Sinatra singer’s Las Vegas journey began in New York
Don’t call Henry Prego a Frank Sinatra impersonator. The Summerlin resident would rather be known as a singer who appreciates the songs that the Ol’ Blue Eyes made household names: “Fly Me To the Moon,” “My Way,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “New York, New York.”
He plans to perform “Henry Prego Sings Frank Sinatra” at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 at The Italian American Club, 2333 E. Sahara Ave. Tickets are available at 702-457-3866 or iacvegas.com.
Prego began his musical journey on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, playing guitar and bass in rock bands. By his early 30s he transitioned to the big-band sound. It was, of all things, the movie “When Harry Met Sally” that piqued his interest.
“I heard Harry Connick sing ‘It Had to Be You’ and it triggered something in me … I listened to Frank because when you look at that kind of music, you look to the best,” he said.
He checked out jazz clubs in New York and discovered original musicians from the Count Basie orchestra and other major bands.
“That’s where I cut my teeth,” Prego said. ‘They taught me a lot about phrasing and how to go about doing it the right way. They would bring me up on stage to sing.”
Prego came to Las Vegas in 1999, joining the cast of “The Rat Pack Is Back” at the Sahara. After the show closed, he and colleagues from it created “The Tribute To Frank, Sammy, Joey And Dean,” which found a home at Debbie Reynolds’ theater in the Greek Isles Hotel.
His show runs 70-plus minutes. Between songs, he tells about his upbringing in New York City, such as walking down to Battery Park with his grandfather, Pete, as a child of 6 or 7. His grandfather would point at another state, New Jersey.
“He’d say, ‘That’s where Frank Sinatra lives,’” he said and paused. “I thought it was some guy that he knew, who lived across the river.”
Contact Jan Hogan at jhogan@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2949.