Karaoke Junkies!

 I started singing about 1.5 years ago when the regular KJ sent a substitute who continually butchered classic songs. I figured I could do better than that. I had previously been a silent observer, but now had to try it myself. I now run my own system in Bowling Green, KY and still go to other shows when I'm not running my own. A junkie for sure! Curtis Williams, owner/operator....CW Entertainment Thought your page was great....I am a KJ in Illinois...also publish a Karaoke Magazine. Guess I became a host because I wanted to be a paid. Mary Pocius..B A Star Karaoke Hired a KJ for my 40th birthday last year, sang whatever I wanted to, and made friends get up and entertain me for a change. Two weeks later, at a club called OZ in Kansas City, I got to sing 5 times, and was even asked to do a request. How about The Monster Mash (in the middle of the summer)? On another business trip, I had very night free, and found a place with karaoke almost every night (not Sunday)! I went four nights back-to-back, and got to really experiment! One particularly wild night saw a birthday party for a member of the San Bernadino Sherriff's Dept. It was a Mexican restaurant in Pomona, CA -- can't remember the name. As the SPEBQSA folks say, Keep America singing! Scott T., Boston, Mass. (USA) Hello, My name is Danny M and I'm a karaoke junkie. There! I said it. I do quite a bit of traveling around the country and try to find a karaoke bar in every town I go to. I'm even in the process of putting together a web page that will list every place that I can find or has been referred to me. Back home in San Antonio,Tx there are some great places to go. I know, I've been to every one of them. CAN YOU HELP ME???????? Danny Masterson...San Antonio, Tex. We are karaoke zombies. We answered yes to every question. El Paso, Texas is a cesspool when it comes to karaoke. For that matter, it's a cesspool period. 3500 songs on a single karaoke system is so absurd sounding to us here in the cultural armpit that is the desert southwest. The favoritism inherent in the shows here is nauseating. Butts must be constantly kissed, egos must be continuously stroked, and there's still no guarantee that the dork running the show won't get upset because you sang a song he might have done five weeks ago, resulting in your being snubbed and your place in the loop thereby vanishing. Been karaoke-ing, if you will, for 5 years now, and even the dispicable state of affairs in this town cannot keep us away. We live for it. For the record, by the way, between the two of us, we own 18 CDG's of our own. Hoo-fah! Stevis and Beerhead...Hell Paso, Texas Why not, instant fame, everything everybody wants minus the money, sing, sing, sing. Me, my friends and that guy with the words. To put it simply, friend, family and fame! Do ya blame me? Big Karaoke Junkie! Jessie Smith, Zanesville, OH Yes, I'm definitely a Karaoke Junkie. I have my own machine at home and play it quite often. I only get out to Karaoke shows about once a month (because my husband hates Karaoke), but if it was up to me, I would go out at least once a week if not more. Suzanne Lanoue...Riverside, CA. Yes, I am a Karaoke Junky okay! I ADMIT IT!! I go to Karaoke at least once a week at St Patricks Tavern in Sydney, Australia, and I LOVE it, I do just about everything on your list, I don't have a Karaoke machine at home, but I'm looking for a Karaoke program for my computer, and if I had the money I would buy my own machine, as well as my own disc's to bring to the Karaoke shows, My favourite songs to Sing are, Light My Fire, Sometimes when we Touch, Twist and Shout and Lady in Red, but I do sing many others as well. :) Jaimen (jaimen@strata.net.au) URL..(http://www.strata.net.au/users/jaimen/)...Sidney, Australia I FEEL I'M A KARAOKE JUNKIE BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT PLACE KARAOKE IS. MY GIRLFRIEND AND I JOIN AS MANY CONTESTS AS WE CAN. AND YES MY BLOOD DOES BOIL WHEN I SEE OTHER PEOPLE SINGING BEFORE ME EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I'VE BEEN THERE LONGER. I GUESS THAT PUTS ME RIGHT INTO THIS CATEGORY!!!!! MICHELLE LEIBY... CATASAUQUA, PA HEY RONNIE B.!!! Markus & Beth love karaoke in NJ!!! In fact, we are karaoke whores! (but Net virgins). We got all things like ego trips, contests that never come to be, greeeaat singers, beer guzzlers that only like to sing Wild Thing, shysters that get up and turn purple, lots of competition between different bars KJ's, etc. Markus and Beth Matlosz...New Jersey. Not only am I a karaoke junkie, but I am also a former KJ. I don't ask the KJ working the shows I go to when I am up next, except when I am planning to leave in the next few minutes, and I don't want to leave if I am up in only two songs when the rotation is an hour and a half. I am one of the only people at the shows I go to who doesn't drink (I'm only 20). Um...let's see, what else....oh, karaoke has led me to the incredibly ridiculous notion that I want to join a band when I move to Austin. Yeah right, that's gonna happen. Christopher L. Boyd hey ronnie like your page. i to am a karaoke nut. been voted best host in colo 3 years straight. have created several karaoke co in this state.its nice to see thats its doing well in ohio as well. if your ever in colo, look us up, or e mail at Jrpervy@aol.com Ronnie, just wanted you to know that I found your web site very informative and will help me later in my speech class. I started singing 3 years ago when I was stationed in California. I've been singing ever since. I have to agree with you on almost all the material covered in your web page. People are a pain in the sometimes.Sing primarily Country music but do know a few rock and roll and others (Sinatra) etc. well nice talking to you and keep up the good work on your web page. Jeff Wilson, Appleton, Wisconsin Hi there, Congratulations to your fantastic pages. After writing this mail I will look at all of them, but first ive got stuck on your Junkie questions. Yes, I am a Karaoke Junkie. Great, true questions. I am Wolfgang Heilemann and own the first german shop for Karaoke Hard- and Software in munich. We sell everything icl. German- and Italian Laserdiscs. Come see our little home-page www.karaoke.de (It will be better soon.) Bye Wolfgang Heilemann, Munich, Germany. Well, Ronnie, I guess you could say that I AM a Karaoke Junkie. It all started when a guy came to our little Gila Bend, AZ NCO Club with a Karaoke machine, tape deck a guitar would just stand there sing. He wasn't all that great, but he knew what he was doing. One day, he was performing at a going away party for a coworker. I was just sitting on a beer cooler near the pool, singing along with Here's A Quarter. He looked at me said, Hey, Charlie! Why don't you come on up here sing the rest of This? Well, I'd had just enough beer by then to take him up on it. I was AMAZED at the reactions of the rest of the folks at that party. They said things like, I didn't know you could sing! Well, that's where it all got started, I began going to Karaoke every Thursday night when I got here to Missouri. I only miss it when I have to work. And that's not too often! Now, I'm getting my own gig going soon, thanks to a really cool fella who runs a bar in a nearby town. I get to be THE MAN, now! And I'm as happy as I can be about it. POWER TO THE JUNKEEEEEEEEEZZZ!!!!!!!! Dr Chazz Whiteman AFB, MO Hello Ronnie B. This is Connie C. from Newbury, OH, Geauga Cty.I've been a Karaoke Junkie for the past six months. I talk karaoke, sing karaoke, dream about karaoke, and drive my friends, family and husband crazy with karaoke. I sing nearly everyday on my Venturer CDG, bring my own CDG's to shows, which I go to alone, because my husband isn't crazy about bars or singing and either are my friends. So I go and sit with the KJ's family, They understand me. There are only two places to fullfill my karaoke addiction in Geauga county. One is in Newbury at the Hickory Lake Inn on Stone Road, off of Rt 87, east of Auburn Rd. It's in the sticks (country setting) and somewhat hard to find. Lots of country music and rock and roll. Weds. Sat. at 10:00. The other on Friday's at Green River Tavern on Rt 422 in Troy Twp. 9:00. Same KJ. Both have restaurant open before show. OKAY I'll admit it I AM A KARAOKE JUNKIE!!! Having first seen karaoke in HAWAII in 1991 (and still having some DJ equipment left from my DISCO DJ days) I decided that me and a friend (John Martinelli, who used to front bands in RENO NV.) should do our own show. KARAOKE KONCERTS PRODUCTIONS was born. Our first bar gig was at the TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE enlisted club. Now nearly five years and hundreds of shows later we are still at TRAVIS AFB and loving every minute of it. On those nights when I want to go out? Why it's off to one of the many clubs in the area featuring Karaoke. So I can truly say that I am a Karaoke Junkie. If you're ever in northern california come by the enlisted club at TRAVIS AFB and fill out a request. Lonnie Duke, KARAOKE KONCERTS PRODUCTIONS HI. I STARTED GOING TO KARAOKE SHOWS ABOUT 6 YEARS AGO. (I WAS HOOKED) THE NEXT THING I KNOW, I WAS BUYING EQUIPMENT AND DOING MY OWN SHOWS. I QUIT MY JOB AS AN AIRCRAFT INSPECTOR, JUST TO DO KARAOKE SHOWS. NOW 6 YEARS LATER I HAVE TWO ROAD UNITS AND 1 HOUSE UNIT THAT NEVER LEAVES THE CLUB AND OPERATING 6 NIGHTS A WEEK, AND I ALSO STARTED TO SELL KARAOKE PRODUCTS. PEOPLE ASK ME HOW CAN I LISTEN TO THIS STUFF, MY ANSWER IS, I LOVE THIS IT'S GREAT. BUT THERE IS A LOT OF TIME THAT I PUT INTO IT. THIS IS NOW MY CAREER, I GUESS I AM A KARAOKE JUNKIE!!!! I AM ALWAYS LOOKING TO MEET PEOPLE. SO PLEASE REPLY. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. AL SMITH A/M KARAOKE, EAST HARTFORD CT. Hey just wanted to say that I am one of the biggest junkies around..... and am loving it. I am in the process of having karaoke junkie t shirts designed.... such things as you know you are a karaoke junkie when you find yourself clapping between songs on the radio and you know you are a karaoke junkie when you know what day of the week it is by who has karaoke......I have a karaoke booking business in my area (eastern Iowa) and also just recently purchased a system and music to do my own shows... an untapped market inthe area kids birthday parties and nursing home shows.... If you have any karaoke junkie sayings that you think people would enjoy feel free to email them to me at KaraokeFuN@Aol.com or give me a call at the Karaoke Connection 319-362-9885. Wendy Hugh, Cedar Rapids, Iowa I have been singing Karoke since it was a role in my Grandmothers player piano as a child.But I never stepped up to the mike untill met my fiance'e. We go often, and we have met lots of people.A friend of ours is a KJ and we support his shows! Lanette Baldwin, Placerville CA USA HI MY NAME IS REDD AND I AM A KARAOKE JUNKIE. THANKS RONNIE!!!! Ronnie B made me a karaoke junkie! I sang at his shows everywhere he had them I was so hooked on karaoke I rode around with him like a crazed groupie. I have been singing all of my life now I get paid for it. Ain't life grand???!!! I run Karaoke now so I can get my fix any time I need it. I even do closed circuit (solo) shows, I can't help being selfish sometimes. I don't know about the rest of you junkies and operators out there, I think Paradise By The Dashboard Light, American Pie, and Stairway To Heaven all need to go to Karaoke heaven. just my opinion. I think between his show and mine I know about 600 songs. Devotion to my addiction I guess. If you are ever near one of his shows be sure to stop. I guarantee you will have a ball. If you are ever in my neck of the woods, Pendleton or Hermiston Oregon stop in and say hi. You'll have fun here too! Redd Stinson..Stanfield Oregon It all started when I actually won a karaoke contest almost 2 years ago. This amazed me since I was terrified to sing and didn't think I was very good. I also required at least a six pack to even get the nerve up in the beginning. I entered more contests and won those too! I actually progressed to a city finalist contest. This is when I decided to get serious. I got got my first REAL karaoke CDG player (Hitachi) Christmas 1995 from my boyfriend (I upgraded from Lonestar cassette). I was thrilled to have a CDG Karaoke machine, but found the discs were very expensive. During January I would sneak to the karaoke store down the street and buy a new disc every couple days. I was becoming very compulsive about it and my new CDG's from my boyfriend. He started suspecting something was up because I always seemed to be singing new songs, even though he thought I only had a couple CDG's (I would hide my massive library). After spending my house payment that month, I really flipped. I confessed my karaoke sins to him and decided we must supplement our income and make the discs a tax deduction by hosting a few shows (typical hobby-KJ's). We certainly never expected things to get as busy as they did. I had a lot of fun building my first library. We bought another system and had a few other people working with us. It is a year later and about three months ago I bought that little karaoke store that was down the street from me....what can I say? After all, I was one if it's biggest customers! Business is booming in the home karaoke market. We had an excellent Christmas shopping season and sense karaoke is starting to become very hot in the Southwest! Diana Frerick - Karaoke Star Retail Store - Phoenix AZ Ronnie, I was just browsing through the internet, looking for my company's home page (which I still can't find) and I came across your page. Pretty neat. I'm a KJ, though I prefer to be called a karaoke host, in Fort Worth, Texas. As you know, it's a great job, though the hours are sometimes annoying. I just wanted to share with you and your readers a few of the quirks of the business that I've encountered in the past three years. First and foremost, the single most annoying thing a singer can do to a host is to come up at 1:55 and turn in a song while asking if he/she can be next because a) their friends all want to hear them, b) they are truly a great singer and the audience would love to hear them do the last song, or, my favorite, c) nobody will know if you bump them up. I also love it when that same request slip is accompanied by a couple of dollar bills. The nerve of some people. Maybe it's because I am so sick of this sort of thing, or maybe it's that I want to be fair to everyone, or maybe it's just greed, but the only request slip that gets bumped up in my rotation is one written across a picture of Benjamin Franklin, know what I mean. And its happened a few times, not many, but a few. Only slightly less annoying than the barrage of late singers are those special few who must constantly inquire as to when their turn will arrive. It becomes even more annoying when these same people disagree with what I tell them and start an argument, or wait until I'm away from the system and move their request slip up to about third in the order. Has this ever happened to you? My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it. These slips are ALWAYS torn into tiny shreds and placed on the table of the offender, who usually leaves. Of course, most hosts could not get away with this. I'm lucky. The owner of the bar I usually work cares next to nothing about complaints people have with my work. He just likes me to keep the place packed. Since this letter is turning into a small novel, I'll just list one more of my favorites. Now, everybody knows that karaoke is not just for great singers. It's intended to be an enjoyable experience for anyone with the guts to get up on stage. Unfortunatley, some people, and it's usually not the best singers, feel the need to get up on stage and sing backup for those who are just singing for laughs. I've had more than one fight break out this way, and I would advise any and all karaoke hosts to not allow such actions, in any case. I'd like to invite anyone reading to e-mail me their own experiences with karaoke, good or bad. My e-mail address is Gringo007@AOL.com, and if you're ever in Fort Worth, Texas, give us a call and come to a show. You too, Ronnie. Steve C., Bravo Entertainment, (817) 640-6330 My name is Mike Hardesty.... I am a karaoke junkie. I sing at least three times a week and enter a few contests a month. It has come to the point now where my karaoke contest winnings are paying my bar tab...at any rate... I think contests ruin karaoke..to some degree anyway...I enjoy watching the virgins; get up and sing...the drunk guy in the corner singin' American PIE. And with the contests...you attract some of the best singers in the area... My favorite song to sing is Aqualung...by the way the number is DKG 93-03...the best is when you find those little hillbillie bars...with ten people in the bar...and 7 of them are there to shoot pool...and you and the other two are there to sing...Damn! sing all nite long....Unite karaoke junkies....give me the mic...I'm gettin the shakes..it's like a drug...THANK GOD IT'S LEGAL! Mike Hardesty Baltimore,MD Help !!!! I've been a Karaoke Junkie for over 2 years and I've always known where to go. I'm out in Hillbilly heaven. I love it, nice and quiet, but nowhere to Karaoke. It's Cottonwood, Ca near Red Bluff/ Redding - Northern, Ca. I go through Karoke withdrawals. Somebody please advise me of the closest Karaoke show. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a place to sing and hang out with fellow karaokians. I need my karaoke. Thanks to all and keep on singing! Kim...Cottonwood, CA Kim96Song@aol.com AS THE OWNER OF ONE OF THE MORE SUCCESSFUL EAST COAST KARAOKE SERVICES, I KNOW A LOT OF KARAOKE JUNKIES, SOME A LOT OF FUN , SOME A PAIN IN THE BUTT. TO ALL KARAOKE JUNKIES: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN, AND YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT GOING TO BE DISCOVERED SINGING CRAZY AT BILLY BOBS SPORTS BAR AND TATTOO PARLOR, SO HAVE A BEER AND LIGHTEN UP FOR GOD'S SAKE.IF YOU ARE IN RALEIGH DURHAM, WE HAVE MANY SHOWS, BUT THE BIGGEST SHOW IN THE AREA IS AT THE BORDER CAFE ON TUESDAYS, FRIDAYS, AND SATURDAYS. LET'S HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!! Steve Quinney...Raleigh Durham, North Carolina Hello, My name is Richard Stevenson and I am a karaoke junkie. I started singing karaoke in Germany about 3 years ago. I tend to take it seriously and that drives my wife crazy. I have been in a few contests, but our favorite KJ doesn'thave contests often. She says that it takes the fun out of it. We don't get to go out to the bar often because we have a 2 year old daughter (Who is learning to sing as well). However, our house has the shortest rotation anywhere and our friends come over often for karaoke parties. I mostly like to sing Garth Brooks songs, but I sing other country songs as well. I don't really intend to ever make money singing, but when I met my wife she said that she fell in love with my voice. Therefore, I can say that singing karaoke has earned me a fortune. Richard Stevenson, Reisterstown, Maryland USA It all started, following a co-worker, friend to his shows. Then it happened that fatefull night I met a silent observer, now my wife. Beware!!! My wife bought me a Pioneer machine for Christmas. Soon thereafter I went wild purchasing a Peavy stereo soundsystem and every song Pioneer puts out. So now I am out of my comfort zone and loving it!! Do mostly the country thing in southern Minnesota, Caraoke (misspelling intentional) Mike, somewhere in southern Minnesota My name is Jeff and I'm a Karaoke Junkie. I bought my first machine about 4 years ago and it kind of took off since then. I have a Big Echo CDG player and about 40 Cds and I also have about a hundred tapes. I torture my kids and wife by making tapes and forcing them to listen to them. I love being a dad. With my machine I have gotten the confidence to sing at weddings and shows. I'm on my machine almost everyday. that is when I'm not on my computer or working. Keep the faith and keep on singing.... Jeff Maxey Your karaoke page was so cool. I've been going to karaoke for about five years or so...since way before I was old enough to be in bars. I had much more fun singing than I ever would have drinking. Anyway, I like to sing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey stuff. I live in Memphis. Is there any way I could find a list of Karaoke joints in the surrounding areas...West Memphis, Jackson, Covington....etc. Is there such a thing as a karaoke chat? If not, there should be. Thanks for the opportunity to check out other karaoke fans!!! Lee Anne Young....Memphis, Tennessee HELLO FELLOW JUNKIES ! I have been singing karaoke on and off for over 5 years. For the past two years it's been my calling at least every other night. I move around from time to time because my husband is in the military, so I get to experience all kinds of karaoke cultures. I love to sing and hope to be on CMT television one day. My best karaoke friend, Angela, talk every week exchanging karaoke information about Texas (where she is at and where I just moved from) and Colorado where I currently live. Denver, Colorado has a Karaoke and entertainment magazine. It's an invaluable resource. I feel it should be the wave of the new karaoke generation for those with/without internet access, along with more up to date info on the internet. Keep singing everyone and the good songs will keep rolling. KIMBER SMOAK...AURORA/DENVER COLORADO Yes, I must admit that I am a junkie! It allstarted this year by going out to clubs and has gotten to the point where my friends and I even started our own karaoke business. The machine is at my friends and I am there singing at least 3 to 4 times a week. And for all you people who get angry when the host favors people, I want you to know that there are hosts, such as myself, who are fair! I love to sing! It is nice to know that there are others out there! And by the way, don't you hate it when someone else sings your song and they do it really bad!!!!!!!! Peace out! Candi...Pearland, Texas Love you, Ronnie & love your shows. We always have a good time....you really know how to put it together. You are ONE OF A KIND!!!! Larry Glenn