Joe Delaney Remembers 1985: Butera at Four Queens

Friday, March 9, 2001 | 9:04 a.m.

Sam Butera led the original Witnesses, who joined Louis Prima and Keely Smith in the Sahara Casbar circa 1955, raising the lounge renaissance to its highest level. Butera, a vital contributor, remained with Prima and Smith until Prima's death in 1978. Butera changed the name of the group to the Wildest and reunited with Smith for engagements at Caesars Palace with Frank Sinatra, and a long run in the Desert Inn in the late 1990s. Butera and Smith then went their separate ways. Butera and the Wildest continue to be a strong draw in Nevada and other gaming areas around the country.

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