Two Dixieland jazz bands bring the heart and soul of New Orleans to the
Mississippi riverboat-themed Colorado Belle every weekend with live
entertainment. The Laughlin Dixie Boys perform Thursday though Sunday from
4 to 7 p.m. The Dixie River Band wanders from playing more traditional
Dixieland to a more diverse musical style, Thursday-Saturday, from 9 p.m. to
midnight.
The Laughlin Dixie Boys, a band made up of old-school musicians who don't
know a thing about mp3 players and synthesizers, gather and perform their
sets at the Colorado Belle's main entrance stage. The "boys" are Bob Thompson
(sax), Johnny Hull (banjo and vocals), Jon Stenber (bass) and Dick Wright
(trumpet and trombone).
Thompson is well known locally having for years performed with various
Dixieland groups at the Colorado Belle and for playing every honky tonk,
saloon, bar and main showroom in the area for years. After performing in
Las Vegas, Thompson made his way to Laughlin about 14 years ago with a show
that was playing at the former Flamingo Hilton called "Jukebox Giants" and
decided to stay in the area.
Hull who was with the original Dixie Band at the hotel has been playing
there since it opened in 1981. Hull feels the current line-up of The
Laughlin Dixie Boys is the best. In the group, Hull is the singer and contact
guy with the jokes and smiles. He's played with various groups from Bourbon
Street to Disneyland.
Wright, who has been classically trained, has had experience playing with
bands lead by Maynard Ferguson, Warren Covington, Buddy Rich, Si Zentner,
Ray Anthony and Frank Sinatra, Jr. He also played with the USAF Band in
London for five years. For a three-year stretch, he had a nine-piece band
that played at the Colorado Belle every Sunday.
The youngest group member is local resident Stenber, who has shown
versatility playing show tunes in the bands of various Rat Pack shows; rocking
with a variety of rock bands at casino clubs; and producing blues tunes with
The Rich Harper Blues Band during the annual Laughlin River Run.
The Laughlin Dixie Boys have recorded a CD that you can learn more about
during their breaks.
Sax Man Brown-Brown, who performs regularly at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, squeezes in Laughlin appearances at the Golden Nugget. A true showman, he delivers silky sax on a wide variety of tunes for easy listening and dancing. In addition, DJ Creative plays dance music depending upon what the crowd wants.
In Affect is the band playing at the Aquarius in the Splash Cabaret, which is home to Las Vegas style nightclub band.
At the Riverside a variety of bands perform in the Loser's Lounge, which is the longest running nightclub in town. Music goes until 5:45 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and until 2:45 a.m. on Sundays and Mondays.
Bob Gulley is playing at the River Palms in the Bermuda Club. He just recently moved over from the Tropicana Express, which is owned by the same company. Gulley has two CDs released on the Netrock Records label entitled "Everybody's Love Song" and "Yippi-yi-o," produced by his friend Bill Medley.
Gulley performs at the Bermuda Club, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-8:40 p.m., and on Sunday after the football game at approximately 9 p.m.
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