Harvey Allen grew up poor in Philadelphia. After taking singing lessons at the Artie Singer Vocal School, he got jobs singing in night clubs up and down the east coast. He also took acting classes in New York and performed at the Copa Club. In the 1950s, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and auditioned for Jack Entratter at the Sands Hotel and Casino where he performed with numerous entertainers including Lena Home, Louis Armstrong, Tallulah Bankhead and Robert Merrill.

Ora Bland migrated to Las Vegas in 1953 from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Her husband was a radiologist and worked in Area 51 of the Nevada Test Site. He never shared information about his work and would sometimes stay at the Test Site for a week or more without coming into the city. Bland remembers the Westside business community when the Brown Derby, the Mexican store, Johnson Malt Shoppe, and Bravo Market existed. An extremely independent person, she handled most of the childcare and worked at the downtown post office (now MOB Museum) for 20 years.

Gene Collins was born to Gertha and Isaac Collins in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Gene's mother relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950's with his sisters but Gene stayed in Louisiana with his grandparents until college and then migrated to Las Vegas in 1966. Gene and his family lived in West Las Vegas which at the time was a thriving community due to segregation on the Strip. Gene worked as an operator's engineer at the Nevada Test Site and later trained as an engineer.