2/2/2022
Performances and Artists
The past 50 years for Grammy-nominated vocalist Clint Holmes have proved anything but dull.
Now a beloved Las Vegas artist who packs the seats in Myron’s at The Smith Center, Holmes’ storied career spans performing at Carnegie Hall and the White House, serving as Joan Rivers’ sideman on “The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers,” hosting his own Emmy-winning TV show and headlining at Las Vegas’ top venues.
Unsurprisingly, Holmes has “a million stories” to tell, he says – and many chart-topping songs to revisit.
And Southern Nevadans can soon enjoy both of these.
These will showcase beloved songs, rare behind-the-scenes stories and media clips from his stunning career.
“Sometimes I start telling friends stories about the amazing experiences that I have had,” Holmes says. “It seems like the right time to look both back and forward, and tell some of those stories through video, storytelling and song.”
The first show will focus on Holmes’ pre-Vegas career, he says, which saw him perform around the world and star on television. He will perform his top songs from that era, like his career-launching hit “Playground in My Mind” and beloved medleys from “West Side Story” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
The following show will highlight his glittering 20 years as a Las Vegas headliner, with Holmes performing his contemporary hits, alongside the energizing band from his several-year residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
“My hope is that people will leave with a sense of how diverse and interesting a career in show biz can be,” Holmes says.
Finding Music Even in War
Holmes seemed destined for performing from the start.
With his mother a white, opera singer and his father a Black jazz performer, Holmes’ childhood involved often attending his father’s gigs and taking vocal lessons with his mother.
“An interracial marriage in those days was not easy, and we didn’t have any money, so music was it,” he says. “I can’t think of very much in our family that didn’t revolve around music.”
Growing up in a small New York town, his musical opportunities remained few – until he discovered that by enlisting for the Vietnam War he could play trombone with the armed forces.
An unexpected chance to sing saw him promptly promoted, and later selected as the first Black vocalist in history for the U.S. Army Chorus, performing at the White House and Carnegie Hall.
“That was the beginning of knowing, ‘this is what I’m going to do,’” Holmes says.
After his service, Holmes’ big break came from meeting with songwriter Paul Vance and recording “Playground in My Mind.” It became a global hit, after catching on as a holiday tune, leading to Holmes’ first album.
“That, in big terms, started my career,” he says.
A Television Star
Thanks to Holmes’ relentless hard work, opportunities never ceased to follow.
He became the resident headliner for the Resorts International hotel and casino in Atlantic City, where he opened for comedic greats such as Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield.
Feeling a rapport with Holmes, Rivers invited him to become the sideman on her show – and Holmes looks forward to telling the full story behind this at his March show.
“It was another huge turning point, because now I was on TV every night,” he says.
This led to him becoming a music correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight,” where he interviewed the likes of Patti LuPone, Gladys Night and Barry Manilow. His charisma on screen landed him his own talk show in 1991, “New York at Night,” where he won an Emmy for his interviews with icons such as Dick Clark and Engelbert Humperdinck.
“It was a fantastic show,” he says. “I want to talk about all of that (in the March show), and also show videos of funny things that happened on each of the shows I worked on.”
Making it In Vegas
Vegas titan Steve Wynn personally brought Holmes to the entertainer’s new home city.
Initially interested in a musical Holmes had penned, Wynn offered Holmes a contract to perform for eight months at the Gold Nugget in 1998.
“He said, ‘I have this room at the Golden Nugget that I built for Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte, all of these people who are no longer performing, and if anybody can keep it going, it’s you,’” Holmes remembers.
Holmes quickly became a Vegas favorite, headlining his own show at Harrah’s for seven years, as well as performing residencies at The Palazzo and Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
He looks forward to singing his hits from these years and discussing his life as a headliner at his May show. Of course, he will also discuss his performance at The Smith Center’s Opening Night Concert, and becoming its first resident performer.
“There was a period of time I thought I was going back to New York, after I closed at Harrah’s and didn’t have a (performing) home in Las Vegas,” Holmes admits. “But then The Smith Center opened and I had the opportunity to be a part of that, and I thought, ‘now I have a home, a working home - a home I’m proud to be a part of.’”