Las Vegas is famously known as America’s Party City and for a great party, you need great entertainers like Carson Wayne Newton. He is one of Las Vegas’ greatest and Wayne has become a mainstay of the city such that a modern story of Las Vegas cannot be told without telling the story of Wayne Newton. The man who has earned Mr. Las Vegas as his nickname has woven himself into the fabric of the city’s history and a look into his life and professional history shows exactly why he’s referred to as Mr. Las Vegas. To learn more about Carson Wayne Newton, read below.
Wayne Newton Bio (Age)
Wayne Newton may have been born in Norfolk, Virginia but his destiny lay in the city of Sin. Born to an auto mechanic and his wife, Evelyn Marie Smith, Wayne Newton is a man of Native American origins that grew up in a modest family. He picked up an interest in music at an early age, learning musical instruments at the age of six.
When his family relocated to Ohio, Newark to be exact, Wayne Newton started what would become his career, singing in entertainment venues. Wayne, along with his brother Jerry began to sing in local theaters and clubs.
Although Newton battled asthma as a child, he fought through it and hit some important milestones early on in his career, including performing in front of Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former US President.
After finishing high school, he and his brother got their first show through a Las Vegas booking agent who saw one of their performances on the Lew King Rangers Show and booked the brothers to perform for two weeks in Las Vegas. A two weeks contract turned into 5 years as the brothers were loved by the adoring crowd of Las Vegas.
Newton got his first professional recording contract in 1963 after getting signed onto Capitol Records. He released his first album, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the music business, support is crucial to attaining success, and luckily for Wayne Newton, he didn’t lack it. He got significant support from Lucile Ball, Danny Thomas, Bobby Darin, and a few other prominent entertainment icons at the time. This support helped grow Newton’s career to the point he was charting in Canada, topping the charts with his song, Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast.
By 1994, Newton had become a cherished name in music and especially in Vegas. He performed his 25,000th solo show in Vegas in 1994. He signed a 10-year contract with Stardust, a casino in Vegas to be a regular performer. A similar deal was also signed with the Hilton.
After years of headlining shows and entertaining guests in various halls in Vegas, Newton was elected into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2000. Newton has also dabbled into reality television, hosting a show on E! titled The Entertainer. He currently still performs at Vegas, in a show titled Up Close & Personal.
His career has featured a slew of awards and recognition. Aside from being elected into the Gaming Hall of Fame, Newton was also the chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle. He has received a Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.
Music has featured prominently in Newton’s career but he is also a lover of horses. He has a ranch dedicated to Arabian Horse breeding and has been able to produce over 700 foals. His service to the art of horse breeding, especially Arabian Horses was recognized in 2007 when he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Arabian Horse Breeders Association.
Net Worth
Decades of being a top performer in one of the most lucrative cities in the world and a couple of popular albums, combined with a lasting entrepreneur business of breeding horses have resulted in a $120 million net worth valuation for Wayne Newton. Although he lost a lot of his money in business deals gone wrong and declared bankruptcy in 1992, he’s gone on to recoup his losses and establish himself as one of the wealthiest musicians alive.
Is Wayne Newton Gay? Wife and Daughter
The life of an entertainer, especially that of a popular act like Wayne Newton is not exactly the most ideal for having a family. The often busy schedules make it challenging to spend enough time with family members, but Wayne tries to make it work. However, he hasn’t always been successful in his attempts as reflected in his divorce from his first wife, Elaine Okamura. The couple was married in 1968 but eventually got divorced in 1985. They share one child, Erin Newton.
In 1994, Newton remarried, this time to Kathleen McCrone. Newton has been putting more effort into making the relationship work as he’s been known to take long breaks from performing to spend time with his family. Newton and Kathleen have one daughter together, Lauren Ashley Newton.
Despite jokes made by Johnny Carson about Wayne Newton’s sexuality, suggesting that the entertainer is gay, Newton is a straight man.
Plastic Surgery and Body Features
Wayne Newton was confirmed to have gotten plastic surgery for his aging face during an episode of The Bachelorette. In a move that has earned him the nickname, Mr. Facelift; the entertainer got some work done on his face. At the age of 76, it is difficult to begrudge the man of trying to look younger.
