Wayne Newton, opening at the Frontier Hotel in December 1968.	Performing with brother Jerry at the Flamingo Hotel, December 1967.
	Wayne Newton walked the grounds of his palatial Casa de Shenandoah ranch in southeast Las Vegas and talked of a career here dating back to 1959 -- and what he considered the best barometer of his talents. "In the end, it really comes down to the hearts and souls you've touched along the way," Newton said wistfully. For Newton, that numbers in the millions.

Newton's impact on the entertainment industry in general -- Las Vegas in particular -- was perhaps best captured on an emotional night in January 1996 when he performed his 25,000th show before a sold-out audience at The Desert Inn. "The first 25 (thousand) were so easy, the next 25 (thousand) should be a breeze," Newton joked following his 100-minute, high-energy performance that won eight standing ovations. Several letters of congratulations were read during the evening, including one from former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, whom Newton had hosted at his 52-acre ranch during the Reagan presidency. Former President George Bush wrote "When the word legend comes to mind we all think of Wayne Newton." Legend was the last thing on Newton's mind when the Phoenix teen-ager dropped out of his junior year in high school to come to Las Vegas in 1959 with brother Jerry for a two-week gig in the lounge at the Fremont Hotel, in downtown's Glitter Gulch.

Las Vegas News Bureau Photos
Wayne with singer Johnnie Ray at the Frontier, August, 1972.	The two weeks stretched into six years, where he worked an incredible six shows a night, six nights a week. Their starting pay -- $380 a week.
	Signing a multi-year contract with longtime Summa Corp. Entertainment Director Walter Kane, at the Sands Hotel, February, 1973.


In 1967 he signed a 12-year deal with Howard Hughes' Summa Corporation, performing at the Desert Inn, Sands and Frontier hotels on a schedule that often included as many as three shows a night. In his 41 years of playing and living in Vegas, Newton has performed at nearly every resort in the city. He calls his adopted hometown "the greatest and largest entertainment arena in the world." His prolific performance record in the Entertainment Capital has earned him the title "Mr. Las Vegas." He recently inked a 10-year deal at the Stardust hotel-casino, where he performs in The Wayne Newton Theater. In a 1982 interview, Newton pointed out memorabilia in a richly-appointed office at his $8 million ranch estate --
presidential proclamations and White House notes, an endless list of awards, photos with other celebrities and poignant messages from service men and women he's entertained around the globe over the years. He talked wistfully of his first brush with show business, a trip to a Grand Ole Opry road show with his parents in his hometown of Roanoke, Va. when he was 4 years old. "I remember it like it was yesterday," Newton said. "There was Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. I was hooked. That's when I began bugging my folks for music lessons." At age 6, Newton was appearing on a local radio show. By age 15 Wayne and Jerry had their own television show in Phoenix, where Newton was a class president at North Phoenix High and was courted to attend West Point. A Phoenix television producer called a friend, Las Vegas hotel exec Ed Torres, to audition the Newton brothers. The rest is show business history. Torres, in a rare interview, recalled Newton's audition for his first Las Vegas job. "Wayne was shy, but he took charge immediately even though his brother was five years older," Torres recounted. "I couldn't believe a kid that young could be that talented." After his extended gig at the Fremont, Newton spent six months doing the Jackie Gleason Show, then returned to Nevada to perform with Jack Benny in 1964. In 1980, Newton and Torres bought the old Aladdin Hotel for $85 million, outbidding "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson. Newton sold his interest two years later, citing business differences with Torres.
	Over the years, Newton has not only solidified his role as the city's consummate entertainer, but has also become one of Las Vegas' most admired citizens, hosting a myriad of charity events. He says it amounts to "giving back," to touching those millions of hearts along the way.

Reprinted from "The Stars of Las Vegas"