By Craig Michaels
To say Red loves karaoke may be an understatement. One look at him and it’s obvious to see how he got his stage name. With a personality to matches his flowing red hair, Red loves hosting karaoke so much he doesn’t mind working six nights a week.
He grew up in Dallas with a passion for music all his life. At the age of 16, Red decided to get together with friends and buy some equipment and start his own band. Red was the vocalist in the group which was a rock cover band. The group was called Malice and played together for about five years before breaking up.
After moving here almost 15 years ago from Dallas where he had been bartending, Red picked up a job tending bar locally. He became friends with Warren the “Spin Doctor” who was the host of the karaoke night at the bar he was working at. About six years ago Warren asked Red if he was interested in learning how to run the karaoke equipment in case he was not available. The rest is history, Red began filling in as the karaoke host while still holding down his bartending duties a few nights a week.
He soon began to gather a loyal crowd of local singers and would eventually buy his own karaoke equipment and start his own company- Red’s Rock Star karaoke. Red credits his friends for the success of his karaoke business; “I think what sets me apart is for one I am truly blessed to be surrounded by amazingly awesome friends, I completely love the desert and everyone out here and I get really involved with all the singers.”
Being an ex-singer, Red realizes the important of good sound. Making each singer feel comfortable is key when he does his show; “I really concentrate on trying to make people sound as good as possible, after all everyone’s voice is different and why would they come back if the sound is bad,” explains Red. Besides making singers sound good, Red is constantly posting special celebrations and giving accolades on his Face Book page to his karaoke groupies.
Hosting a nightly karaoke show in a pub or a bar is generally not quite as lucrative as doing a private party but it’s not all about the money with Red. Although he has been offered a lot more money to do private gigs he has turned them down if they conflict with his regularly scheduled shows. Loyalty to his employers is more important than money and they treat him great. “I’m blessed to be a part of their establishment and plan on ridin’ till the wheels fall off,” Red comments.
Red has become one of the most sought after KJs in the valley. You can catch Red’s karaoke show on Tuesdays at the Fireside Lounge in Palm Springs. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Red performs at Plan B in Thousand Palms. Thursdays he is at Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert, Saturday at Willie Boys Saloon in Morongo Valley and Sunday at Neil’s Lounge in Indio.
If you would like to contact Red about his karaoke shows you can call him at (760) 676-6085.
Written By: Craig Michaels
Musical Affair Entertainment
www.musicalaffair.com
