User talk:Rhemmings

I believe that the first full time karaoke bar in Australia was started in Cairns in North Queensland by Reno Castro who owned a nightclub and piano bar. Reno visited a nightclub in Hawaii in early 1989 and saw one of the first Pioneer karaoke systems that they put out, it was an 110V system. He bought it off the owner immediately, brought it back to Australia and converted his piano bar into a 7 day a week karaoke bar. This was when Cairns was the hottest nightspot in Australia. This bar was immediately jammed packed every night of the week with somewhere between 150 to 200 people and started at 9pm and went to 5am in the morning, usually kicking out 75 to 100 people at 5am. It was originally run I think by Reno's brother Steve, a great singer in his own right, or Brett Heyho, a local radio DJ, who was I believe the owner of one of the best cabaret voices in Australia. He never left Cairns to further that brilliant talent. It ran successfully like this until about the mid nineties, after which it reduced the number of nights it operated until it finished about 2005/6 sometime. I started a mobile karaoke business in 1995 (Cairns Karaoke) which I ran until I sold the business in late 2004 and moved to the Sunshine Coast. I became the Pioneer agent for karaoke equipment in 1995 and at a later date did a deal to swap some disc's for his original 110V Pioneer Karaoke Amp, which he thought was faulty. When I connected it all up I found nothing wrong with it and still have and use it to this day. I hope this helps to correct a misconception I have read many times over the years and sets the record straight. Reno owned several nightclubs over the years and was also the manager of the shortlived duo Shakira. Bob Baker,emailbob.bakerq5@gmail.com