Dueling Pianos (photo by Mary Fabian)
Singles Club Board (photo by Mary Fabian)
Char Niemi
What makes a Dueling Pianos Show great? It’s you, obviously!
The Singles Club would like to thank the 250 Robson Ranch residents who came out ready to sing, laugh, and dance. Your participation made the night unforgettable!
Our skilled entertainers, Karl Berkebile and Joe Kozera, took turns playing and singing the wide variety of requested songs, plus songs of their own choosing. We sang along to “Friends in Low Places” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Early in the evening, I was brought up front and surrounded by a group of handsome men as they sang “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’.”
We danced and sang and even did an adult version of the “Hokey Pokey.” But it was “The Unicorn” song, complete with hand motions, that brought out the kid in all of us. Karl made sure we all participated. Anyone caught not doing the hand motions soon found themselves performing in front of the crowd.
For many, this was not their first Dueling Pianos Show. But did you know that the modern format of the Dueling Pianos Show we got to experience originated in late 1986 in Dallas’ West End entertainment complex, called Dallas Alley. The club was called Alley Cats, and their goal was to redefine the style of dueling pianos (from the old-style found at Pat O’Brien’s Bar in New Orleans) by playing more contemporary rock and roll music, combined with humor, song lyric substitutions, and audience participation. By 1989, Alley Cats was said to be the highest-grossing nightclub per square foot in the nation.
Both of our entertainers, Karl Berkebile and Joe Kozera, performed at Alley Cats in the late 1980s. Thank you, Karl and Joe, for bringing your talents to our community. And thank you to our community for making this night unforgettable by being part of it.