Jason and Tina met at an open mic session in New York City in the late 1980s.

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At open mic nights, he honed a style of country-fried soul that caught the attention of Bob Dylan, who asked Lee to join his current tour.

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The following year he booked a ticket to Los Angeles and played open mic nights until being spotted by Jamie Foxx, who invited him to use his recording studio.

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Open Mic: What's holding women back?

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The enthusiasm about startups can also be found in small gatherings such as the Open Mic Idea Jam, a standing room-only event that was held at a popular pub in downtown Dublin in which entrepreneurs have three minutes to pitch their ideas.

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That perception may have been strengthened, in a roundabout way, by the incident in which she and fellow GOP talking head Mike Murphy were caught trash-talking Sarah Palin into an open mic last fall: The backstage Noonan was refreshingly candid about assessing the weakness of the Palin pick.

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But after leaving his teaching post, he started going to open-mic events in the Philadelphia suburbs.

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Inspired by an Etta James recording of "I'll Be Seeing You, " she performed her version at age 16 in a local coffeehouse during open-mic night.

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