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| Official Website for Woo and Friends Karaoke Gerrie Woo got her start in show business as a Las Vegas show girl in Marshall Edson's review, Holiday in the Orient, Woo (as she prefers to be called) was selected from many hopefuls to open the Hollywood Playboy Club as one of the original Playboy Bunnies. Following her time with the Hollywood Playboy Club, Woo was offered an opportunity to pursue a singing career with popular entertainer "Mr. Bongo, " Jack Costanzo. Jack, who at one time performed with the likes of Stan Kenton, Judy Garland and Nat King Cole, introduced the conga drum to jazz and rock music. With her combination of talent and verve, it was apparent right from the start that Woo was the perfect addition to the Costanzo group. While on tour at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico, Tico label signed Woo to do an album with Jack Costanzo called Latin Percussion with Soul. Other albums followed, notably their most popular album, Viva Tirado on the Crescendo Label. The group went on to entertain the American GIs at USO shows in Vietnam, the Philippines and Bangkok. For over 25 years, Costanzo and Woo continued to entertain around the world in their unique and dynamic style with a mixture of Latin music, R&B, jazz, rock and classic ballads. Later on Woo fronted other groups such as Pitch and Woo and Woo's Folly, but admits that the performing chemistry between her and Jack Costanzo was special. The Woo and Friends Karaoke website, Wookaraoke.com, was designed by Sandra Miller-Long at WunderWebs. WunderWebs.com is a website and blog design studio that focuses exclusively on providing eye-catching, low-cost, high-quality websites for small businesses. Nothing is mass- produced. The concept is something like having is your personal jewelry hand-crafted by an artisan who understands your vision. This is evident throughout the wookaraoke.com website. Visitors to the site should make certain they don't miss the Music section which contains clips from some of Woo's songs recorded with Jack Constanzo. Most music aficionados proclaim these recordings to already be jazz classics. The Photos section of the site showcases galleries of the Woo and Friends Karaoke singers as well as photos of Woo's early years as Playboy Bunny and photography model for world famous photographer, Peter Gowland. The Karaoke Notes section contains articles written by Woo divulging some of the secrets of her success as a karaoke host in San Diego. Visitors to the site will learn about Woo's "No Nonsense" rotation which makes her shows anything but a traditional karaoke show. Frank Rhoades of the San Diego Union-Tribune once described Gerrie Woo as "one of the top performing singers in San Diego." Today anyone who has seen her karaoke shows at the Sheraton would easily admit she is, indeed, the best. It Woo's sincere philosophy that the karaoke stage at the Sheraton is not her performance arena, but rather a place for seasoned singers to showcase their abilities, and the perfect platform for up and coming talent to learn and enjoy the art of entertaining. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |