Antonio Morelli
| Antonio Morelli | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Tony Morelli |
| Born | July 22, 1904 Rochester, New York |
| Origin | Rochester, New York, Eerie, Pennsylvania, United States, Milan, Italy |
| Died | June 17, 1974 Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Genres | Big Band |
| Occupation(s) | Musical Conductor, Musician, Bandleader, Producer, Arranger |
| Associated acts | Antonio Morelli and his Orchestra (band), The Morelli House |
| Website | [3] |
Antonio Morelli was a producer, arranger, bandleader, movie producer, and conductor most well known for serving as orchestra leader for the famous Sands Hotel Copa Room in its Rat Pack heyday from 1954 through 1971. He was music director, band leader, and friend to some of the biggest names in show business for twenty years and is credited with bringing classical music to Las Vegas. He was also a songwriter, arranger, and music director for several Broadway Musicals, and beloved for his devotion to philanthropic endeavors in his community most notably founding The Las Vegas Pops.
Dean Martin ("Live At The Sands - An Evening of Music, Laughter and Hard Liquor") Frank Sinatra (Sinatra at the Sands), Sammy Davis, Jr. (The Sounds of '66, That's All!), Tommy Sands, Nat King Cole and Count Basie (a posthumous set, also recorded during the Sinatra at the Sands stand) were among those who recorded live albums at the Sands. The albums feature credits to many of the legendary musicians who performed on the albums and at the Copa Room and to band leader, producer, and musical conductor Antonio Morelli who appeared on hundreds of such albums by these artists throughout the 1950s and 60s.
The greatest names in the entertainment industry graced the Copa Room Stage (the showroom at the Sands, named after the famed Copacabana Club in New York City) including Judy Garland, Lena Horne, (she was billed at the Sands as "The Satin Doll") Jimmy Durante, Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, along with "The Copa Girls". These were only a few of the legendary entertainers to not only perform at the Sands, but in all the showrooms along the Strip, from the late 40's until the early 90's. The public could sit ringside in a showroom holding no more than five hundred, paying as little as three dollars in the 50s up to $25.50 in the early 90s for the likes of Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine and Diana Ross. Much of the musical success of the Copa Room is credited to the room's band leader and musical conductor Antonio Morelli. Morelli not only acted as the band leader and musical conductor for the Copa Room during the Hotel's Rat Pack heyday in the 1950s and 60s, he also played that role on hundreds of recorded albums by those same entertainers who graced the stage of the Copa including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, and many others. Often the festivities would carry over after hours to Morrelli's home in Las Vegas, nicknamed "The Morelli House, which was eventually relocated and sanctioned an historical landmark by the State of Nevada.
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Wikipedia