THE FOUNDER'S STORY
A tale of one man, one microphone, and the worst rendition of "Margaritaville" ever recorded.
It was 1997. Tony "Mic Drop" Petrolino was 23 years old, a regional sales rep for a chain of dental supply warehouses in southern New Jersey. On the night of April 14th, at a karaoke bar called Decibels, Tony made the mistake of selecting Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville."
He went flat on the chorus. Three times.
He missed the "wastin' away again" entrance by half a beat. He attempted a falsetto on a song that does not have one. The DJ — a kind man named Doug — fade-cut him at the 2:14 mark.
Tony did not sing again for sixteen years.
In 2013, while watching a child confidently butcher "Let It Go" at a cousin's birthday party, Tony had a vision. He realized: the child had hype. The child had a mom in the front row. The child had been pep-talked. Tony had had none of these things in 1997.
Tony dedicated the rest of his life — and most of his savings — to ensuring no aspiring karaoke performer would ever stand at a microphone unprepared. He recruited his cousin Vinny (The Hype Cousin), his old vocal teacher Mrs. DiAngelo (The Vocal Coach Who Believes In You), and a tour-hardened backup singer named Yvette who once opened for Patti LaBelle.
The Karaoke Confidence Coach is the result of Tony's thirty-year mission. He has not, to date, sung "Margaritaville" again. But he says he will. He says he's ready. He says he just needs the right pep talk.
*Tony Petrolino is a fictional character. Any resemblance to a real Tony who went flat on Margaritaville in 1997 is coincidental, deeply unfortunate, and we are sorry.