Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
It's hard enough for a lounge singer to compete with the din of slot machines in a casino.
But Michael Lee performs on the first floor of Fitzgeralds, just a few feet from Fremont Street. Not only does the vocalist with the four-octave range have to contend with the slots, but he also has to deal with the Fremont Street Experience and its multimillion-dollar light and music show.
"I just tell the folks to go on outside and see the light show, and when it's over to come on back in and listen to me," said the affable 46-year-old former Sacramento police officer.
For the past three years Lee has been performing his one-man show, "Singer of Memories," on a small stage next to a small dance floor and an ice cream parlor.
There is no formal seating for fans who want to listen to Lee go through his repertoire of songs by such legends as Nat King Cole, James Brown, Otis Redding, Al Green, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison.
They sit in the ice cream parlor or on one of a half-dozen tall stools at tables between the parlor and the dance floor or at the banks of slot machines that surround the singer.
Most stand, either in aisles or outside on Fremont Street.
Every day thousands of tourists pass by Fitzgeralds, wandering up and down the canopied avenue and soaking up the Las Vegas experience.
Between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, and 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Lee becomes part of that experience.
His melodious voice, crooning such classics as "Unforgettable" (Cole) and "Dock of the Bay" (Redding), is like a magnet, pulling people in from the street.
"It draws them," Lee said. "When I start performing, the music just pulls people in."
Some are inspired to go to the dance floor (which is less than 100 square feet). Most listen, their memories stirred by "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Pretty Woman," "Rockin' Robin" and a long list of other favorites from the '50s, '60s and '70s.
Lee, while singing songs made famous by others, isn't an impressionist.
"I'm a pleaser, a motivator," he said.
Lee performs R&B, country, soul and favorites from the history of pop and rock music.
Lee's interest in singing began when he was a child, performing in a choir in Bedford, Va., at age 8.
"I've always been a singer," he said. "I grew up listening to the oldies, and they stuck with me. I used to sing on street corners, doo-wopping. I loved it."
Out of high school, he joined the Marines in '74 and spent some time in Vietnam, where he was a linguist acting as an interpreter until he stepped on a land mine. He was discharged from the service in '79.
Lee attended Los Angeles City College and then received a degree in criminal justice from Sacramento State.
While working as a cop full time in Sacramento for 13 years, he sang on the side -- karaoke, open-mike nights, wherever he could practice his craft.
Lee started singing full time in 1997 at various clubs in Palmdale, Calif.
Eventually he started his own band, "Heat of the Night," which still performs in Southern California. Lee joins them for a week about every three months.
"Heat of the Night" performed for private parties at Fitzgeralds from '97 to 2000. When that gig ended, the band returned to California, but eventually Lee got his one-man show.
He was hired for five weeks. He has been in Las Vegas ever since.
"I try to put a smile on everyone's face," Lee said.
One of those smiles belongs to 69-year-old Janice Houser, who has been planning her vacations around Lee since he came to Fitzgeralds.
The widow from Newcastle, Ind., knows his performance week starts Thursday, and she makes sure that's when she arrives in Vegas.
As he sings, she struggles out of her battery-powered mobility scooter, shuffles slowly over to the dance floor and takes a few turns with Lee as he sings "Unforgettable."
"I come here every year to hear him," she said. "I like him because he does the oldies, and they bring back memories."
Lounging around
Tireless entertainer Robbie Howard has begun splitting his time between two venues, the Plaza (where he produces and performs in "Stars of the Strip") and the Fremont (where he produces and performs in "Jump, Jive an' Wail"). The price of admission to each show is the purchase of one $5.95 drink.
His performances at the Plaza are at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and at the Fremont's recently reopened 100-seat Aloha Cabaret at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
Howard, one of the city's more accomplished impersonators, is backed up by saxophonist David Poe, drummer John Plows and keyboardist Pat Marlin.
Blues rocker guitarist/vocalist Sean Costello will perform Thursday at Boulder Station's Railhead in the continuing free blues series provided by the venue. Costello's latest CD is "Moanin' For Molasses."
The Hamada Restaurant and Dragon Bar held a grand opening last week. The restaurant features traditional Japanese ceremonies, such as the Purification Ceremony, and the bar features not-so-traditional flair bartenders.
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