Sam George Distefano
| Sam George Distefano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 20, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 💀Died | April 13, 2015 (aged 88) Sunrise Hospital, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.April 13, 2015 (aged 88) |
| 💼 Occupation | Vice-president of Playboy, talent executive at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, jazz pianist |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Marjorie Pamela McNarry (1967-1978) |
| 👶 Children | 1 (Mike Distefano (jazz pianist/drummer, talent manager) |
Sam George Distefano (December 20, 1926 – April 13, 2015)[1][2] was vice-president of Playboy Enterprises and the Riviera Hotel and Casino, and a Chicago jazz pianist. As a teen and young adult, Distefano worked jazz clubs on piano in the Chicago area.[1]
Career[edit]
Distefano performed in nightclubs such as The Cloisters, The Trade Winds, Mister Kelly's, The London House and The Living Room.[3] It was in one of these clubs that Playboy founders Victor Lownes and Hugh Hefner first saw Distefano perform.[2]
Lownes and Hefner asked Distefano to perform with his trio at the opening of the original Playboy Club at 116 E. Walton Street in Chicago in 1960, where he remained as its musical director. This launched Distefano's 25-year career with Playboy Enterprises. He was also musical director at their Miami club from 1962-'69, as well as orchestra leader, conductor and entertainment director at the Playboy country club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where he led his 32-piece orchestra. Eventually, he became vice president of entertainment for the company’s worldwide chain of clubs and hotels.[3]
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During his 10 years at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Distefano booked entertainment events for the resort, such as world-heavyweight-championship boxing bouts, concerts, headliners, and production shows.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Distefano developed Alzheimer's in 2003. He died in 2015 at 88 at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mike Weatherford (April 14, 2015). "Former Riviera entertainment head Sam Distefano dies". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Halverson (April 21, 2015). "Playboy Club was hopping under Distefano". The Lake Geneva Regional News. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mike Barnes (April 15, 2015). "Sam Distefano, Talent Exec for Hugh Hefner and Meshulam Riklis, Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Short Takes: Riviera Signs Frank Sinatra". Los Angeles Times. September 28, 1990.
- ↑ Palm Downtown Mortuary and Cemetery. In Memory of Sam George Distefano December 20, 1928 - April 13, 2015.
External links[edit]
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