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From The Canberra to Karaoke
My tale started way back in the mists of time when I received a guitar as a present for passing my 11+ in 1962I had no idea then that I would be making a living out of it for all this time!
I spent a couple of months playing with my new toy but didn’t get passionate about it until I met a guy called Mike Chapman (not the famous one) who could actually play.
That’s when the trouble started!
It just grabbed me, as simple as that. I started to live, eat & breathe guitar and that wasn’t helped by the emergence of a little known group called ‘The Beatles’. Apart from anything else, my popularity rating went through the roof, as guitarists were not so plentiful as they have since become.
I played for some local groups for a few years with some moderate success and learned my trade slowly but surely and was then asked to go to London to join a friend who was already there in a new band. London in 1968 was the place to be and I launched myself into the scene with all due vigour! Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll were the order of the day and I was 17/18. What else could I do?
During this time I was also learning to read music which was to give me the opportunity to do some sessions and, from there, I joined the resident backing group on the Canberra for four seasons, cruising all round the world for absolutely no charge and getting paid for it as well! I was even getting my drinks for nothing and found my other passion! Vodka! Would you argue?
After that I met and married my wife, which soon put a stop to my sea-faring days and I came back to Liverpool and started up on the local scene again, which I have been doing ever since!
When Karaoke hit the scene all my fellow musicians and I sneered at it with a vengeance. (Many of you will be too young to remember that it was done with cassette tapes and song sheets). It then moved on to videotape and then the Pioneer machines hit the market!
This was absolutely nothing to worry about as the machines and the discs were so horrendously expensive that very few shows were starting up and, indeed, were charging similar prices to a four or five piece band at the time. Then the CDG appeared and the live bands took a serious hammering!
At this point I moved from a band to a duo and then went solo simply to compete, whilst still disliking karaoke heartily.
Then my local pub started to host karaoke, which I attended by default, and eventually I became friendly with the host, who was a really good KJ. He then went on holiday for a month and asked me, because of my background in entertainments, to host his shows for him while he was away.
The rest, as they say, is history!
I have a loyal following of total lunatics all of whom have become close friends and you simply don’t get the camaraderie in any other field of entertainment that you do with Karaoke. The people support me and each other in a unique way and, even if they’re not the greatest singers you’ve ever heard, you very rarely hear any whining and groaning, just appreciation.
I love this business and the people that follow it and, although my main source of income is still gigging, karaoke gives me my playing out money and supports its own funding for discs etc.
Where else are you going to find that?
Long may it reign!
Barry James
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