Wayne Newton

Mom and Dad did not attend the first show at Fremont.

In fact, they didn't come up until after the first week.

Wayne and his brother would perform six shows a night at the Fremont in the lounge.

The stage was on a high platform with a bartender serving drinks at the base.

They made $280 a week and sent half back home.

At the end of the engagement, they were extended into what became a 46-week booking.

Wayne dropped out of high school two weeks before his junior year ended.

While performing, Wayne attempted to finish his education via high school correspondence.

Wayne's first impression of Vegas was disappointment.

He thought the property should more literally represent their names.

For example, he expected the Dunes to be a collection of sand mounds with a door.

It was during this engagement that Wayne started to put on weight.

He blames boredom.

Eventually Wayne got tired of lounge work and started learning new instruments just to give his voice a break.

Eight months after they started playing the Fremont, their parents moved to Vegas.

The act started as a duet, but eventually evolved into a quartet.

They would still be billed as the Newton Brothers.

Despite their success, back in the day, playing downtown meant that you weren't good enough to play on the strip.

The Newton Brothers' big national break was the Jackie Gleason Show.

Wayne admits he was more intimidated by Jackie Gleason than being on TV.