Transcript of interview with Joseph Delaney by Carol Hunter, October 24, 1979

Carol Hunter interviewed columnist and former music consultant Joseph “Joe” Delaney (b. 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) on October 24, 1979 about his experiences in the entertainment industry of Las Vegas, Nevada. The interview begins with Delaney’s recollection of how Las Vegas looked when he first moved to the city in 1961. Delaney mentions some of the businesses and hotels that were popular at the time, including the entertainers that performed at many of those hotels. He then describes the evolution of piano bars to lounge acts to showroom performances in the hotels, as well as the types of changes made for admission to those performances as corporations took control over Strip properties. Delaney also provides insight into the intricacies of the agreements between the properties and various entertainers for their residencies, and he mentions many of the particular entertainers of the time throughout the interview. Delaney additionally discusses his original experiences in talk