IT’S REAL COUNTRY AT THE SOUTH POINT

Garth Brooks arrival at the Encore Theater has re-generated interest in country music in Las Vegas.

Or maybe it has always been here, just hard to find as promoters and venues try to find the music that will draw in the crowds.

Folks at the South Point – home to shows feature calf roping, cutting horses, bull riding and the like – had debuted one of the best country acts in Las Vegas.

Route 66 began performing at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the resort on South Las Vegas Boulevard a little more than a month ago.

There’s a nominal $5 cover charge.

The front man and founder is Jim Wise, brother of long-time Elvis tribute artist Dennis Wise (whose dance band Déjà vu is at the South Point at 6 p.m. Wednesdays). Jim Wise is the real deal. You won’t find any better country artist performing in Las Vegas, and believe it or not there a quite a few playing local honky tonks.

Wise has been a country singer since his early teens in his hometown, Joplin, Mo. But his vocal talents were matched by his talents on the baseball field and he was drawn between two loves.

During his high school years, he played music and pitched baseballs. Wise received a baseball scholarship from the University of Iowa and after he graduated he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals.

But he always seemed to have a baseball in one hand, a guitar in the other. When an injury cut short his baseball career, he put his country music career into high gear. Wise eventually began opening for the likes of such country giants as Alan Jackson, Collin Raye, Joe Diffie and Waylon Jennings.

For a dozen or so years he lived in Nashville, singing and writing and recording. Among his albums are “She Wants to Drive My Truck,” “Cowboy Cadillac” and “Nashville Tracks.”

Ten years ago Wise moved to Vegas and began to perform from time to time with his brother’s band in addition to performing his own gigs.

He also wrote his first novel, “Catfish!,” which was released recently and is available at amazon.com.

———— GILLEY’S

It’s back.

One of the most popular country hangouts on the Strip has a new home at the Treasure Island. For years Gilley’s was at the New Frontier, which was across the street from the TI until owner Phil Ruffin sold it and the country bar closed up shop.

The new owners of New Frontier imploded the old resort intending to build a new one, but the bad economy forced a long delay in the plans.

Meanwhile Ruffin bought the TI from the MGM Mirage – for a song you might say – and he has brought back Gilley’s, complete with a mechanical bull.

The bar and grill opened April 15, featuring music by Austin Law, the last band to perform at the old Gilleys.

There’s a $20 cover charge for men Thursdays through Saturdays. No cover charge for women. There will be plenty of live music in the future, featuring the likes of Scotty Alexander.

————————————- STONEY’S ROCKIN’ COUNTRY

Speaking of Gilley’s, Stoney Gray managed Gilley’s before it closed.

He saw what was coming and opened his own place, a Texas-size country dance hall called Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, down on South Las Vegas Boulevard, just a couple of blocks north of South Point.

There’s always something happening at Stoney’s so you should check out its website before you go – stoneysrockincountry.com.

He knew what he was doing when he built the place – a 20,000-square-foot nightclub with a dance floor the size of a house, two bars – and a mechanical bull.

by Jerry Fink

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