LAS VEGAS — Veteran crooner Wayne Newton's latest album, “Danke Schön,” dedicated to his longtime friend President Ronald Reagan, took shape one sunny evening at an area recording studio.
There, surrounded by electronics and watched by producers, engineers and Newton's wife, lawyer Kathleen Macron, the 82-year-old known as Mr. Las Vegas composed the vocals for “This Is America.” . The song was the inspiration for the blockbuster biopic “Reagan,'' starring Dennis Quaid.
“Ronald Reagan was a dear friend of mine,” Newton told The Post in an exclusive interview. “I loved him dearly. He was a dear friend. When he ran for governor, when he ran for president, I was on the street to put on a show for him. I went.”
She added: “Personally, I found him to be one of the nicest and most honest people I've ever met, whether in politics or in any other field.”
The actor, who has performed on the Las Vegas Strip for more than 60 years, was deeply moved when he saw a rough cut of the film released last month.
“When they brought the movie here, when they showed it to us long before it was finished, I found myself sitting there in tears,” Newton said. “I would pay to be a part of this project in any way I could because he meant so much to me and everything he stood for meant so much to me. I decided to try it.”
Newton added that Mr. Reagan was “a really, really nice guy who believed what he said and didn't get hung up on badmouthing other people.”
He said that the reason Mr. Reagan, who resigned as governor of California in 1975, ran for president five years later was because he “wanted to see people's happy faces again.”
Mark Joseph, producer of “Reagan” and founder and CEO of MJM Entertainment Group, said “This Is America” has its roots in the words of Ronald Reagan himself. spoke.
“They took a lot of phrases that President Reagan used to say and incorporated them into the song,” Joseph told the Post. “It's kind of a throwback, it's kind of a nostalgic piece, and Wayne is from that era, so he was the perfect person to connect the dots and bring that era to today.”
The producer, who also produced the 2004 smash hit Passion of the Christ compilation, said Curb Records plans to release two albums. One album will feature songs used in the movie, while the other will be a “collection of songs inspired by the movie.”
The album is expected to be released soon, he said, as Newton's contribution is the “penultimate song” of the “inspired” collection.
And Newton doesn't stop with this song. He told the Post he just signed a contract to stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino for another year.
“I started working in Las Vegas at the age of 15,” he said. “I just celebrated my 65th anniversary in Las Vegas. I'm almost 66 years old. I have no intention of retiring. If my voice gives out and I can't give people the show they deserve, I'll hang up.” But it's too much fun.”
