On July 25th and 26th, Mr. Newton took a break from his usual stand at the Flamingo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to play the Bears Den at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY. Recently celebrating 65 years performing in Las Vegas, Mr. Newton has a story to tell. And at 82 years young, Mr. Newton doesn’t skip a beat. He took the stage promptly at 8:00PM and opened with the classics “See See Rider” and “Viva Las Vegas.” It wasn’t all about the music though as the show was a bit of a biographical piece.
Born in Roanoke, Virgnia, his family moved to Phoenix at an early age due to Mr. Newton’s severe asthma. It was in Phoenix that he began performing with his brother Jerry at local venues and in talent shows. As a multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Newton couldn’t read a note of music and played each instrument by ear. He showed off these talents during the show by playing an acoustic guitar, steel guitar and fiddle backed by his 4-piece band.
With the help of his wife and emcee, Kathleen McCrone, he answered preselected questions that outlined his career from the age of 15. When arriving in Las Vegas, Mr. Newton and his brother would play six shows a day, six days a week. Big breaks quickly followed including performances on the Jackie Gleason show, the Jack Benny Program and a guest role on Bonanza. He also noted that one of his big breaks came when opening for Jayne Mansfield in Buffalo, NY.
Showing clips, singing songs, and exchanging banter with the audience, Mr. Newton described his role in the popular movie ‘National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation.’ He told the audience that during filming; he took some liberties that made it to the final cut: gifting Mrs. Griswold a lock of his hair, answering the door wearing a Karate gi, and an awkward moment where Cousin Eddie patted Mr. Newton’s hair. He showed us this sense of humor when a member of the audience waved one of his records in the air shouting “I have your record!”. Mr. Newton replied, “I was looking for that.”
The show would not be complete without the classic song “Danke Schoen,” which was originally written for Bobby Darin, a great mentor to Mr. Newton. He went on to describe his relationship with the members of the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Followed by a virtual duet of “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” with Sammy Davis Jr.
Mr. Newton has seen the world, including its many conflicts. Performing for troops in Vietnam and elsewhere, as the current chairperson of the USO Celebrity Circle, succeeding Bob Hope, Mr. Newton took a moment to turn on the house lights and recognize those who have served our country.
Mr. Newton closed the night with the popular song “My Way,” which surely earned him the title of “Mr. Las Vegas.” In the intimate 2-hour performance, Mr. Newton made true connections with the audience members making each of us feel like a welcome participant on the journey through his career.
Setlist:
See See Rider Blues (Ma Rainey & Georgia Dance Band cover)
Viva Las Vegas (Elvis Presley cover)
Everyday I Have the Blues (Count Basie and his Orchestra cover)
Steel Pedal Guitar Solo
Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover)
Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley cover)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady
Summer Wind (Grethe Ingmann cover)
Danke Schoen (Bert Kaempfert cover)
Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast
Fiddle Solo
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You (Russ Morgan and His Orchestra cover)
My Way (Claude Francois cover)
We would like to thank Phil Pantano from Pantano & Associates for the credentials to review the show.
