James, Virginia, 1932-

Virginia Joyce Mooney was a dancer who performed in the Sands Hotel and Casino and the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She changed her name to Virginia James when she began performing at the Sands.

James was born March 8, 1932 in Pampa, Texas to Erma Thomas Mooney and Clifford Thomas Mooney, James moved to El Paso, Texas when she was young, them moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959 after she successfully auditioned as a dancer for the famous Copa Room at the Sands. James went on to become a regular performer in the famed "Les Folies Bergere" show, which ran in Las Vegas at the Tropicana from 1959 to 2009. She also attempted to advance her career in Hollywood, California in the 1950s but returned to Las Vegas to work permanently. In addition to her regular work in the "Les Folies Bergere" show, she appeared on the Jayne Mansfield Show. As of 2014, James continues to live in Las Vegas.

James married Sharrod Lawrence Mingel Jr. on 1952, had two children, Sharrod III and Kevin, and divorced on 1955. She later married James Sherwood James between 1956 and 1960, Arthur Laverne Gashler between 1960 and 1965, Sonny Knight between 1969 and 1974, Jerry Barnes between 1980 and 1981, and remarried Jerry Barns between 1983 and 1990.

Source:

Virginia James oral history interview, 2004 October 26; 2004 November 16; 2005 March 08 and 22; and 2005 July 18. OH-02700. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.