GREG LONDON
AFTER A RECORD BREAKING TWO AND A HALF
YEAR RUN AT HARRAH’S RENO,
THE MASTER MUSICAL IMPRESSIONIST—
VOTED “NEVADA MAGAZINE’S 2009 ENTERTAINER
OF THE YEAR”— BRINGS HIS “ICONS” TO LAS VEGAS!
Fresh Off His Win for “Best Adult Contemporary Song”
At the 2009 Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA),|
London, A Popular AC Recording Artist,
Will Co-Host the Third Annual Event On November 18, 2010
Will the real Greg London please stand up? First he’s channeling Rod Stewart, then he’s doing dead-on takes of Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, Jim Morrison, Barry Manilow, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash. He digs female R&B icons, showing legs as Tina Turner and rasp as Macy Gray. The master musical impressionist’s duets of Willie Nelson/Julio Iglesias and Ozzy Osbourne and Kermit The Frog have brought down the house numerous times during his engagements on London’s West End (from January-April 2007) and his record shattering two and a half year run in Sammy’s Showroom at Harrah’s Reno.
Those engagements are just the warm up for the latest coup by London, who was voted Nevada Magazine’s 2009 Entertainer of the Year in a Reader’s Poll. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? That might be tough once word gets out about the latest and most exciting incarnation of Greg London’s ICONS yet. Produced by Bob Byers, Jr., David DeLorenzo and Frank Visco, the show—billed as Greg London’s ICONS – Entertaining The World One Impression at a Time– begins previews in the Mardi Gras Showroom of the Riviera Hotel and Casino (a truly iconic venue!) on The Strip June 16, 2010, with the Grand Opening slated for mid-July.
“I am really looking forward to the next part of my incredible journey, performing in Las Vegas,” says London. “From The Rat Pack to Celine Dion and the multiple Cirque Du Soleil shows on The Strip, Vegas is such a historical place filled with great entertainment, and I am excited to be a part of that exciting, glamorous tradition. When I first conceived ICONS, my dream was to perform on the West End of London, and I achieved that. When I brought it to America, I was blessed to find a longtime home in Reno, where I brought joy to thousands of people. Now I’m in a place where established legends make their home and I plan to be who I am and have the greatest time in the world. I feel like I am on this planet to entertain people and that’s what I’m going to do. Because there are more entertainment options in Vegas, it’s going to be a challenge to make our mark. But it’s going to be an adventure, I feel good about it and I’m gonna rock the Riviera!”
In July 2009, Greg London’s ICONMAN was voted Best Show of Northern Nevada. The comedy rock stylized show is an episodic satire musical that mixes numerous genres, both lampooning and creating parodies of iconic artists while blending in original satire. In its original run on the West End, The ICONS In London was presented as a “Las Vegas Extravaganza.” Its lengthy run in Reno as ICONMAN fashioned London as a musical-comic superhero saving the world one impression at a time; its other concept was “James Bond comes to Reno,” based on the oft-told story about London’s long ago audition to become the next 007. When London was in the midst of an explosive career as a corporate entertainer helping boost the stock of General Electric and hundreds of other companies, he auditioned to play the legendary spy. He ultimately lost out to Timothy Dalton, a Bond two flick wonder.
The ever-developing concept (presented as “chapters” with each new imagining) was created by London and written in the classic literary format of “The Hero’s Journey,” with theater director David Taylor (“Cats”) and London playwright Paul Miller. At the end of 2009 London garnered a “best impersonation” credit by Rolling Stone Contributing Editor David Wild, in The Huffington Post for his spot-on take of Ozzy Osbourne performing a duet with Kermit The Frog.
Among the “ICONS” that are part of London’s fascinating repertoire are Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Tina Turner , Ray Charles, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson, Macy Gray , Tony Bennett, David Cassidy, Dean Martin, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Freddie Mercury/Queen, Barry Manilow, Elton John, Joe Cocker, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Jim Morrison of the Doors, ZZ Top, David Bowie, Axl Rose, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ozzy Osbourne, Kermit The Frog, James Bond (Sean Connery version), Austin Powers and the “Phantom of the Opera.”
London, who launched his live musical comedy performance career in various venues at the Pebble Beach resort, even made Clint Eastwood’s day. Dirty Harry himself says of this million dollar baby, “Greg will leave you emotionally charged with a truly great performance.”
Fresh off his win for “Best Adult Contemporary Song” at the 2009 Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA), London has been selected to co-host the third annual event at The Highlands in the Hollywood & Highland Kodak Theatre Complex on November 18, 2010. The singer’s recording of “Everything I Own” was the highest charting new artist release and highest charting release on an independent label (airplay charts) of 2009. London scored back to back Top 5 singles on the FMQB Adult Contemporary Radio Chart with covers of Bread’s “Everything I Own” and Little River Band’s “Cool Change.” London also made Music Connection Magazine’s list of Hot 100 Artists of 2009.
In 2010, London will be releasing his latest single, the original song “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself” to AC Radio; the track was produced by Zain Effendi, winner of Best New Composer at the 2009 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
In 2008, he appeared in the independent film “The Dukes,” playing a member of a washed up doo-wop group that turns, comically, to a life of crime. His cohorts are Chazz Palmenteri, two time Academy Award nominee Peter Bogdanovich and renowned character actor Robert Davi (“Die Hard,” “Profiler”), who wrote, directed and co-produced the film.
London—whose show some call a modern rock version of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”–keeps making history, night after night, in a show with no creative limits. But don’t just take our word for it. The Asian Times London proclaimed The ICONS in London as “The West End’s First Smash of 2007.” The Sacramento Bee called it “The Show of the Year” for 2007-2008. Veteran talent manager Ken Kragen adds, “Greg has marvelous and universal talent.” Music has been a part of London’s life from a very early age. As a child, he played the trumpet with his grandfather in the Salvation Army’s local brass band, and later played first chair trumpet in the California Youth Symphony. The godson of English trumpeter Ronnie Hunt, whose claims to fame include the Coronation Street signature tune, London taught himself to play several musical instruments, and regularly performs the trumpet, guitar, piano, harmonica and percussion instruments in his shows.
While London is a breakthrough artist to today’s fans of adult contemporary music, his single is actually an exciting extension of a recording career he originally launched with the 1979 release of Alive Again in Santa Cruz, which sold thousands of units through East Records in Tokyo. Earlier this decade, London also recorded Song of America, a CD of American patriotic music, which led to a two year tour singing for American troops.
Beyond the stage and recording studio, London and his wife and manager Monika are deeply involved in a wide variety of children related charities, including the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Children’s Cancer Society (a division of the American Cancer Society), the Laguna Seca Raceway Soroptimist (which supports children through CASA, Adoption, cystic fibrosis and Ronald McDonald House), PANCAN Pancreatic Cancer Research and The V Foundation (Jimmy Valvano Foundation for cancer research).
Their teenaged daughter Jessika is an inspiration to both of them. Born without one of her hands, she has overcome numerous physical obstacles to become one of the best Grand Prix equestrian jumpers in France, where the Londons have a home. The same day London received his early raves for ICONS by the Asian Times London, Jessika won a premiere jumping competition at Bordeaux; Greg called her his representative of courage. Jessika and her 16-year-old brother Jason are also talented singers and actors. It’s the genetic lottery—it’s hard not to be so diversely gifted when your dad plays 35 globally famous ICONS every night.
“No matter where ICONS takes me in the world, I always want to be somewhere where I’m out there having a great time doing what I most love to do,” says London. “There is seriously no end to what this show can be and it’s a joy for me night after night to create this amazing synergy with the audience. I’m a long way from those days I was jumping on the bar singing at Club 19 in Pebble Beach and I have enjoyed every moment of the journey immensely. The typical impressionist just does one character after another, but I enjoy being more innovative and original in my approach to this exciting performance art form. So call me the Bed, Bath and Beyond of impressionists. I want to be the beyond guy.”
