The story of how Michael Monge got to Las Vegas is one that’s rarely told in today’s entertainment culture.
But that’s exactly what happened to the popular lounge singer, who was living the dream in Las Vegas during her stint at Encore’s Eastside Lounge.
“Michael was a great man and lived the Las Vegas dream,” said Rick Gray, general manager of Wynn Las Vegas Entertainment.
Monge suffered a heart attack on August 7 and passed away on August 9. He was 72 years old.
Monge’s path to Las Vegas was forged through dedication, talent and luck. Before arriving in Las Vegas, Monge was singing at Vice Ristorante in Palm Beach, Florida, when he got a serendipitous break. Then-Las Vegas resort mogul Steve Wynn and his wife Andrea were dining at the club when Wynn asked what station he was listening to on the in-house sound system.
The venue was filled with the music of Frank Sinatra.
But it wasn’t Sinatra. Singing in the distance at the restaurant was Monge, then known as “Sonny,” best known for his warm renditions of the Great American Songbook.
Wynn had enough information to move Monge around the country, so he called Gray and told him to make a deal to have Monge sing at Wynn/Encore, the new headliner was a regular at the Eastside Lounge, and would rock it with a three-piece band and a $10 admission fee.
Monge headlined the lounge on the casino floor from 2014 to 2016 in the wake of cuts to entertainment budgets. He collaborated with Las Vegas bass great Bob Sax on a new show filled with Engelbert Humperdinck selections.
“Michael was the best in the world when he was at the Wynn, and then he had a hard time dealing with it after he left,” said Gina Pensanti, who described her relationship with Monge for the past seven years as “the love of a lifetime.” “But everyone loved his voice, and with this new show he’s re-energized, re-energized and putting all his material together.”
Sacks and Monge had scheduled a time last Wednesday to brainstorm about the show.
Throughout his Las Vegas career, the veteran singer used his real name, Michael, at Wynn’s behest; “Sonny” was his nickname while living in the Bronx. Monge was not a trained vocalist, but had a natural talent that saw him sing with Paul Anka at the Rainbow Room in New York City at age 19. However, he spent most of his life as a part-time singer and owned and operated a garage that repaired foreign cars.
In her late fifties, Monge enjoyed great success as a full-time singer, performing on stage and taking leading roles in three New York states and Florida. Her career lasted about fifteen years before she landed in Las Vegas, where her encore shows featured classics like “Quando Quando Quando,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “My Girl,” “Save the Last Dance” and “What Kind of Fool Am I.”
Monge led a conga line around the room, taking requests from the audience and singing phonetically in Italian since he didn’t speak the language.
“Everybody loved his voice,” says his longtime manager Suzanne Spinelli, “and we did all kinds of work in the Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). He did work in the Catskills. He had a huge following. He was very talented.”
The singer lived and performed in Las Vegas for eight years after leaving Encore. He appeared at venues such as Italian American Supper Club, Maxan Jazz, San Gennaro Fest, and The Space. His last stage appearance was at Maxan Jazz on the Fourth of July.
“Michael did everything his own way,” Pensanti said, recalling the Sinatra classics Monge sang during his performance, “and nobody could sing it like Michael.”
A memorial service for Mr. Monge is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Affordable Cremation, 2127 West Charleston Blvd.
To 4 people
The Formers, former “Jersey Boys” cast members Jeff Rabeau, Deven May, Douglas Crawford and Lou Garza, will perform Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the South Point Showroom. The show has moved across the casino from its opening at the Grandview Lounge. The show celebrates the Four Seasons with Rat Pack, doo-woop (better than Don Wop) and comedy stylings. For more information, visit southpointcasino.com.
A new state song?
The Killers’ haunting classic “Mr. Brightside” was performed during the roll call of Nevada’s delegation to nominate Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, but the band is not actively campaigning this election cycle.
The song “Bright Side” won the honor of being played during the Democratic National Convention roll call, beating out “Viva Las Vegas” and other songs, but Rick Springfield and Richard Marx performed an acoustic version of “Viva” at their sold-out show at the Pearl at the Palms on Saturday, and it came off pretty well unrehearsed.
Cool Hang Alert
Top Las Vegas musicians play back-to-back shows at downtown venues on Wednesday night. The JOI (Jazz Outreach Initiative) Jazz Orchestra plays its “Joiful Jazz Wednesday” show at Notorious Live in Neonopolis starting at 7:30 PM. At neighboring Symphony Park, the Las Vegas Composers Showcase returns to Myron’s at 9:30 PM for a fantastic evening of original music, hosted by Keith Thompson. Hurry and you’ll be able to catch both shows.
John Katsilometes’ column appears daily in Section A. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow us! Johnny Katz @JohnnyKats1 on X and @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.