Nostalgia for the Cure

GLENN L

Shanna Liles was born and raised in Irving, Texas and has been performing locally since 1985. As a solo artist, she has performed at many local venues including Cowboy’s Dallas, Cowboy’s Arlington, Cowboy’s Red River, and Southern Junction. After winning local talent contests and receiving a songwriting award from the Music City Song Festival in Nashville, she joined the show band, Aly Morgan and Crimson Rose in 1991. Shanna was a featured vocalist in the seven-member show band for 7 years and they performed regularly in Dallas at various dinner clubs, including Arthur’s, The Enclave, Stone Trail, Cappuccino, and Ernie’s. In addition, they performed their full stage show at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, the Tri-State Fair in Amarillo, the Cattle Baron’s Ball in Fort Worth, the Dallas Zoo, and at many private parties. The show band also released a performance video that was filmed at the famed Bronco Bowl. Shanna was a backup vocalist on two CDs that were released nationally and was co-writer of a song on one of the CDs titled "Sweet Sweet Jesus." During this time period, she also traveled to Nashville to perform solo at a songwriter’s showcase at the acclaimed Bluebird Cafe.

After leaving Aly Morgan and Crimson Rose, Shanna traveled back to Nashville to sing backup on a Christian CD for the duo, Heart and Soul. A video for "Silent Witness", a song from the CD that features Shanna’s backing vocals, was distributed nationwide by the Women’s Faith Force Ministry to help bring awareness to end domestic violence. She then joined forces with a former bandmate to form their own band, The Sophistocats. She was the female vocalist in the five-member band, which was the regular house band at Stone Trail in Addison. Currently, she is the President of her own music publishing company, Iron Gable Music BMI. At this time, they have two published songs that have been released internationally and have many other projects they are working on.

Glenn Lukin of On Stage Entertainment has been providing professional quality karaoke since 1989 when he said to a close friend "You have to see this cool machine I have". ON STAGE ENTERTAINMENT was the first company to bring "commercial" Karaoke to the metroplex about ten years ago: a simple Christmas party for Dave and Buster's back in 1989. This one event blossomed into a twice-weekly event that continued for 9 years at two different Dave and Buster's locations. Since the day when Glenn got that "cool machine" he has continued to add to and upgrade his entire system, including one of Pioneers latest laser players that will play everything from the original Pioneer Laser Disks to the the newest Karaoke DVD's and a completely digitized catalog that plays straight from his PC.

The catalog of songs that On Stage Entertainment maintains has always been one of the largest in the entire metroplex and to date Glenn has well over 10,000 songs. The selections cover everything from the crooners of the 40's to the latest artists of the 21st century. We owe particular thanks to Glenn for providing backup tracks to all the songs performed as part of Nostalgia for the Cure.

Kenny Peters, currently of Austin, Texas has an award-winning voice that you must hear to believe! Since winning a talent contest during his very first public performance at The Old Plantation in Dallas, Texas in the 1980's, Kenny has been called the Best Male Vocalist in Dallas more than once! Kenny also spent several years as co-host to Glenn Lukin at Dave and Buster's, the first widely recognized Karaoke outlet in Dallas, all the while winning talent and songwriting contests. In 1995, he was selected as one of six singer/songwriters from a nationwide talent search to be featured on "New Faces II" from which Kenny's songs received airplay in several markets.

Musical theatre came next, and Kenny has brought lead roles to life in shows from the Aids benefit "Shake, Rattle and Roll" to the "Schoolhouse Rock: Live" debut in Dallas.

Austinites may have seen Kenny as a singer and featured soloist in River City Pops, and Texans from the Dallas and Austin areas supported his entry into Ed McMahon's Next Big Star as well as Star Search. His original song, "The Who You Are" was considered for the sound track of the movie, "The Grinch."

In addition to his musical gifts, Kenny is a talented web designer, and owner of www.HeavensLeash.com. We are thrilled to have Kenny come up from Austin to make Nostalgia for the Cure unforgettable, and we promise not to ask him to tap dance!

Since her first public solo appearance in the pulpit of First Assembly of God Church in Grand Prairie at the age of eighteen months, Kristina has never had a moment of stage fright, and never stopped singing or looking for a spotlight to step into. From "Prince Igor" with the Dallas Symphony Chorus and the role of Laurie in "Oklahoma" in the 80s to the Wylie Opry and the Jimbo Adams Country Funk Band, no musical style is off limits. Her recent singing has been limited to karaoke performances, but isn't limited by geographic borders. In Canada, she found time to karaoke while on a business trip, and the "audience" particularly enjoyed her Anne Murray and Shania Twain songs. Her favorite international karaoke experience was the command performance at Champions Bar in Santo Domingo, where her performance from a visit three months earlier was remembered by patrons.

Since her mother's diagnosis with cancer in 1999 and recurrence in 2003, Kristina has focused her passions on cancer charities and other community organizations, participating in and producing charitable events. After her mother passed away in 2007, Kristina redoubled her efforts to bring cancer issues to the public, this time as a pageant contestant. A serendipitous internet search led her to the Miss Texas Plus America pageant, whose emphasis on promoting a platform seemed a perfect fit for her circumstances and personality. Second runner up in the Ms Division of Texas Plus America, Kristina went on to win Ms Texas Classic Beauty and Elegant Ms Texas, US United and will compete in those national pageants in July and November. Kristina has made appearances at local Relay for Life events and other events benefitting cancer charities this year, and will continue to use her titles and other means to promote her platform: Standing beside those living with cancer; speaking up for a future without it. Kristina is thrilled that pageant queens from at least seven different pageant systems will be special guest ushers at Nostalgia for the Cure.

Producing this event has been a labor of love for Kristina, and one with a very special benefit. Kristina, Shanna, Kenny and Glenn met and became friends at the karaoke show at Dave and Busters in the early 90's. Tragically, cancer has touched the lives of loved ones of all four. While all of us wish we could turn back the clock to more innocent times, instead, these four entertainers go forward, using their talents to give hope for a brighter future to families now dealing with cancer. Kristina is thankful that all of the singers welcomed the oppoturtunity to reunite for this special event.

Anicia is very well-known and much loved by many theatre-goers, performers and performing arts groups in the Mid-Cities area. Founder of Starlight Performing Arts and currently directing for Creative Arts in Action, Anicia has directed countless productions and mentored hundreds of teens, giving them the opportunity to experience and express themselves through the theatre arts.

She most recently directed Fiddler on the Roof for CAIA and Triple Threat Texas's Love is a Song Concert. She will direct The Best Christmas Pageant Ever this summer as well as teaching three summer theatre camps for children in the 3rd grade and up.

A three year cancer survivor, Anicia is delighted to be a part of Nostalgia for the Cure as stage director and we are thrilled that she will also grace us with a song.