In 1996, a group of 10 guys from Indiana University put together a little a cappella group called “Straight No Chaser”. They had some fun, sang some local gigs, mainly doing cover songs of contemporary hits and well-known classics.
In April of 2006, one of the original members of the group posted a 1998 recording of them singing a comical version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” on YouTube, which incorporated various Christmas songs, “I Have a Little Dreidel”, and “Africa” by Toto. It rapidly became popular, scoring almost 10 million hits. One guy who saw it was the CEO of Atlantic Records, Craig Kallman.
Now they have a five-album deal. From a ten-year-old video.
They’ve put out two Christmas albums: “Holiday Spirits” and “Christmas Cheers”, which are both incredibly catchy, and also a quick bunch of songs called “Six Pack”, with a few contemporary radio hits combined with throwback classics.
I’m a sucker for great a cappella music – music that has no instruments – and Straight No Chaser is a new discovery for me. That said, I am already huge fans of theirs. So today, kick back, enjoy some holiday music mixed in with some catchy covers, and crank up the Straight No Chaser. You gotta love these guys! Here are some great covers, courtesy of Lala.com:
And here’s some of their holiday hits to put in the seasonal mood, including their bread-and-butter, “The 12 Days of Christmas”:
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
