Wayne Newton - Biography

Last Editor: lerelex_ruiz				Wayne Newton Biography -   Name : Wayne Newton Profession : Singer Birth Details : born April 3, 1942

Wayne Newton Trivia -

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Wayne Newton Detailed Biography -

Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 25,000 concerts in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nickname Mr. Las Vegas, his longevity and popularity making him literally synonymous with Las Vegas. Most recently, he performed at the Stardust resort in Las Vegas for 40 weeks out of the year until 2001, in a showroom that was named after him in 1999. Newton was born in Roanoke, Virginia, the half-Indian son of an auto mechanic. (His father was Irish-Powhatan and his mother German-Cherokee.) Newton was active in show business at an early age. He learned the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at the age of six. Along with his older brother Jerry Newton, he appeared with the Grand Ole Opry roadshows, performed for President Harry S. Truman, and auditioned unsuccessfully for Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. Wayne's severe asthma forced the family to move to Phoenix, Arizona in 1952. In the spring of 1958, toward the end of Wayne's junior year in high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw a local TV show on which the two Newton brothers were performing and took them back with him for an audition. Originally signed for two weeks, the two brothers eventually performed for five years, doing six shows a day. Newton achieved nationwide recognition on September 29, 1962 when he and his brother performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. He would perform on Gleason's show 12 times over the following two years. Many other entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Bobby Darin, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and Jack Benny lent Newton their support. In particular, Benny hired Newton as an opening act for his show. After his job with Benny ended, Newton was offered a job to open for another comic at the Flamingo Hotel, but Newton asked for, and was given, a headline act. From 1980 to 1982 Newton was part owner of the Aladdin Hotel, in a partnership that lead to a number of lawsuits and a failed attempt by Newton to purchase the entire hotel in 1983. In 1994, Newton performed his 25,000th solo show in Las Vegas. In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week. In 2005 the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated and Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton. In October 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as “Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle.� In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The show features ten contestants. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. Wayne Newton is currently performing at the Flamingo Hotel, where he is scheduled to remain through April 2006. Lingering vocal problems could hamper Newton’s future (source: Las Vegas Review Journal, 15 July 2005).