Sing. Sing a song. Or two...or 20.

The date was March 28, 1998. I had just watched my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels lose to Michael Doleac, Andre Miller and the Utah Utes in the Final Four by a score of 65-59. (ha, funny how 10 years later, they were in the same place, but this time Kansas laid the hammer down.) I was broken hearted. I thought for sure that this was the year they would win a title. I was about to head downstairs, and figure out what to do for the rest of that Saturday night when the phone rang. It was my good friend Brad Butherus, and he had an idea.

He asked me if I wanted to go to the Pizza Barn out in Finley and sing some Karaoke. He had remembered how my rendition of Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" had brought the house down at our Senior party two years earlier. And since I had nothing better to do, I agreed to go along. And that is when I discovered something that I loved. And that thing was Karaoke.

I remember that night well. I started off with "Brown Eyed Girl" and the people loved it. Then I did the Blues Traveler song "Hook." I love to get people going, and put on a show. When I karaoke I don't like to sit right in front of the screen and sing. I want to go up and down the aisle. I want to croon to ladies, young and old. But most of all I want everyone else in the room have fun watching the spectacle. And after those first two songs I had the crowd hooked.

While looking through the song book for my third song, I found one that I thought would be a blast to sing. So I wrote on the little sheet of paper these words: Just a Gigolo, David Lee Roth. I had heard this song several times, and had sang along in my car. I knew that once I got up there, memory would take over and I wouldn't need the teleprompter. Needless to say, brought the house down.

That Saturday night was the funnest night I had had in a very long time. Every week I would add a new song to my show. Others I enjoyed singing were Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Animals, and Frank Sinatra. For the next 18 months or so, me and Brad went back to the Pizza Barn to sing. As soon as Brad turned 21, we started to go to other places to sing.

Fast forward 8 years to 2006. I was now happily married to Lisa, and preparing to go to my 10 year High School reunion. I was very exited, because I was one of the people who had helped plan the reunion when nobody else would. It was a good night, full of good food, and seeing old friends.

But something was missing. Sure, we had a dance floor set up, and one of the best DJ’s in the state, (None other than my Uncle Mike, C.E.O. of mikeymix industries.) but only a few people were getting up to dance. I all of a sudden had this urge to get up and sing a song. I went up and asked Mike to put on “Just a gigolo” so I could sing it. Since Lisa isn't too jazzed about me going to bars to sing, this was my first time in several years to give it a go.

When I first started out, I think that most people didn’t realize that I was the one singing. After about a minute, people started getting into it. Luckily, Lisa was there to film it with our digital camera. Keep in mind that it was dark in the room, and you can’t see me too well, but you can hear me sing. So without further ado, here is the only recording there is of me singing Karaoke.



So as you can see, I really get into the songs. I always tell people that I now that I am not the best of singers, but that I will put on the best of shows. If there is anyone else out there who likes to bust out with the microphone, please let me know, and maybe, just maybe, we can talk Lisa into going on a double date to someplace that has Karaoke so I can relive my "glory days."