Erik Kabik / ErikKabik.com
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 2 a.m.
Tony Bennett recalls what it was like for singers in the early days of Las Vegas. Which is to say, there was not a lot of work for singers in the early days of Las Vegas.
“In the early days, they really didn’t want singers,” said Bennett, himself a singer for the past, oh, 70-something years, in a recent phone conversation. “They wanted comedians and dancers, lots and lots of girls. There was a negative feeling about all of us singers — (Frank) Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, me. … It was unbelievable.”
But a comic helped sway opinions.
“It was Milton Berle who was kind enough to book me at the El Rancho, gosh, so long ago — it was in the ’50s — and that changed Las Vegas,” Bennett recalled. “Then you saw Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward coming in, and they did so well that singers were really welcome in this city.”
To pinpoint the “when” of it all, Dietrich debuted at the Sahara in 1953. That means Bennett appeared on the stretch known as the Strip as Berle’s opening act in ’51 or ’52, just after recording his first top-selling single, “Because of You,” which wound up selling more than 1 million copies.
For additional triviata, the El Rancho room where Bennett appeared was called the Opera House, one of the more prominent venues in all of Las Vegas in those days.
Of course, Bennett is still playing the big houses and is still a hit on the Strip, as he is to be honored a few months before his 90th birthday at Saturday’s Keep Memory Alive “Power of Love” gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The annual benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is expected to draw 1,700 attendees to the Grand Garden. Money raised from table purchases and the live and silent auctions goes to the research, treatment and operations needs at the Lou Ruvo Center. Over the years, the event has raised at least $100 million for the medical facility specializing in treating and preventing an assortment of brain disorders.
The event is traditionally brimming with stars, and this year is no exception. Those on the hot list of celebs committed to attend include James Corden, Steven Tyler, Darius Rucker, Jordin Sparks, Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, Dan Orlando, Minnie Driver and past honoree Quincy Jones.
This year’s event is largely the vision of Bennett’s son and manager Danny, and Larry Ruvo, a fan of Bennett’s since Ruvo was a kid growing up in Las Vegas. Bennett recalls his introduction to the city in the days he opened at El Rancho.
“I can tell you, everything was free. That’s how I remember it,” he says with a chuckle. “Free lunches everywhere. We dressed up to come into the casinos. It was a small town, but it was very friendly, and I watch it now, and it seems almost as big as New York City, houses reaching all the way to the mountains. … But in those days, you had miles and miles of prairie.”
Bennett remains a superstar headliner all over the world, a master of reinvention who has made significant career comebacks in the 1970s and again in the mid-1990s with his “Unplugged” and “Duets” projects. His partnership with Lady Gaga has allowed both artists to expand far beyond their own generations and artistic genres.
“What’s happened is we’ve become very good friends. I know her family, and we get along great,” Bennett said. “We really have fun together, and it shows onstage. She is such a great performer, and she keeps it fun.”
Bennett says he spends much of his time away from the stage painting. He has for decades been an acclaimed artist whose works command as much as $80,000 apiece, and whose actual birthday Aug. 3 will be marked by a gallery show of his paintings at the Empire State Building in New York.
But his primary professional craft remains live performance.
“I am blessed with the fact that I am not only in good health, but I am sold out all over the world,” said Bennett, who has enjoyed such popularity since Sinatra praised him in a Life magazine story 50 years ago, saying, “ For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He gets to me every time.”
“I have been known all over the world since he said that,” Bennett said.
Bennett keeps fresh by constantly studying his work — musically and artistically.
“It might sound funny, but I’m still learning a lot, and I am getting better as I get older,” he said. “I work every day. I sing and paint, I love entertaining, and that’s what makes me feel good. It leaves me with such a feeling of love, and that is my life.”
MGM Grand, a AAA Four Diamond resort, offers 5,044 rooms and suites.
MGM Grand features KÀ by Cirque du Soleil; Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club; and world-class entertainment at the Grand Garden Arena and Hollywood Theatre.
The resort offers signature restaurants by celebrity chefs including Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans Fish House, Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill and Michelin three star and Forbes Five Star restaurant, Joël Robuchon.
As part of its ongoing “Grand Renovation,” MGM Grand has remodeled all rooms and suites in its main tower and is adding several new experiences to its lineup including Hakkasan Las Vegas Restaurant and Nightclub, a new upscale dining/nightlife concept (coming in April 2013).
MGM Grand also features a state-of-the-art, non-smoking conference center, the Grand Spa, Cristophe Salon, "CSI: The Experience" and an inviting pool complex featuring the tantalizing daylife of Wet Republic.
Upscale accommodations include The Mansion, an exclusive hotel within the hotel; the luxurious two-story SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand; and The Signature at MGM Grand, a luxury all-suite, non-gaming hotel located adjacent to the main resort.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats on Instagram at Instagram.com/JohnnyKats1.
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