Sing your heart out

by Philip S. Ruckle Jr.

For anyone who dreams of standing on stage singing their heart out as a star of the show, the Jolly Roger Restaurant on karaoke nights is the place to be.

It is, in fact, an opportunity available there every night, seven days a week, when right around 9 p.m. the regular lights dim, the music volume is cranked up and several colored strobe lights start flashing in sync with the music.

It is a nightly ritual that continues until midnight.

As the DJ and host for the evening invites anyone and everyone to provide a song title and name before taking the stage, he adds a caution that any drinks be left at the bar or table. No drinks on stage in spite of it being near the bar.

First names are the pretty much the norm for everyone throughout the night, not that full names are needed, and many in the small crowd appear to be regulars.

After several people fill out a small card with their name and preferred song’s information, Glenn gets things started by belting out his version of “Walking in Memphis.” Overhead, the lyrics for each song flash across a screen mounted near the ceiling. Some singers read the words, other ignore the them because they already know their chosen song by heart.

As Glenn finishes, the DJ calls Deb to the stage. She performs the 1981 Bertie Higgins top 40 hit “Key Largo.” As she finishes, the DJ shows his age by confessing that he has no idea who Bogie and Becall might be.

Roger Hoback, in town on business from Fredericksburg, Virginia, straightens the DJ out by shouting from his nearby table that the song refers to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, movie stars in the 1948 namesake film.

An accomplished singer himself, Roger says he has been singing karaoke all over the east half of the country for more than 20 years. Starting when an illness forced him out of work, Roger says karaoke gave him an opportunity to get out of the house and maintain some sort of social life.

“It’s a great way to meet people,” Roger explains. “I love karaoke because it is a great way to socialize. It’s family.”

A proficient gospel, country, rock and roll, and blues singer, Roger adds that he also has played various instruments with more than one band as well as mentored several other younger singers.

Traveling much of the east coast on business, Roger says he makes it to the Outer Banks every three to four months. And when he does get here, a stop at the Jolly Roger is always on the agenda.

“I sing almost every place I go,” Roger continues. “Even in some ‘old folk homes.’ … New Orleans is a good place to sing, but not downtown. I never go downtown in any of the big towns. But the Jolly Roger is one of the best.”

As the evening cranks on, Roger gets in a Joe Cocker tune, Angela sings “Redneck Woman,” followed by Evan who provides a pure country song with Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her.” Buffalo’s deep voice is almost perfect for Josh Turner’s “Long Black Train” and the next singer, Gus, changes the pace a bit with “Lips of an Angel.”

Tapping his foot to the rhythm of the music, Ken performs “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” and a little later when Malachai takes the stage, a couple of friends video his performance.

As the evening goes on, there is more of the same with brief breaks in performances to give the DJ a rest and a chance for patrons to get in some dancing.

And it’s been that way consistently since the 1990s.

“In the ‘90s karaoke was a big thing and it just kind of stuck,” explains Jolly Roger manager Andrea Sullivan.

Although Mitch Miller hosted a TV show in the 1960s with song lyrics on the screen and viewers were encouraged to sing along at home, karaoke is credited with originating in Japan in the 1970s or 1980s (depending on which version you hear) where people take turns singing popular songs into a microphone with pre-recorded tracks backing them up.

The invention of video cassettes and compact disks helped it spread around the world and by the ‘90s karaoke was the rage everywhere. It is so popular today that there is a Karaoke World Championship with participants from 30 countries.

“We had Hambone, one of the most memorable and likable big entertainers on the Outer Banks, as our house host,” adds Sullivan.

Although Hambone passed away in May of last year, he hasn’t been forgotten. A framed photo hangs at the back of the stage and at least one patron in the crowd, Sarah Villanueva, said she’s been coming ever since Hambone first invited her several years ago.

While Hambone was noted for encouraging singers to join him on stage, Sullivan went on to say that, depending on how many people show up on any given night, probably more than half of today’s patrons spend some time on stage with a karaoke song.

“I would say a majority participate,” she adds.

With construction for a 4,800 square foot addition and a tiki bar about to take place, there might be room for more karaoke.

Sullivan went on to say that nine o’clock is the normal start time, but if a family is in the restaurant and their kid wants to sing a song or something, it’s a go for them to sing a song but they can’t stay after that. It is, after all, a bar area.

“We are entertaining the idea of doing some Saturday afternoon things,” explains Sullivan. “Whether it be this summer or next summer, once we get the new building we want to have some activities for minors. Maybe something like a Saturday kids karaoke in the afternoon, evenings into the season, but we haven’t really implemented that … but we are looking to do something.”