Mr. Las Vegas Himself!
Wayne Newton
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There is a deep dark secret that has been kept from the public for decades. And yes, it involves the singer Wayne Newton.
It's hard to believe but the truth is:
THERE ARE FANS OF ELVIS WHO ALSO LIKE WAYNE NEWTON
!!!!!!!!
But even more confounding to the students and scholars of popular culture is the fact that:
THERE ARE FANS OF THE BEATLES WHO LIKE WAYNE NEWTON
!!!!!!!!
His fans like Wayne.
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So do theirs
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The fact that there are Elvis fans who like Wayne should be no surprise. Carson Wayne Newtown was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1942, but the family moved to Phoenix when Wayne was 10. Wayne and his brother Jerry began performing as duo when they were still kids. Their precocious talent landed them spots on local television shows and they even performed when the Grand Old Opry tours stopped by. Alas, Wayne and Jerry did not make it on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour although certainly they should have.
Both brothers played guitar and although they started out with a Country and Western motif by the time the Fifties were waning, they had switched to what was then called rock-and-roll (which is really Country and Western without the Nudie Suits). As with many sibling acts (such as the Everly Brothers and the Andrews Sister), the brothers sang in a close harmony which was quite pleasant to hear. Jerry took the lower voice while Wayne sang in the upper range.
Of course, if you live in Phoenix the nearest center of international entertainment is Las Vegas. Wayne and Jerry began appearing in Vegas in 1959 when Wayne was only 16, and they performed at both the Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip and in the Fremont Hotel downtown.
In their act, Wayne often took solos. His voice was a high tenor that almost reached into the counter tenor range and if needed he could reach seamlessly into a clear falsetto with perfect intonation. So it was almost inevitable that he would branch out on his own.
In 1962 Wayne and Jerry appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show. This was one of the most popular of the now vanished variety shows and had a nationwide audience. They impressed not only the audience but a number of other celebrities such as Lucille Ball and Jack Benny. Jack even had Wayne and Jerry appear on his show.
Jackie
How sweet it was.
Although Jerry was good, it was Wayne who really stood out. So it was inevitable that Wayne would go solo. In 1963 he had his first hit on the Billboard Charts with "Danke Schoen". He was soon releasing singles and albums and appearing on television, but mostly he headlined in Las Vegas.
Yes. But where was Elvis?
Colonel Tom and Client
Questionable Advice
In 1957 - a full six years before Wayne's solo debut - Elvis had been drafted into the Army. But he eschewed going into the entertainment division (as Privates Eddie Fisher and Vic Damone opted) and decided just to be an ordinary soldier. Then after his discharge in 1960 and following the rather questionable advice of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, for the next eight years Elvis quit live performing. He stuck with making movies and studio albums. So when Elvis made his return on the famous Comeback Special in 1968, his fans were no longer the peddle-pushered pony-tailed descendants of the bobby soxers. They were now grown women starting to raise their own families and entering the workplace.
So when Elvis began his meteoric rise as the top Vegas performer, he was around only in films (most which didn't do that well) and albums that were increasingly seen as old hat. Wayne, even though singing rock songs like "Up Up and Away", "Michelle" "These Boots are Made for Walking", "Winchester Cathedral", "I Hear a Symphony", "Georgy Girl",and even "Johnny B. Goode" and appearing on American Bandstand, had always directed his songs for the grown-ups. But although they rarely admitted it, a lot of kids liked Wayne's singing.
But yes, some Beatles fans liked Wayne's singing, too.
Although Wayne played guitar on his first recordings with his brother once he began his solo career he was usually backed by a full ensemble. So it was a surprise to his younger fans when he began appearing with a guitar and playing with considerable skill. He also began playing some strictly instrumental songs including a souped-up rendition of "Dueling Banjos".
It's a bit strange that Wayne's highest charting song wasn't either "Danke Shoen" or "Red Roses". Instead it was "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" that peaked at #4 in 1972. As far as classifying Wayne's genre about all you can say is it was "popular" music. But now you'll find Wayne often put into "Easy Listening".
Easy Listening?
Tony
Roy
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Jim
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Easy listening, though, is one of the more undefinable genres and eventually almost anything becomes easy listening. There was a time where you could tune into your local EZ Listening Station and be confident you'd hear the likes of Burt Bacharach, Ray Coniff, Henry Mancini, Xavier Cugat, Tony Bennet, Mel Tormé, Bert Kaempfert, Andy Williams, Bobby Darin, and Percy Faith with songs like "Whispering", "That Warm Afternoon", "Sail Along Silver Moon", "Autumn Leaves', "Wonderland By Night", and the quintessential Easy Listening kitsch "Theme from a Summer Place".
But it didn't take long for Easy Listening to start including the likes of John Denver ("Take Me Home, Country Road"), Pink Floyd ("Wish You Were Here"), Roy Orbison ("Only the Lonely"), and even Jim Morrison and The Doors, for crying out loud ("Riders on the Storm")!
What's next for easy listening? The Stones?
Say it ain't so.
References and Further Reading
Once Before I Go, Wayne Newton (with Dick Maurice), William Morrow and Company, 1989.
"Wayne Newton ", All About Jazz.
"Jerry Newton: What Happened To Wayne Newton's Brother?", Ruth Kai Botchway, Dicey Trents, February 26, 2024.