| February 11, 2011 |
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 The evolution of the "Las Vegas Lounge act" came about thanks to the
New Orleans transplant, Louis Prima.
Of all the musical giants of the past seven decades, specifically since the days of the big swing bands and Dixieland jazz, there is one who stands out amongst them one of the greatest contributors towards modern music and the course it eventually took. His name is Louis Prima and it all started when he took off at the once-famed 52nd Street in New York City.
A whole new era of music began, with Louis coining such expressions as "swing" and other "hep" sayings like "solid jack," "crazy man," and many more. Later, it was decided to name Benny Goodman the King of Swing, but only as a result of a big hit on the song "Sing Sing Sing," written by Louis Prima.
During the 60's and 70's Louis continued to break attendance records at The Sahara Hotel, The Sands Hotel, The Hilton and Tropicana Hotels in Las Vegas and Harrah's Reno and Tahoe.
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Our essays are written by Michael Green, professor at the College of Southern Nevada. Nevada Yesterdays is funded by the Nevada Humanities and dedicated to the memory of Frank Wright.
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Jun 14, 2013 | Tarkanian, Part II
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Jun 7, 2013 | Tarkanian, Part I
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Mar 8, 2013 | The Dickersons
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Feb 22, 2013 | William R. Wilkerson, part 2
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Feb 1, 2013 | William R. Wilkerson, part 1
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Jan 11, 2013 | Houssels
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