song they had never before heard. It's THAT good! This awesome song was suggested on Facebook and we "answered the call" (literally, since we were called out and tagged multiple times to record it) and record it we did. Jimmy Mac had a blast playing the banjo, something he had yet to do for a singing call, and Michael Haworth added a nice harmonica touch. The legendary Wade Driver (Owner/Producer of Rhythm Records) provided an assist with a very tricky arrangement, and then made our day when he agreed to record the male vocal. We hope you'll love this song as much as we do!
CHIC1011 in the male vocal range features Wade Driver (courtesy of Rhythm Records) on the lead vocal (as stated above). Wade brought in another Rhythm artist, KO Jeanes, to record harmony. Mike Haworth rounded out the rest of the background vocal mix.
CHIC2011 in the female vocal range was recorded by Shauna Kaaria, who also recorded the background vocals for the female key.
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.
The two keys are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!
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Written by Shauna
Chic's Tenth Release - "Classical Gas"
Chic celebrates its 10th release with our first patter, an adaptation of the Mason Williams iconic guitar hit, “Classical Gas.” Mason (who was a lead writer for the Smothers Brothers Show in the late 60’s) originally titled it “Classical Gasoline” because he envisioned it as “fuel” for the classical guitar. During a recording session, a music copyist inadvertently abbreviated “Gasoline” to “Gas” and it stuck. It is estimated that “Classical Gas” has had over six million airplays since its release in 1968, and has been covered by nearly every guitar great including Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, and Tommy Emmanuel. We spent many hours in the studio finding just the right balance between the magic of the original song, and ensuring it would keep dancers moving. Of course, we have to include a huge shout-out to Jimmy Mac, who absolutely nailed the guitar on this!
CHIC4010 (4000 series identifies patters and hoedowns) is a milestone for Chic as we release our first piece of patter music.
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!
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Written by Shauna
Chic's April Release - "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial"
For April, Chic channels our inner Egyptian with a release co-written and recorded by country artist, Pam Tillis. "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial" is a high-energy song, with some very clever wordplay in the lyric, and a tagline that drips with drama. The middle break and closer include a guitar solo with the well-known Egyptian "snake charmer" melody that will have your dancers channeling their inner Egyptian too! The classic guitar sound on the solo is brought to you by a 1969 Gibson beauty, played flawlessly by our awesome engineer, Jimmy Mac.
CHIC1009 in the male vocal range features the return of Hunter Keller who delivers a killer performance. Hunter had the privilege of meeting Pam Tillis, and he was so excited to record this song.
CHIC2009 in the female vocal range brings Patty Greene from Monroe, NC to Chic, who also delivers a killer performance. I knew this was the right song for Patty to shine, and shine she did! Both Hunter and Patty appear courtesy of Royal Records.
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.
The two keys are being sold separately since they were produced separately.
Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!