Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an
American singer and entertainer based in
Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born in
Roanoke, Virginia. While Newton was still a child, his family moved to a home near
Newark, Ohio. He began singing in local clubs, theaters, and fairs with his brother. Because of his connection with Newark, the city selected Newton to be the grand marshal of its bicentennial parade in 2003. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nickname
Mr. Las Vegas. His best known songs include the "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" (1972) (his biggest hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard charts), "Years" (1980),
[Wayne Newton - Songs] and his
signature song, "
Danke Schoen" (1963).
Early life
Newton was born to Evelyn Marie "Smith" (
née Plasters) and Patrick Newton, who was an auto mechanic.
[Wayne Newton Biography (1942-)][Genealogy.com: Ancestry of Wayne Newton] His father was of
Irish-
Powhatan descent and his mother of
German-
Cherokee ancestry. While his father was in the
U.S. Navy, Newton spent his early childhood in
Roanoke. He was active in show business at an early age, learning the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at the age of six. Along with his older brother he appeared with the
Grand Ole Opry roadshows, performed for President 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.
Las Vegas
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 led to a number of lawsuits and a failed attempt by Newton to purchase the entire hotel in 1983.
[Aladdin Hotel time line]
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 a showroom named after him. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the
Hilton. His last show at the Stardust was on April 20, 2005.
[USATODAY.com - Wayne Newton leaving longtime Vegas stint] During a break in his on stage performance, he announced to the crowd that night he wanted to spend more time with his wife and new daughter as the main reasonings for cancelling the contract. Newton said the Boyd family made him a very nice offer to stay on past the demolition of the hotel and casino and to play in other Boyd venues, but Newton declined citing "another deal in the works for Vegas", but he did not mention the Hilton specifically. News crews were expecting this performance to end on time, to make their 10 pm and 11 pm shows, but the show finally ended around 11:30 pm, thus eliminating the possibility. Mr. Las Vegas went on at 7:30 that night, and sang nearly his entire repertoire and songs of other Vegas mainstays as well.
In 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 winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And recently during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang
Elvis Presley's
"Viva Las Vegas."
Newton was the Grand Marshal of the 80th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in
Winchester, Virginia, May 1–7, 2007.
[Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® : Official Web Site] He canceled a sold-out show to join the Festival.
Newton was featured on the 2007 fall season of
Dancing with the Stars partnered with Two Time Champion
Cheryl Burke. He became the third contestant to be eliminated from the contest.
In 2008, Newton received a
Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. The
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a national memorial to President Wilson, commemorates "the ideals and concerns of
Woodrow Wilson." The award honors leaders who have given back to their communities.
He is performing at the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre as of October 2008.
Quotes about Newton
- "Advertisements throughout the airport showed enormous pictures of Newton, microphone in hand, as he performed at the Aladdin Hotel. A taxi ride into the city required driving on Wayne Newton Boulevard. If a visitor was very lucky, his driver might tell him that his arrival date coincided with the celebration by the people of Las Vegas of Wayne Newton Day. And if one asked the driver what he thought of Wayne Newton (as I always did), the answer was invariably positive. Newton was good for tourism, one was told; he was good for taxi drivers, too, having entertained many of them for free at various points during his entertainment reign in Las Vegas. More important, Newton was the embodiment of Las Vegas, its ambassador to the world." Floyd Abrams, on arriving in 1986 into Las Vegas to represent the National Broadcasting Company against Wayne Newton in a famous libel suit.
[Floyd Abrams Speaking Freely, published by Viking Press (2005); Page 94.]
Filmography
- In 1990, Newton appeared on the TV series Full House in the episode entitled Viva Las Joey.
- In 1991, Newton appeared on the TV series Roseanne in the episode entitled Vegas, Vegas.
- In 1991, he played an opposing counsel in an episode of the TV series L.A. Law.
- Newton made several guest appearances in the TV series Las Vegas.
- In 1995, Newton played the manager of a Las Vegas casino in the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the episode entitled Viva Lost Wages
- Newton also appeared on an episode of the TV series That '70s Show.
- Newton appeared on MTV's reality show "Pimp my Ride"
- Newton appeared on "My Wife and Kids"
- Newton appeared on an episode of "7th Heaven" titled "Wayne's World".
- Newton also had a guest appearance on one of the episodes in the "Perfect Strangers" series which ended its run in 1993.
Family
In 1968, Newton married Elaine Okamura, and they adopted a daughter before divorcing in 1985. Newton's brother, Jerry, was the best man at the wedding. But within a year, the two were estranged, a situation that continued for more than three decades.
In 1994, Newton married the former Kathleen McCrone, a lawyer from
Rocky River, Ohio. The couple has one daughter, born in 2002.
Finances
In 1992, Newton filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize an estimated $20 million in debts, much of which was accumulated while suing NBC for libel; the network had reported that he partnered with the mafia to buy the Aladdin. His bankruptcy declaration included a $341,000
Internal Revenue Service lien for back taxes. By 1999, he was financially well off again.
[Out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy]
In August 2005, the IRS filed a lawsuit against Newton, alleging that he and his wife owed more than $1.8 million in taxes and penalties. One of Newton's tax lawyers disputed that, saying, "We believe the IRS owes him money."
[2005 - IRS alleges Wayne Newton owes $1.8 million]
Namesakes
The road serving the main terminal of
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is named Wayne Newton Boulevard in his honor.
Impersonators
