Pioneer LV lounge singer Ricco dies

Friday, Jan. 13, 2006 | 9:27 a.m.

Born: John Riccobene, on Jan. 15, 1929, in Camden, N.J.

Military: Army, Korean War

Services: 10 a.m. Monday at Palm Mortuary-Cheyenne. Visitation 3-7 p.m. Sunday at that location.

Survivors: Three daughters, Stephanie Trovato, of Bethlehem, Pa., Marie Branchini of Las Vegas and Leona Ricobenne of Catasqua, Pa., a son, John Riccobenne of Bethlehem, Pa., companion, Btty Scott of Las Vegas, a brother, Michael Riccobene of Glen Burnie, Md., two sisters, Nancy Burkard of Columbia, Md., and Stella Bullin of Vienna, Va. and four grandchildren.

Donations: The family said donations can be made in John Riccobenne's memory to Nathan Adelson Hospice.

The Characters were one of the first Las Vegas lounge acts to earn a million-dollar contract.

They had one of the longest-running acts of their kind, performing regularly at the Sahara's Casbah Lounge from 1955 to 1969.

And when The Characters performed in the early 1970s in the lounge at the Hotel International -- today the Las Vegas Hilton -- they found a fan in Elvis Presley.

Lead singer Johnny Ricco, the last surviving original member of the group that helped usher in the heyday of Las Vegas lounges, died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was five days shy of his 77th birthday.

Along with the Mary Kaye Trio, Sonny King, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Sam Butera and Freddie Bell, The Characters played a major role in establishing the lounge -- and its free shows -- as a viable entertainment venue during Las Vegas' formative years.

"Johnny was the straight man -- the singer -- the glue that held the group together," said Las Vegas comedian Steve Rossi, who first performed in Las Vegas in 1946 and was the straight man for the team of Allen & Rossi.

"He had a terrific voice and he never got tired when performing four sets a night, seven nights a week. And those were high-energy performances -- tough work."

The other members of The Characters were Charles "Blackie" Hunt, Carmine "Carmen" Baccari, and his brother Freddie "The Champ" Baccari.

Rossi said he first saw the group perform shortly after it was formed in 1953 at Polombo's, a restaurant in Philadelphia, the town where the band originated.

In addition to playing several local lounges, The Characters also were a popular lounge act in Reno, Lake Tahoe, New York, Florida and Canada.

Rossi said Presley often frequented Las Vegas' lounges to catch the up-and-coming talent and "he loved The Characters and The Vagabonds."

After Carmen Baccari left the group to pursue a career as a Jehovah's Witness minister, he was replaced by singer Lorraine Perry, who later married Blackie Hunt and today is Nevada's lieutenant governor.

The Characters continued to perform through the early 1970s. After they broke up, Ricco put together several trios. Among the places he worked over the years were the Sahara's Don The Beachcomber, the Imperial Palace and The Bootlegger, a restaurant owned by Lorraine Hunt.

The Characters were inducted into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame in 2002. Then-surviving members Ricco and Blackie Hunt were on hand for the ceremony at the Tropicana Hotel. Blackie Hunt died the following year.

Ed Koch can be reached at 259-4090 or at koch@lasvegassun.com.