For casinos of Reno and neighboring cities along the folds of the Sierra, the popularity of stage shows with headliners and large orchestras reached their peak during the 1960s and 1970s.
Casinos offered elaborate live entertainment to attract patrons ultimately to gaming floors. In the process, musicians involved in this entertainment settled into a fascinating showroom culture.
Musicians hired as sidemen on casino stages worked to provide accompaniment for prominent singers, dancers, and comedians, but the showroom culture that defined these musicians encompassed so much more.
Viewing music just hours before performances, convincingly playing diverse musical styles, facing the “minefield” of live shows, confronting challenges never addressed in conservatories, and efforts to gratify audiences molded the culture under the spotlights.
Relationships with peers, conductors, entertainers, and bosses, and struggles to maintain personal and professional standards further distinguished the culture, all within a town that thrived on “sin.” Interview subjects blend misgivings, enthusiasm, and humor to describe showroom life and the musical legacies they left behind.
| BOOK ISBN |
9781634990516 |
| FORMAT |
6 ¼ × 9 ¼ inches |
| BINDING |
Paperback |
| PAGES |
336 pages |
| PUBLICATION DATE |
15 May 2018 |
| TERRITORY |
World |
| ILLUSTRATIONS |
31 color and black-and-white photographs |
Patricia Crane learned to play the violin as a child in St. Louis, MO. She left Missouri after marrying her career-military husband, Stewart, and became a military “nomad.” Crane added the viola to her primary instruments in 1992, and has been a free-lance musician across the United States and in Europe. She settled in Reno with her family in 2001, and completed a master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2006. Crane remains embedded in the local music culture, playing music, teaching, and enjoying time with her colorful peers.
