Career still on a high note

Monday, Jan. 30, 2006 | 8:27 a.m.

At a military affair in the late 1960s, Las Vegas showroom emcee G. Barney Rawlings sang the Irish classic "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen," which impressed then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Paul McConnell.

"You're the greatest ... singer since (Irish tenor) John McCormack," McConnell told Rawlings, then a major in the Air Force Reserve.

"Two weeks later, I was promoted to full colonel," said Rawlings, who eventually retired as a major general. "I guess it made sense that as a military figure I was a pretty good singer."

Known for his self-effacing sense of humor, Rawlings was downplaying his military contributions to the extreme.

An Army Air Corps pilot in World War II, Rawlings flew 35 combat missions in B-17 bombers, logged 282 hours over Europe and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, three battle stars and six air medals.

After the war, he made his mark in local show business with thousands of performances as a singing emcee at the Last Frontier and Thunderbird hotels on the Strip and later by performing the national anthem at numerous ballgames and dedication ceremonies.

He also was executive director of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority from 1969 to 1972 and was an executive in sales and marketing for several local resorts, including the Riviera, Sands, Tropicana and Landmark.

At 83, Rawlings is still going strong, performing concerts and running GEBARA Enterprises Inc., which provides television production crews for HBO and Showtime events in Las Vegas.

In September, Rawlings will enter his 60th year in show business in Southern Nevada, which he believes is some kind of a record.

"If I am to be remembered at all, I would like to be remembered as perhaps the most blessed guy of my generation," Rawlings said at his Las Vegas home, where photos of stars he worked with -- Dennis Day, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole, among others -- adorn the walls of one room.

"Whether it was in the military, in show business, in sales or in production work, I never did anything spectacular. But boy did I rub elbows with some great people."

He recalled that as assistant manager of the then-Las Vegas Convention Bureau in the late 1950s, an actor came to town and asked him for a tour that included places where few tourists visit.

"I took him up to what is now Hollywood Boulevard -- then a dirt road -- and showed him the view of the valley," Rawlings recalled. "He talked of the potential for growth, conservation and other issues.

"I was so impressed with the way he spoke, I asked him, 'Dutch, do you have any thoughts about running for political office?' He laughed and said, 'Being president of the Screen Actors Guild is the extent of my political aspirations.' "

The actor was future California governor and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who remained a close friend of Rawlings' until Reagan's death in June 2004.

Rawlings, who was born and raised in Provo came to Southern Nevada on Labor Day 1947 to perform three nights at the Railroad Pass Casino for $150.

An aspiring law student at the University of Utah who at the time was singing in a Utah nightclub for $5 a night, he performed before a local crowd that included Last Frontier Hotel show producer Hal Braudis, who asked Rawlings to audition for him.

The next day, Rawlings showed up at the Strip resort, performed "Begin the Beguine" and "All the Things You Are" then drove back to college that night, figuring his brief Vegas career was over and that he would become a lawyer.

Two days later, Braudis called Rawlings, hired him and Rawlings never looked back.

As a local singing emcee -- a position that no longer exists in Las Vegas showrooms and lounges -- Rawlings performed a record 3,128 consecutive performances at the old Thunderbird Hotel.

"The singing emcee created an aura of warmth, introducing the acts and performing in support of the star," said veteran Strip publicist Harvey Diederich.

"Barney Rawlings was good at that job because he had a lot of charm and great stage presence. He knew how to work an audience. Later, with his leadership experience and background, he fit into a number of hotel executive positions."

In 1953 Rawlings took on the added responsibility at the Thunderbird of sales and convention director, before leaving in 1957 for his first of two stints with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority as assistant manager.

He went to the Riviera in 1963 as vice president of sales and in 1968 became executive director of marketing for the Sands. At the same time, he served as national director for the Nevada Hotel Sales Management Association and as vice chairman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's aviation committee.

At 47, Rawlings was appointed to the then-$25,000-a-year job as executive director of the convention authority -- a post that would bring him great satisfaction and many headaches.

One major controversy centered on Rawlings pushing for the construction of the Las Vegas Convention Center's East Wing to improve convention business. That effort was inaccurately interpreted by some as Rawlings' opposition to the LVCVA constructing what is now Sam Boyd Stadium -- a pet project of some board members.

"Rawlings was right to push for the convention center's East Wing because it was really needed," said UNLV history professor Gene Moehring, who has written extensively on the history of the convention authority.

"But at that time there was pressure from the football team and its boosters -- some very powerful people ... who really wanted the football stadium."

Moehring credited Rawlings for being a man of vision.

"Rawlings recognized that convention business was growing," Moehring said. "Also, the UNLV football team was no big deal at that time."

The convention center expanded through a bond passed under Rawlings' leadership, and the stadium, originally called the Silver Bowl, also was built. Rawlings sang the national anthem during the stadium's dedication and later was honored by UNLV as one of Sam Boyd Stadium's original supporters.

But the rift between Rawlings and some board members had become irreparable. In November 1972, Rawlings was forced to resign as director.

Rawlings said he also has been blessed to have been married to two good women in his life. His first wife of 49 years, Hazel Palfreyman Rawlings, died in 1989 at age 67. She often accompanied him on accordion onstage.

For 15 years, Rawlings has been married to the former Christine Ann Puff Russell, who is 18 years his junior. She helps him run his production business, including hiring the crew members.

The father of four grown children, the grandfather of 16 and the great-grandfather of 17, Rawlings said at his age, he is amazed he still can carry both a tune and a good conversation. He also is willing to offer opinions on just about any topic raised.

For example, Rawlings says he is "so disappointed" at how Las Vegas is marketed today, in ways that almost completely ignore older generations' taste in entertainment

"I'm not tickled about the present selling of sin," he said, referring to topless shows at resort nightclubs. "But I understand this is not my town anymore. It's not the little town where I performed."

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