‘Sonnys Squared’ take center stage at Henderson Pavilion

To gauge the value of entertainment in VegasVille, consider the preponderance of legends named “Sonny” in this city.

We have two verifiable, living legends of that name – Sonny Charles and Sonny Turner — and they are performing together at 6 p.m. Sunday at Henderson Pavilion. The Sonnys Squared are joined by legend-in-the-making Kelly Clinton Holmes for the orchestral presentation “On the Sonny Side of the Strip.” (Tickets are $20, $50 for a pre-show meet and greet, absent fees.)

A crash course on these Sonnys: Charles is a founding member of The Checkmates, which he fronted with the late Marvin “Sweet Louie” Smith for a five-decade run as one of the city’s great lounge acts. Turner is the longtime singer for the Platters, replacing original vocalist Tony Williams in 1959.

Both of these Sonnys remain active in Las Vegas. Charles currently performs a dynamite dinner show on Tuesday nights at Bootlegger Bistro (dinner reservations at 8, show at 9:30). Turner is a recurring headliner at Suncoast Showroom and remains a popular draw on the road, too. But they have yet to perform as co-headliners, and Sunday’s show marks the first time that Charles – who spent five years touring with the Steve Miller Band after the death of Smith in 2007 – has ever performed in front of an orchestra.

“That is remarkable to me,” says Mariano Longo, the Las Vegas producer and arranger who is directing the music for this show. “We are going to be watching real masters in the next evolution of their careers.”

Clinton’s role in the show is to tie the show together, comically and musically. She’ll open with a quick medley highlighted by her great novelty tune, “Bald Headed Men.” Charles is to follow with a set of standards and R&B numbers, among them the Checkmates’ top-10 hit from 1969, “Black Pearl,” and “My Way.” Then, more from Clinton with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” Turner then follows with a string of Platters’ classics – “The Great Pretender,” “Only You” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in the mix. All three are to convene at show’s end and perform together.

And if this show blows up, who knows? The city could be ready for a Sonny & Sonny renaissance. Regardless, Sunday is the rare chance to see a pair of artists for all time, at the same time.

John Katsilometes’ column runs Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.