It's kind of sad, really. Although he electrified rock 'n' roll and contributed to a tectonic shift in American music, when most people think of Elvis these days they think of his years in Las Vegas as a bloated, jumpsuited, karate-kicking shadow of his former self. Fortunately, Elvis even as a shadow of his former self was still light years ahead of just about anyone else at their peak. And that's why Las Vegans shouldn't be at all embarrassed about having Elvis -- even Vegas Elvis -- forever linked with their city. Liberace was your No. 2 pick.
Our Pick:
LIBERACE
Liberace was the over-the-top epitome of a Las Vegas that no longer exists and maybe never really did. Still, it's only in retrospect that we can appreciate how hip Liberace was, mostly because he always let us know he was in on the joke. Another thing about Liberace: It's almost impossible to find anybody around town who knew the man who has anything bad to say about him. Sometimes, when the Strip is rife with mediocre sitcom stars, long-in-the-tooth and over-the-hill rock groups and comics who couldn't have gotten jobs as busboys during Las Vegas' glory days, we really miss Liberace.
