Wayne's severe asthma forced the family to move to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1952. In the spring of 1958, toward the end of Wayne's junior year in high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw a local TV show on which the two Newton brothers were performing and took them back with him for an audition. Originally signed for two weeks, the two brothers eventually performed for five years, doing six shows a day.
Newton achieved nationwide recognition on September 29, 1962, when he and his brother performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. He would perform on Gleason's show 12 times over the following two years.
Many other entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Bobby Darin, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and Jack Benny lent Newton their support. In particular, Benny hired Newton as an opening act for his show.
After his job with Benny ended, Newton was offered a job to open for another comic at the Flamingo Hotel, but Newton asked for, and was given, a headline act.
In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week in a showroom named after him. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton. His last show at the Stardust was on April 20, 2005. During a break in his on stage performance, he announced to the crowd that night he wanted to spend more time with his wife and new daughter as the main reasonings for cancelling the contract. Newton said the Boyd family made him a very nice offer to stay on past the demolition of the hotel and casino and to play in other Boyd venues, but Newton declined citing "another deal in the works for Vegas", but he did not mention the Hilton specifically. News crews were expecting this performance to end on time, to make their 10 pm and 11 pm shows, but the show finally ended around 11:30 pm, thus eliminating the possibility. Mr. Las Vegas went on at 7:30 that night, and sang nearly his entire repertoire and songs of other Vegas mainstays as well.
In 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as “Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle.” In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And recently during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."
In 2008, Newton received a Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a national memorial to President Wilson, commemorates "the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson." The award honors leaders who have given back to their communities.rs, earning him the nickname Mr. Las Vegas.
Bye Bye Blackbird
Wayne Newton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right outside of my door
Blackbird, blackbird who do you sit and say
There's no sunshine in store
All through the winter you hung around
Now I begin to feel homeward bound
Blackbird, blackbird gotta be on my way
Pack up all my care and woe
Here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye bye blackbird
No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light
I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye
Bluebird bluebird calling me far away
I've been longing for you
Bluebird bluebird what do I hear you say
Skies are turning to blue
I'm like a flower that's fading here
Where ev'ry hour is one long tear
Bluebird bluebird this is my lucky day
Now my dreams will come true
Pack up all my care and woe
Here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye bye blackbird
No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light
I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye
The lyrics of Wayne Newton's "Bye Bye Blackbird" depict the singer's departure from a cold and depressing place, as symbolized by the blackbird singing the blues all day right outside of his door. The blackbird is a metaphor for the feeling of being trapped in a dark and sad place. The bird's lack of hope for sunshine represents the lack of hope the singer feels in his current situation. Throughout the winter, the blackbird has been a constant presence, but now the singer is ready to leave and find a place where there's "sunshine galore."
The departure is bittersweet as the singer has to leave the people who cannot understand and love him behind. The second verse introduces a bluebird calling the singer far away. The lyrics represent his letting go of the past and moving forward to find happiness and fulfillment in life. The bluebird symbolizes a new beginning, and the skies turning to blue represent the hope and excitement for what's to come.
Overall, the lyrics express the longing for hope and optimism during a difficult time. The singer is determined to leave behind his troubles and find a place where he belongs. The blackbird and bluebird serve as symbols of the different emotions the singer experiences and the journey he takes to find peace and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Blackbird, blackbird singing the blues all day
The blackbird is chirping a sad melody all day long
Right outside of my door
The blackbird is outside the singer's door
Blackbird, blackbird who do you sit and say
The singer is wondering who the blackbird is talking to
There's no sunshine in store
The blackbird is predicting that there won't be any sunshine soon
All through the winter you hung around
The blackbird stayed around during the whole winter
Now I begin to feel homeward bound
The singer feels like it's time to go home
Blackbird, blackbird gotta be on my way
The singer knows it's time to leave
Where there's sunshine galore
The singer is heading where the sun shines brightly
Pack up all my care and woe
The singer is leaving his worries behind
Here I go, singing low
The singer is leaving quietly and alone
Bye bye blackbird
The singer is saying goodbye to the blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
The singer is going where he's expected
Sugar's sweet, so is she
The person waiting for the singer is sweet like sugar
No one here can love and understand me
The singer feels misunderstood in his current location
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
The people where the singer is now always tell sad stories
Make my bed and light the light
The singer is preparing his room for the night
I'll arrive late tonight
The singer is arriving late at his destination
Blackbird, bye bye
The singer says goodbye to the blackbird, again
Bluebird bluebird calling me far away
A bluebird is calling for the singer, far away from where he is
I've been longing for you
The singer has been missing the bluebird
Bluebird bluebird what do I hear you say
The singer is curious about what the bluebird is saying
Skies are turning to blue
The weather is getting better, the skies are turning blue
I'm like a flower that's fading here
The singer feels like he's wilting away where he is
Where ev'ry hour is one long tear
Every hour feels like a never-ending stream of tears for the singer
Bluebird bluebird this is my lucky day
The singer feels like today is his lucky day now that the bluebird has returned
Now my dreams will come true
The singer's dreams will finally be realized now that he's found the bluebird
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind