The 7 Biggest Names in Las Vegas Showbiz History

Las Vegas is well-known as “The Entertainment Capital of the World.” Showbiz personalities of all stripes have been thrilling audiences there since the 1940s.

But among the thousands of performers to have graced various stages in Sin City, a few stand out as the biggest names in Las Vegas showbiz history.

In this post, I look at what I think are the biggest names in Las Vegas showbiz history:

1 – Elvis Presley

Las Vegas is one of the most important and significant periods of the King of Rock and Roll’s career. In fact, Elvis’s present is still felt in Las Vegas constantly even 40+ years after the King’s death.

He started playing in Las Vegas regularly in 1969, although he had played there as early as 1956.

But from the 1960s to the time of his death, Elvis played close to 700 shows in Vegas, making a lasting impression on the city and its entertainment for decades since.

The King had an ongoing deal with the International for $1 million a year to play there, and that deal stayed in place until his death in 1976.

Out of a total of 664 shows, Elvis sold out 636 of them.

You can’t throw a rock in Las Vegas without accidentally hitting an Elvis impersonator.

Elvis and Vegas go together like peanut better and jelly.

2 – The Rat Pack

Before Elvis dominate the entertainment scene in Vegas, the Rat Pack was prominent. If you’re past a certain age, you’ve almost certainly heard of them. The members of the Rat Pack included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Shirley MacLaine.

They filmed the original Ocean’s 11 in Las Vegas and started appearing on stage throughout the 1960s there. Often, a member of the Rat Pack might have a show of his own and one of the other members would show up and improv some comedy bits and music with the headliner.

The center for most of the Rat Pack’s activities in Vegas during the 1960s was The Sands, which is no longer there. The Sands closed in 1996, and it has the distinction of being the first casino and hotel in Vegas I ever visited.

I stayed there the last weekend they were open. Older people were wandering around the halls and the lobby area crying because they were so sad that the home of the Rat Pack was closing.

It’s hard to imagine that was 24 years ago, but you know what’s even harder to imagine?

The Rat Pack era in Vegas ended about 50 years ago.

Of course, you can still find plenty of Rat Pack tribute artists throughout Vegas, though.

3 – Siegfried and Roy

When I went to work for Hotels.com in the mid-1990s, we were expected to have significant amounts of product knowledge in terms of which hotels were close to which attractions. My solution to this was to buy the Frommer’s guide to the major destinations we offered.

Of course, I started with the guide to New York City, but the Las Vegas guide came shortly afterward. I’ll never forget this, though. The Frommer’s guide had a list of must-see Vegas attractions, and Siefried and Roy were at the top of the list.

They were a pair of German illusionists who had a flashy show with white lions and tigers. Both Siegried and Roy have passed away now, but their legacy won’t be forgotten.

In 2003, Roy Horn was mauled by one of the tigers in the show. The loss of blood caused a massive stroke, and he was never able to perform again. The Mirage, though, still features Siegried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

But from 1981 to 2003, Siegrfried & Roy was one of the biggest shows in Vegas.

4 – Wayne Newton

If you’re of a certain age – like my mom – you’ll know who Wayne Newton is for sure. You might even call him Mr. Las Vegas or Mr. Entertainment, which are 2 of his more popular nicknames. He was a big star from the late 1950s, but he really hit it big in Vegas in the 1980s and 1990s.

By 1994, he’d performed over 25,000 shows in Vegas, and in 1999, he signed an exclusive deal with the Stardust to perform there at least 40 weeks a year. He had his own showroom named after him there.

In 1997, Newton appeared hilariously in Vegas Vacation, which is still one of my favorite Vacation movies. He develops a big crush on Clark’s wife, and she almost leaves him for Wayne Newton. I’m still not sure she made the right choice when she went back to her husband.

As of 2019, he’d performed over 30,000 shows in Las Vegas over a 60 year career.

5 – David Copperfield

David Copperfield is the most successful illusionist of all time. If you’re my age, you’ve probably seen on television at least a dozen times over the last few decades. He also holds almost a dozen Guinness World Records.

But he’s not just a successful magician – he’s one of the most successful entertainers of all time regardless of his niche. His ticket sales surpassed $4 billion, and that was 15 years ago.

His magic show has been a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip for years, but if you’re one of those unusual types who likes to visit museums while visiting Vegas, he owns one of those, too. Here’s the problem – David Copperfield’s museum isn’t open to the general public.

To visit his collection of illusionist memorabilia, you must be a fellow illusionist or a serious collector. If you are, though, you can visit a warehouse filled with some of the coolest historical magic artifacts ever.

You can even find multiple illusions from Houdini as well as the box that Orson Welles used when he sawed Rita Hayworth in half.

According to one travel website, if you have a connection with a good concierge and don’t mind dropping some tip money, you might be able to wrangle a visit for yourself.

David Copperfield does 15 shows a week at the MGM Grand in Vegas in a theater named after himself.

That’s when you know you’ve made it in Vegas, by the way. You get to perform in a theater named after yourself.

6 – Cirque du Soleil

The “Circus of the Sun” is based in Montreal, and it’s the largest circus producer in the world. The company launched in 1984 and was founded by buskers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix. Unlike most circuses, Cirque du Soleil features no animals.

Cirque du Soleil isn’t a solely Vegas phenomenon. They’ve been creating multiple new shows in multiple venues (300+) since 1990, but Vegas is their biggest audience. 9000 people a night go to a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.

Cirque du Soleil has won countless awards including multiple Emmy awards.

You can choose from half a dozen different Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas. The oldest is Mystère, which opened at Treasure Island since 1993. If you have to choose one Cirque du Soleil show to see in Las Vegas, this is the one I recommend. It’s the original.

Mystère features acrobats, comedy, dance, and opera. It has a unique score that was composed specifically for the show.

But if you want to choose one of the other Cirque du Soleil shows, that’s okay. For example, Beatles fans will probably want to see Love, which, of course, features a soundtrack composed of Beatles tunes.

7 – Legends in Concert

This was my favorite show in Vegas largely because it seems so quintessentially Vegas. Where else can you catch that many celebrity impersonators – I mean “tribute artists” – at one show?

Actually, you can see such a thing in multiple locations, including Atlantic City, Branson, and Myrtle Beach. The biggest and best of these productions is at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, though.

The highlight of each show is the Elvis tribute artist, and Legends in Concert doubles down on the Elvis connection every chance it gets. They host the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Concert.

Legends and Concert started in Las Vegas in 1983, and you might see a dozen or more tribute artists from a cast of over 100 different stars.

These include classic legends like Aretha Franklin, Dean Martin, Elvis, and Janis Joplin. Country tribute artists are also a popular part of the show, and you might see impersonators of Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, or Shania Twain. (The Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers impersonators were especially good last time I went.)

The acts aren’t limited to tribute artists honoring performers of the past, either. Some of the up-and-coming legends also have tribute performers, and you might see Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, or Lady Gaga.

Legends in concerts is so Vegas it’s hard to imagine it somewhere else. It’s well worth your time if you like popular music at all.

Conclusion

Those are my choices for the 7 biggest names in Las Vegas showbiz history. I left out several that I could have included, though – I especially loved Penn & Teller, and it wouldn’t be inappropriate to mention Celine Dion, either.

Who will the future showbiz legends of Las Vegas be?

Time will tell.