Wayne Newton in Concert

The always suave Wayne Newton is — and will always be — Mr. Las Vegas. The classic crooner and entertainer even has a road named after him at Vegas’ international airport. A consummate performer, Newton has been charming audiences since he was a kid, singing alongside his older brother Jerry. Once the young siblings made their way to Vegas — where they began performing six shows a night, six nights a week — Wayne was on his way to becoming a legend. Over the next several decades, Newton would solidify his VIP status, transforming from the boyish singer of the ‘60s to the debonair Mr. Entertainer of Vegas. He came to dominate Sin City, at one point becoming its highest paid performer. In total, he’s logged over 30,000 live shows and counting. The King of Vegas continues his rule, presiding over Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace with his intimate show, Wayne Newton: Up Close and Personal, in which he sings his biggest hits, shares his favorite stories and invites the audience to ask him anything.

Wayne Newton Background

Wayne Newton has been a star nearly all his life. Born Carson Wayne Newton in 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia, the young singer took to music early, learning how to play piano and guitar starting at age six. As his family moved around the country, from Ohio to Arizona, Wayne and his older brother Jerry honed their stage skills at local clubs and fairs. Their show eventually caught the eye of a booking agent, who invited the brothers to perform in Vegas in 1958. There, the sibling duo impressed crowds night after night for five years. Newton also made waves on the national level, performing on The Jackie Gleason Show and acting on the western TV hit Bonanza. In his early twenties, he was landing singles on the charts, including his signature version of “Danke Schoen” and “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” (still favorites at his performances). He was prolific throughout the 1960s and 1970s, releasing multiple albums nearly every year and scoring another big hit with 1972’s “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast.” By the mid ’70s, Newton was already shedding his baby-faced image and fast becoming Vegas’ must-see event. Decades later, he still reigns as Mr. Vegas, bringing in fans — young and old — to see the living legend do what he was born to do: entertain.