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Played out on the strip : the rise and fall of Las Vegas casino bands / Janis L. McKay.

Van Pelt - Albrecht Music Library ML3917.U6 M23 2016
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Format:
Author/Creator:
Contributor:
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Genre:
  • History.
Physical Description:
xi, 242 pages ; 23 cm
Place of Publication:
Reno, Nevada : University of Nevada Press, [2016]
Summary:
From 1940 to 1989, nearly every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip employed a full-time band or orchestra. After the late 1980s, when control of the casinos changed hands from independent owners to corporations, almost all of these musicians found themselves unemployed. Played Out on the Strip traces this major shift in the music industry through extensive interviews with the scene's former musicians. In 1989, these soon-to-be unemployed musicians went on strike. Janis McKay charts the factors involved with this ploy, which was precipitated by several corporate hotel owners' move to replace live musicians with synthesizers and taped music, a strategic decision made in order to save money. The result of this transitional period in Las Vegas history was both long-lasting and far-reaching for the entertainment industry. With its numerous oral history interviews and personal perspectives from the era, this book will appeal to readers interested in Las Vegas history, music history, and labor issues. Book jacket.
Contents:
  • 1900/1950 : from sawdust to carpet joints
  • The roaring fifties
  • The sixties : prospering and thriving
  • 1970/1980 : gone with the bosses of old
  • Must be good
  • 1980/1989 : the dog days
  • The strike of 1989
  • Old Las Vegas is gone forever.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Local Notes:
Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Christine Hikawa Fund.
ISBN:
  • 9780874179996
  • 0874179998
OCLC:
923256302
Publisher Number:
99967613630
Online:
The Christine Hikawa Fund Home Page

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