Walt's Inn

Karaoke is a popular form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with pre-recorded music accompanied with a synchronized video display of the song's lyrics. Karaoke first appeared in Japan in the early 1970's and the term 'Karaoke' is a portmanteau of the Japanese words 'kara' ('empty') and 'okesutora' ('orchestra'). In the 1990's Karaoke spread from Asia to the west including the United States. Karaoke began to appear in bars and nightclubs and as its popularity increased more establishments began offering Karaoke on specific scheduled nights, with some eventually offering Karaoke 7 days a week and becoming known as 'Karaoke Bars'.