Las Vegas music scene mainstay recovering from stroke
“Do what you love and the money will come,’” Ronald Corso explained. “And that’s kind of the story.”
Flashback five years ago.
Corso, the owner of 11th Street Records, which also houses the National Southwestern Recording studio, was relating advice that his wife had given him prior to the opening of said businesses in April 2015.
Corso, a veteran musician and engineer/producer who recorded many Vegas bands, from punks Holding onto Sound to indie rockers A Crowd of Small Adventures — which he was a former member of — was at something of a career crossroads back then.
“I had gotten over the music scene, recording thing, and I was like, ‘What am I going to do next with my life?’ he recalled in a 2016 interview with the R-J.
And so he followed his passion, building upon his vinyl collection and opening 11th Street Records as well as his studio, both of which have become staples of the downtown music scene. He fought hard to build both into the successes they’ve since become.
Now Corso is engaged in a different kind of battle. On July 21, he suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized ever since.
The Vegas music community has begun rallying around him.
A GoFundMe campaign to help with Corso medical expenses has been organized by Mike Henry, former talent buyer for The Bunkhouse Saloon and co-director for the Neon Reverb Music Festival, which Corso also was a part of.
The Killers, who tracked much of their 2017 album “Wonderful Wonderful” at National Southwestern Recording, have Tweeted their support for Corso, calling him a “pillar of the LV music scene.”
Our pal, Ronald Corso suffered a stroke and is still hospitalized. Ronald is a pillar of the LV music scene and runs 11th Street Records, where we recorded much of Wonderful Wonderful. Your support, however you wish to express it, is greatly appreciated. https://t.co/XDR3UAJ2Md
— The Killers (@thekillers) August 12, 2021
Ryan Pardey, former entertainment director at The Bunkhouse, recalled in a Facebook post how Corso often opened his facilities to acts playing the venue.
“At the Bunkhouse, I frequently called upon him for use of the recording studio as an extra space for artists to set up while waiting to take the stage,” Pardey wrote. “Ronald always welcomed my guests and made his place a comfortable resting spot for weary musicians.”
Hopefully, it will only be a matter of time before Corso is back greeting visitors at 11th Street Records.
“People walk in here all the time and say, ‘Wow!’” he said in 2016. “Nobody ever does that when they boot up Spotify.”
Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter and @jbracelin76 on Instagram