Vegas Voice 1-18 web

Grammy Nominations for Clint Holmes
By: Sam Wagmeister / People & Places
Clint Holmes’ 2 ½ year effort to bring his
latest CD, Rendezvous, to life paid off with
two Grammy Award nominations. The works
being honored are a pair of songs from George Gershwin’s Porgy and
Bess, “I Loves You Porgy/There’s a Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New
York” and “Every Time We Say Goodbye” composed by Cole Porter.
Grammy winner Dee Bridgewater joined Holmes on the Porgy and
Bess songs which were recorded over two nights at New York’s Blue Note.
The recording is backed by the Count Basie Band.
The CD includes Holmes’ own composition, “At the Rendezvous,”
a song that pays tribute to the blues and jazz joint where his father
introduced him to the music that would later help guide his career.
The project took flight after meeting Grammy award winning record
producer Gregg Fields. “I was singing a tune here and there,” Holmes
says, “with Fields doing drums.” Fields, who drummed for Count Basie as
a teen, suggested to Holmes, “We should do an album together.”
Holmes chose songs for the CD that reflected his life. He grew up in
musically-rich Buffalo, New York, which has given Las Vegas a treasure
trove of talent, including the Scintas. He is the son of a rich musical
family - an African-American jazz musician father and his mother, a
classically trained British opera singer.
Las Vegas has provided a rich resume for Holmes. Among his
residencies are six years at Harrah’s with musical director Bill Fayne,
recurring performances at The Smith Center’s intimate Myron’s Cabaret
Jazz, musical retrospectives at both the Palazzo and Golden Nugget and a
tribute to Ray Charles at the Venetian.
His coast-to-coast stints include the jazz clubs and cabarets that dot
New York City, the Hollywood Bowl and an occasional cruise ship.
When his touring schedule permits, Holmes often drops in to the
Bootlegger Bistro for open microphone Mondays hosted by his wife, Kelly
Clinton Holmes and to Kelly’s Wednesday night lounge shows at the
Tuscany Casino. His CDs are available at www.ClintHolmesMusic.com.
People & Places Update
November’s People and Places column focused on Brenda
Hebert, a hard-working local singer who has become a
familiar presence at area senior communities. Each month, Hebert,
(who doesn’t have a car) lugs nearly 50 pounds of sound equipment
on her two-bus, 90-minute journey to Boulder City, donating her
time to entertain the residents at the Nevada Veterans Home.
For Hebert, it’s a labor of love because the Veteran’s home has no
entertainment budget. An appreciative reader sent The Vegas Voice
a “Happy Holidays” check which was presented to Hebert by Linda
Gelinger (right), Administrator at the Veterans home.
“Just the Facts, Ma’am”
By: Beverly Washburn / Hollywood Memories
thought this month I'd write about Jack Webb
I and my experience working on Dragnet.
The year was 1954 and I was cast as a little girl who
lives with her grandfather and gets robbed. Rather than the grandfather
going to the police, I do.
It was an episode called "The Big Pair." Interestingly, every episode
was titled The Big "something or other" and yet the TV audience never
actually saw the name of the episode. They would just see the word
"Dragnet" on their screen.
Jack Webb was the director of this episode and he was as nice as he
could be. So was Ben Alexander who played Sgt Friday’s sidekick, Officer
Frank Smith.
Working on that show was a dream come true for me. I also learned
that each episode was based on an actual case from the Los Angeles Police
Department.
My name in the episode was Ruthie Snyder - although I don't know
what the real name of the little girl from that case was. As I am sure all TV
viewers remembered, the show always advised in the beginning that "The
names were changed to protect the innocent."
What was fascinating to me at the time was when I arrived on the set; I
saw a contraption that I had never seen before. It was on wheels and was
a teleprompter!
Because Jack Webb worked so hard every day, he really didn't want to
bother with having to memorize his dialogue each day, so he read from
the teleprompter, which of course was out of the cameras range. This is
why Jack Webb had such a choppy, unemotional delivery of his lines - but
it worked for his character and he became famous for his delivery of "Just
the facts ma'am."
Jack died of a
heart attack in 1982
at age 62 while he
was in the midst
of negotiating a
new Dragnet series.
He was given full
police honors
and his badge –
number 714, was
retired by the police
department.
Until next time,
remember: "Those
who bring sunshine
to the lives of others
cannot keep it from
themselves."
OLD SIGNS.
NEW TECHNOLOGY.
Introducing Brilliant, the newest
interactive experience at the Neon
Museum. Craig Winslow’s revolutionary
art form uses sight and sound to
transport you through time and bring long
dormant signs back to life. If all this seems
hard to picture, that’s because it is. You
literally have to see it to believe it.
BOOK A TOUR
NeonMuseum.org/Brilliant
TICKETS
$23 • $15 Nevada residents, active military,
veterans, students and seniors
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January 2018
Beverly Washburn graced the silver screen as a child actress and
is the author of Reel Tears. You can contact Beverly at: bjradell@
hotmail.com. Check out her awesome, new website: www.
beverlywashburn.com.
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