Deanna Wallace has been deejaying around Chattanooga for about 10 years and has a simple philosophy when it comes to karaoke.
“Sometimes you clap because the person is really good, and sometimes you clap because it’s over.”
If you’re itching to belt out a favorite tune in front of a bunch of people you may not know, karaoke — a crammed-together blend of Japanese words that essentially means “empty orchestra” — can be found all over the Chattanooga area on almost any night.
Market Street. Hixson. Soddy-Daisy. Ringgold and Tunnel Hill, Georgia, are just a few of the more than a dozen places that pop up in a Google search.
You might experience a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” that is downright hellish. You might get a not-bad run-through of Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon.” Or you may hear a chillbump-raising version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Joe Reece is a bartender at Sing It or Wing It on Market Street and gets up on its stage a couple of times each shift to sing. And he can sing. Really sing. His two-and-a-half-octave voice soars on “Stay” by Rihanna.
Although he often sang at open-mike nights in his hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama, Reece said it took him about three months to work up the nerve to get onstage at Sing It or Wing It. No specific reason for the delay, he says.
He mentions that he usually sticks to “Hurt” by Johnny Cash, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt or “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Ed James. Singing “Stay” was a chance to duet with Caroline Dale, who runs the music at Sing It or Wing It.
To him, singing karaoke isn’t a case of whether you have a good voice or not. It’s a matter of having fun.
“It’s something that anybody can do, even if they’re not good at it,” he says. “We don’t get very many that think they can sing [when] they can’t.”
Wallace, who goes by the stage name of Queen D, has a standing gig Friday and Saturday nights at Zois Harbor Lights Restaurant in Soddy-Daisy. She presents a family-friendly show, she says, so no raunchy lyrics or bedroom-ready dance moves.
Beverly Salhany drives to a different beat. As in literally drives.
Her business, Magic Karaoke Ride, uses a Dodge Caravan to carry folks around town — sometimes farther. The van fits seven, and “everyone has a microphone so they’re not singing alone,” she says.
Decked out like a disco on wheels, its interior is filled with multicolored lights that spin, dance and flash. There’s a computer screen large enough for everyone to read song lyrics, a couple of coolers, a fridge and all sorts of other accoutrements for a rolling karaoke party.
She doesn’t provide food or drink, so it’s BYOB and BYOV (Bring Your Own Voice). The public is invited to join the experience as the concert rides by with speakers transmitting what’s happening on the inside to the outside. Sometimes that provides cringe-worthy moments for Salhany.
“Sometimes, when they’ve picked a newer song with words that aren’t so nice and I’m driving around downtown, I may feel like sort of sinking my head down a little, but I love it when they’re singing and having fun,” she says with a laugh.
Though she’ll often sing along with her van-mates, when it comes to singing in public herself, Salhany balks and admits she isn’t brave enough to get up onstage and go solo in a club or restaurant. She always has a friend standing alongside her for moral and vocal support.
“I never sing by myself,” she admits.
Staff photo by Jennifer McNally / Beverly Salhany poses for a photo in the Magic Karaoke Ride van.