We're on the same page Dave. I have a cheap cordless mic that I let the guests use. At least twice, the battery has mysteriously gone out right in the middle or between songs. (Maybe my hitting the mute button had something to do with it too.)
Eddie, I always ask the celebrities if they want to sing, but I do it privately. If they are aggreeable, then I ask them over the mic.
Incidentally, a real pro will NEVER ask to sit in. Even if he is so inclined he will wait to be invited.
DonM

All good points here. I have never hit the mute button on a guest singer, but I have been known to play the shortest version of the song ever heard.

Just two weeks ago, a party that was considering hiring me to play for them was at one of my gigs...they had a lady with them that they said was "phenomanol" (sp?).
I caved and invited her up, after first talking to her in private to select song(s), keys, etc.

Turns out she leans heavily to jazz interpretations and has a range that goes from Barry White to Minnie Ripperton. She was jumping octaves and most of the melody lines were so obscure as to be un-identifiable. Now, here is the kicker: The crowd liked her because they thought she was trying to be funny and had the pipes to really mock a song. (Not the reaction I think she was looking for.)

But as UD says, I was viewed as being a good sport by giving her decent backing and sharing the stage with her.

Later SHE asked if she could come up and do some more. But, I noticed a horn player in the room who also asks to sit in...and I said NO. Ya gotta know when to put that foot down and keep control.

Finally, another word about celebrities in the room. NEVER put them on the spot without prior consent...but it is a good idea to talk to them and find out IF they want to be acknowledged or not...or perform.

Don.... do you recall Bobby Lord? He hosted the Opry sometime in the 60s. The only big record he had that I can remember is "Hawkeye". Several years ago some local folks here asked him to do a show and he asked me to back him. It took an afternoon of rehearsal to learn some of his particular songs...the rest were pretty much 3 chord standards. I forget which arranger I was using at the time, probably a PSR 5700, but he was happy and he came off looking like the star he used to be in the Nashville circuit.
Eddie

[This message has been edited by btweengigs (edited 12-02-2002).]

Quote from DonM:
"Incidentally, a real pro will NEVER ask to sit in. Even if he is so inclined he will wait to be invited."

Very well put....That says it all.

I guess it depends on how well you know each other. I often have people walk in, and walk right up to me and call up a tune .... knowing that they are a "regular" in the room and they are welcome because I've made them feel that way in the past. I even have friends that my audience requests to hear because they know what to expect !
Donny is one of them ..... he's getting to know all my Friday night people, and they ask for HIM to sing too ! It's a very friendly place ........ like "Cheers", only I'm Sammy's boss !

UD ... Sounds like a great gig (I know you hate the word, but I don't and I'm used to using it.... certainly not trying to 'throw it in your face'...) you've got going ... Of course there are going to be some regulars, especially if you are in the same place for any length of time ... I've had some over the course of years that I actually knew when, what and how they were going to sing ... And I really enjoy a good guest star that I can do backup and harmony to...

One of the funnier routines was a guy who asked if he could 'sing' a song, but told me I had to sing with him ... the tune was "For the Good Times" .... We start the song and I don't hear him singing, and I realize he is in front of the stage, LIPSYNCHING to my vocal !!! ... This was his 'shtick', and every week someone would ask him to 'not sing' "For The Good Times" .... At least it was better than some of the 'singers' that would come up ...

Of course other 'players' can be an even bigger problem ... I had this 'sax player' who would sit in and I had to try to remember what measure he left out of what tune as he was playing .... BUT, the people thought he was great!!! Why? ... because he would 'growl' and 'honk' and wave that horn all over the place as he played....
God I LOVE this business ....

... Also, as UD said, you HAVE to be mindful of the 'other' clientele who are there to hear YOU, not other 'guests'....
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 12-02-2002).]

Of course there are the regulars. . .
I have some pretty good singers and pickers stop by, and they are always welcome.
Am I going to tell James Burton he can't sit in on guitar? I'm honored to be in the same room with him, and there are several around here like that.
It's all common sense. And there are times I welcome a second body on stage. Somebody to bounce jokes off. Sometimes you don't feel like carrying the whole show all night.
Right now I have a bad cold, and planning to be sure a couple of buddies show up for the job to help on vocals.
DonM

As a matter of fact . . . Boo sat in with me on a couple of gigs, and we had a great time. By the end of the weekend he was saying "Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Here?"
I later took him to another club where he sat in with some friends of mine and was a big hit there also.
I'm sure we had a couple of guest singers while he was playing. It all depends on the circumstances.
DonM

Hello everyone! I have never been on the forum before but here goes!! I am a long time friend of Boo and the guy that prompted Boo to bring up the subject of open mic. I have just finished( I quit) a ten year gig ,5 nights a week ,Tues. -Sat. at Clint Eastwoods piano bar in Carmel Ca. The venue is open mic,anyone can "give it a try" and I could never say no. After ten years of that abbuse( I know, no one made me stay),I had to quit before I killed someone. Now ,needless to say , I tell anyone and everyone ,"customers dont cook their food ,mix their drinks,or make their music"!!!! All of the comments have been very good and reasonable but I just would not know how to control the procedure in a tactful way (my problem).Once the "genie is out of the bottle", I just would not know how to put it back in.I also feel that solo cats are "picked on " for this whereas bands ,even duos dont face it as much. The irony is ,at the Mission Ranch I saw the "good ,the bad and the ugly"and agree it can be a good thing if controlled(Tony Bennett and the late John Denver and Cheril Ladd sang with me and everone loved it). I'm rambling on so Ill stop . I look forward to any comments . I have been a pro for 35 years ,solo almost the whole time . Waiting to hear from you guys!!!

Hi Sonny! Hey, remember me? I stopped by at 'Mission Ranch' about a year ago and you had to put up with my singing. By the way, my cousin's wife, Theresa is still the manager of 'Mission Ranch's' lodging accomodations and she misses hearing play at the restaurant. As a longtime Synthzone member, I can verifiably state that SonnyG is a terrific piano player & entertainer, and a perfect gentleman to boot.

Anyway, I know exactly how you feel about the solo piano bar & open mic scene. I did that routine about 7 years ago, and it quickly got on my nerves too. The solo piano bar venues & open mic tend to go hand in hand. I also no longer do piano bar gigs and have opted for private parties and regular senior retirement community type show venues. The BIGGEST benefit of enduring the piano bar 'open mic' scene is that it provides valuable contacts & connections for booking more lucrative private party gigs. The perk at Mission Ranch is that you get a lot of celebrities coming in. Btw: Did Doris Day ever stop and sing during your stint at the Ranch?

Sonny, after ten solid years (WOW!) at Mission Ranch , I can fully understand how you would need and deserve a rest for at least a little while. I still hope you're finding other satifying gigs in the Monterey Area. I'm originally from the Monterey Bay Area myself (grew up in PG), so plan to evntually move back there. Hope you save a spot for me.

- Scott




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http://scottyee.com

When I'm off I love to go see my
"Uncle Dave" perform, being we're both always playing somewhere it's nice to go and see each other do what we love. Being I perform big Dinner Dances and Private Party venues vs Lounges I very rarly get requests or people that want to sing with me. But when UD asks me to Sing a few tunes at a Lounge I'm honered and I'm always up to the task, and besides with UD's great KB playing and background vocals you can't go wrong! I always do songs everyone can relate too eg: like the ones on my website www.donnypesce.com people sing along and all is well.

Dnj



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 12-03-2002).]