Newsletter issued by the Las Vegas Rotary Club

William “Billy” Christ, born in 1930 in Detroit, Michigan, is an accomplished bass player. His parents, Louis and Estemia Christ, were both from Albania and immigrated to Detroit in 1929. Christ’s father was a restaurant owner and his mother worked alongside his father in the restaurant business. Billy started playing the bass in high school and studied with the Detroit Symphony. Billy decided at an early age that he wanted to become a full-time musician. He attended Wayne University to study music and after two years he decided to join the Gene Krupa Band in New York. While living in New York, Billy had the good fortune to play at historical venues such as Apollo Theater, Copacabana, and Bop City. After only a few years, he left New York to join Lena Horne in San Francisco and then Billy made his way to Las Vegas in 1960. Christ’s first job in Las Vegas was on the strip at the Flamingo with the Russ Black Orchestra. Performing in Las Vegas allowed Billy to gain greater access to talented musicians and the opportunity learn from these virtuosos. As a result, Billy quickly matured into a skillful bass player and ultimately went on to work with legendary greats like Paul Anka, Tony Benett, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. Billy currently lives in Las Vegas and performs weekly at The College of Southern Nevada on Wednesday nights. He has been married to his wife Alene since 1958. When asked about his philosophy on life, Billy responded, “I try not to worry about things and just take it a day at a time and try to be the best person I can be. And play every day.”