Wayne Newton

Carson Wayne Newton began performing professionally as a child. He learned piano, guitar, and steel guitar by ear, hosted a daily radio program by age six, and performed with his older brother Jerry in Grand Ole Opry traveling shows, local theaters, and clubs. The brothers also performed before President Harry Truman at a USO show and appeared on early television programs.

Severe asthma led Newton's family to move from Virginia to Phoenix in 1952, where the dry climate benefited his health. He continued performing there, appearing on the local Lew King Rangers television show and later receiving a program of his own with Jerry. In 1958, a Las Vegas booking agent saw the brothers perform and hired them for a two-week engagement at the Fremont Hotel. Newton was 17 when the engagement began, and he left high school during his junior year to pursue entertainment full time.

Newton and Jerry performed six shows a day, six days a week, at the Fremont Hotel before Wayne began establishing himself as a solo performer. His appearances on The Jackie Gleason Show brought him national television exposure, while Jack Benny hired him as an opening act and featured him on The Jack Benny Program.

Singer Bobby Darin became an important mentor during Newton's early solo career and helped him secure a recording opportunity with Capitol Records. Newton's recording of “Danke Schoen,” released in 1963, reached the Top 20 and became his signature song. He followed it with “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” in 1965 and “Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast” in 1972, the latter becoming his highest-charting single in the United States. Other notable recordings include “Summer Wind,” “The Letter,” and “Years.”

Newton became one of the defining performers of the Las Vegas Strip through decades of regular engagements and long headline shows. He performed at venues including the Desert Inn, the Frontier, the Sands, Bally's, Caesars Palace, and the MGM Grand Las Vegas. His performances often lasted as long as three hours, allowing him to build a reputation for stamina and direct rapport with audiences.

He performed his 25,000th solo Las Vegas show in 1994 and later signed a headliner-in-residence agreement with the Stardust, where a showroom was named after him. After a short hiatus beginning in 2010, he returned to the stage in 2016 with Up Close & Personal, a show combining live singing, instrumental performances, film clips, and personal stories. In 2019, he marked six decades on the Las Vegas stage with a Mr. Las Vegas engagement at Caesars Palace.

Newton has also represented Las Vegas in civic and entertainment settings. A major thoroughfare near Harry Reid International Airport was named Wayne Newton Boulevard, and he became the first person inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. His continued association with Las Vegas earned him the enduring nicknames “Mr. Las Vegas,” “The Midnight Idol,” and “Mr. Entertainment.”

Newton began acting during the 1960s, appearing as Andy Walker on Bonanza and performing on The Lucy Show. He was also a frequent guest on television variety programs, including The Jackie Gleason Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Jack Benny Program. Lucille Ball became an early professional supporter after seeing him perform on The Lucy Show.

His film roles included Professor Joe Butcher in the James Bond film Licence to Kill, Julian Grendel in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and appearances as himself in Vegas Vacation, The Hangover, and Smokin' Aces. His recording of “Danke Schoen” gained renewed attention after it was used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where Matthew Broderick lip-synched the song.

Newton hosted the 2005 reality competition series The Entertainer and competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2007. He later voiced Mr. New Vegas, the DJ of Radio New Vegas, in the video game Fallout: New Vegas, a role that was created for him.

Newton was married to Elaine Okamura from 1968 until their divorce in 1985, and they have a daughter, Erin. He has been married to Kathleen McCrone since April 9, 1994, and they have a daughter named Lauren.

For decades, Newton's Las Vegas home was Casa de Shenandoah, a ranch associated with his Arabian horse-breeding program and a collection of personal memorabilia. The property became a tourist attraction for a period, with visitors able to tour the grounds and view exhibits from his career. Newton and his family later returned to the property, which opened for public tours in 2015 before closing for renovations in 2018.

Newton's interest in horses began during childhood visits to his uncle's farm. In sixth grade, he sold his bicycle and his parents' movie camera to buy his first foal. He later raised Thoroughbreds and American Quarter Horses before concentrating on Arabians.

His program, Aramus Arabians, was based at Casa de Shenandoah and was named for the stallion Aramus. In 1969, Newton partnered with Tom Chauncey to purchase the Arabian stallion Naborr, and he later became the sole owner of Aramus. The breeding program produced six generations of horses and received recognition from Arabian horse organizations, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arabian Horse Breeders' Alliance in 2007.

Newton has made military support a major part of his public work. He performed on USO tours for American troops and became chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle in 2001, succeeding Bob Hope. Between 2001 and 2004, he directed and participated in 16 overseas USO tours, including performances for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He also participated in “You Can't Say Love Enough,” an all-star recording that raised funds for diabetes research. The American Diabetes Association established the Wayne Newton Research Grant, which supported diabetes researchers including Jose F. Caro and Peter J. Roach. Newton received a Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 2008.