Wayne Newton
How many Wayne Newton songs can you name? Most people in the world, who are not slavering devotees of the Vegas crooner, probably cannot name more than one or two. Despite this lack of knowledge about his music, one would have to take their mail in a shack located in the Ozarks to not be aware of who Wayne Newton is. He is one of the few people on the planet who are simply famous for being famous. This puts in the same pop culture category as Paris Hilton, but without the grainy video tape of sexual acts with somebody else's spouse.
Wayne Newton, a native of Roanoke, VA, was brought into the world in 1942. He began his singing professionally in 1948, at the tender age of 6. After his parents moved the family to Phoenix, AZ in the mid-50's Wayne, together with his brother Jerry, formed a rockabilly duo and performed as often as possible. Before either he or his brother had even reached their teens they were performing on local television. A few years later, when the boys were of age, they moved the act to Vegas.
While in Vegas the duo recorded for Capitol and George records. In 1963, George had left the band and Wayne was recording for Capitol records as a solo act. Newton had a very good start as his first three singles hit the charts at very respectable positions. "Danke Schoen", his trademark song, went up the charts all the way to the top 20.
Today Newton is one of the most beloved and recognizable people in Las Vegas. His commitment to the city has earned him the honor of a street named after him in the city.
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