Best Lounge Performer
Cook E. Jarr remains a favorite with readers.
COOK E. JARR
Casino Royale
3914 Las Vegas Blvd. South
After a couple of years when he was getting harder to track down than he should be, the man who is everything Vegas landed back on the Strip last year in a worthy venue, the Volcano Lounge in the remodeled Caffe Trilussa on the second floor of the Casino Royale. Veteran performers such as George Carlin, Tom Jones and Bill Medley seek out the jewelry-rattling, booty-shakiną Jarr-man for celebrity impressions, informed sports betting information and even a little blue-eyed soul. Earl Turner, another can't-go-wrong veteran, placed a solid second.
Our Pick:
THE CHECKMATES
Arizona Charlie's
740 S. Decatur Blvd.
We like to think of our casino lounge legends as an oral history of Las Vegas. They can tear down entire hotels, but singers such as Sweet Louie and Sonny Charles prove sturdier. The Checkmates have been around in one form or another since 1964, and managed to chart the singles "Black Pearl" and "Put It in a Magazine" while working out of Las Vegas. Elton John may have retired the goofy glasses, but not Sweet Louie.
