Hailing from Pontiac, Michigan, the Nite Kings are a Motown/doo-wop quartet that is a mainstay of various Boyd Gaming casinos and even has a following known as the "Granny Groupies." They also play one-off gigs that, next month, will include the Abundant Peace Fundraising Show (at the Ron DeCar Event Center, in the Arts District) and the Halloween Dance Bash at the Italian American Social Club, on East Sahara Avenue. Skip, Eddie, Angelo, and Victor have also issued a new CD, "The Sounds of Detroit."
The Nite Kings formed in 1956, comprised of Bob Eason and Frank Acosta (both since deceased), as well as Dave McClintock, Tony Fernandez and Dave Lamson. That group now exists in name only, its 1980s incarnation being Richard Perez, Marv Workman, Pete Kentros, and Tony Prescia. Perez and Prescia are still with the Nite Kings but Angelo Mastrio and Skip Petronzio replaced Workman and Kentros, and Workman would eventually be superseded by Eddie Betancourt.
Betancourt plied his talents in Vegas for a wide gamut of bands, with names ranging from Just 3 Guys to Madhouse. He’s also sung aboard cruise ships and in Singapore, and boasts a 2011 nomination as "Best R&B Male Vocalist" at the BMA Black Music Awards. Mastrio comes from a showbiz family and graduated from the Nite Kings percussion section to front and center as a vocalist. He’s not given up the drums altogether, supplementing his Nite Kings work by keeping time for Sonny Turner’s Platters.
Perez, one of eight children of a saxophone player, was born in the same year and town as the Nite Kings, an auspicious coincidence. He sang with a vast number of combos. The first one he formed was called United, whose successors included The Main Event, which had the distinction of playing at the afterparty for an Elvis Presley concert at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The original Nite Kings having disbanded, Perez sought and received permission to form a sort of Nite Kings 2.0 in 1978. Most of his work is now behind the scenes. He occasionally subs for vocalist Vic Moea. A New York City native, Moea was only 11 when formed a doo-wop group called the Silver Tones, later moving on to a group called The Splendors.
Co-manager Petronzio, an Ohio native, started out playing bass. His repertory would eventually swell to encompass the polka, doo-wop and musical comedy genres. He moved to Las Vegas in 2005, whereupon he joined the Nite Kings.
The Nite Kings’ band included, for a time, Redbone lead guitarist Tony Bellemey. The percussionist to whom you refer is Chris Jacobs who, by her youthful appearance, must be a relatively recent recruit. Her bandmates include keyboardist Tony Cedol, bassist "Red Michaels," and guitarist John Falbo. Jacobs took her undergraduate degree at San Jose State and played all the obligatory Nevada markets – Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe – before catching on with a show band and getting to tour the country. Falbo hails from the opposite coast, having cut his teeth on Bronx nightclub gigs. He spent a decade in the Atlantic City casinos before Broadway musical Chicago, which opened Mandalay Bay, brought him to Las Vegas.
Michael W. Horrocks, aka Red Michaels, hails from Buffalo and served six years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. During that time, he gigged with Karen Carpenter, Stan Getz, and Les Brown & His Band of Renown. Post-war, he formed an eight-player group, Perfect Circle, whose highlights included being the opening act for Ike and Tina Turner. Michaels made a fateful connection when he played for Bill Fayne (Clint Holmes’ longtime musical director) in a vocal-jazz act called "Friends & Company." His next stop was Las Vegas, where his sight-reading skills helped keep him playing at many an important Strip casino – Caesars Palace, the Stardust, the Dunes, the Flamingo, Paris-Las Vegas, Bellagio, etc.
Keyboardist Cedola found his way to tickling the ivories after trying the violin, trombone and accordion first. He even formed a soul band, Swift Kix, while still in high school. He then spent 25 years with a Top-40 group called Gideon, specializing in wedding and party gigs. A relatively recent (2002) Vegas transplant, Cedola sufficiently impressed the Nite Kings to be named their musical director. The Nite Kings’ promoter is Hooters pit boss Howie Newman, whose clientele also includes dance band Déjà Vu.
A history of the band was published in 2013 and the group continues to keep busy. Last month, it played every Wednesday at The Orleans, along with a one-off at Eastside Cannery. They were also inducted into something frequently referred to as the "Las Vegas Fans’ Entertainment Hall of Fame," where they joined fellow luminaries Murray SawChuck (magician), Corrie Sachs (vocalist) and Monti Rock III (gadfly).
It was difficult to locate an exact correspondence but the honor roll would appear to be more accurately termed the Entertainment Consumers Exchange Hall of Fame, which honored the Nite Kings last November 17. The ceremony was held at Rhythm Kitchen Seafood & Steak, in Spring Valley. The Nite Kings show every sign of going strong until they can’t pay the dry-cleaning bill on their signature white jackets.
