Singing at Danny's

Last Wednesday, I visited a great spot for karaoke: Danny's Big Easy on 18th and Vine.

I had a little New Orleans cuisine before I sang. The food was decent, but not fabulous. But then, I am comparing it to the etouffe I had in New Orleans. The waitress was cute and very friendly.


KC was the karaoke host. He had an awesome voice that made the high notes sound effortless. Despite the fact that he was just a young buck, he did some old school songs that I know and love. The thing that I liked was that he was obviously enjoying himself. He was not there to showcase his own skills, but to help everyone to have a good time.



There were perhaps 20 or 30 people at Danny's. Most of them got up and sang at least once. Those that did... I gotta say... there were a lot of good singers! The singer who stood out the most in my mind was Sophia. I loved her soulful and powerful voice. There was another singer - I am sorry, I did not catch her name - who will be appearing on ABC's "Karaoke Battle USA"! Wow.

I had a great time that night, and pondered later about what made it such a lovely night. I have come to the conclusion that it was a "Cheers" kind of place. "You wanna be where everybody knows your name." Family.

Most of the crowd was around a big table. They didn't all come in at once... it was a few at a time. But they all knew each other. And they all were supportive of one another. Despite the fact that I was not at that table, and not in that clique, I still felt welcomed. I spoke with quite a few of them, and immediately felt at home. Two people invited me to come and sing the following night at the Juke House.

It all reminded me of the karaoke crowd that I fell in with years ago in Madison, led and inspired by my mentor, Johnny with Koool Karaoke. I miss that.

Oh... I should mention one more thing. Danny's is in Kansas City. The karaoke was run by Stars and Bars Music. Thank you for showing me a good time while I was in KC on business.

Karaoke is alive and well in Kansas City.