Originally a student group at Indiana University, they recorded a video in 1998 of a comical version of "The 12 Days of Christmas".
Dan Ponce, Randy Stine, Charlie Mechling, Steve Morgan, Jerome Collins, Dave Roberts, Walter Chase, Mike Itkoff, and Patrick Hachey became Straight No Chaser.
Their name was inspired by the title track of Thelonious Monk's 1967 album, Straight, No Chaser, and is a conscious evocation of the popular American slang phrase often employed in requesting a drink.
[2] The original members performed at Chicago's Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park and Navy Pier, opened for Lou Rawls and even toured the country, playing such venues as Carnegie Hall.
[4] In April 2006, a video recording of the group's performance of "The 12 Days of Christmas", filmed on December 7, 1998, at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, Indiana, was posted on YouTube by founding member Randy Stine.
In July 2008, eight original SNC members—Dan Ponce, Randy Stine, Charlie Mechling, Steve Morgan, Jerome Collins, Dave Roberts, Walter Chase, and Mike Itkoff, along with 2000–03 SNC members Mike Luginbill and Ryan Ahlwardt—recorded a Christmas album, Holiday Spirits, in Bloomington, Indiana.
On August 18, 2009, SNC announced that Michael Itkoff and Steve Morgan had decided to step down from the group to spend more time with their families.
SNC taped a live concert special in New York City during the summer of 2009 that was aired nationally for several years on PBS stations during their pledge drives as a Christmas special, and again in the spring and summer, excluding the Christmas songs but including six not-seen-before pop songs.
In 2011, Straight No Chaser took a break from their extensive touring to return to Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City for a 52-show summer residency with a show, Back to the Shore: Songs Through the Decades and More.
The deluxe version of the album is 17 tracks, eight of which feature guest artists Sara Bareilles, Phil Collins, Elton John, Jason Mraz, Dolly Parton, Seal, Rob Thomas, and Stevie Wonder.
Dave Roberts left the group and was replaced by Jasper Smith shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.