While Karen Newman's birth date is not published, she is listed as graduating high school in 1978, which places her birth year as 1960. She could either be 56 or 57 years old now.
In 2015 Newman, the blonde girl known for belting out her rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" before Detroit Red Wings games at Joe Louis Arena, celebrated 25 years doing so.
As reported by MLive, a 1978 graduate of Grand Blanc High School, it's a job Newman never imagined having. One of three sets of twins, she pursued a degree in music from Oakland University and spent the early part of her career bouncing around different jobs.
"I did what everyone else did -- I sang in the clubs, I sang on a cruise ship, I did commercials," Newman said. "It was the Red Wing opportunity that completely changed my path and my career."
Newman, ironically, drew the interest of the Red Wings organization while singing the national anthem at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the Detroit Pistons' back-to-back NBA championship seasons in 1989 and 1990.
By 1991, she was singing on a tryout basis for the Red Wings.
"And then Thomas Ilitch called me after the first season and said, 'We'd like to offer the job exclusively, but that means you can't go and sing for anybody else,'" Newman said. "I said, 'Sounds good to me,' and it's stuck ever since."