VIDEO
BIOGRAPHY
Its no surprise that one of the most legendary “trios” in the history of entertainment simply known as The Rat Pack would be a prominent influencoe to aspiring performers today as they were throughout there incredible careers. Audiences both young and old are just as fascinated and intrigued today by the music and lifestyles of The Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.
It was this love of the music and the respect and admiration for the men behind it that brought a trio of multi talented performers together as one to recreate and celebrate an era long passed but still remains very much alive today thanks to the efforts and talents of these very performers David Decosta who portrays the Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra, Johnny Edwards who portrays the always charming, slightly tipsy The King Of Cool Dean Martin, and Kenny Jones who portrays the multi talented Candy Man himself, Sammy Davis Jr.
Each bring to the table a wide variety of talent which when combined together brings the audiences that come to see them back to the days of old when The Rat Pack ruled Las Vegas. All the songs, all the fun and all the laughs are brought center stage as the audience is taken on a nostalgic trip back in time to an evening at the legendary Sands Hotel and Casino.
David Decosta who takes on the role of Frank Sinatra is no stranger to music. He was born in Detroit and is part of one of the city’s most musically gifted families. His grandfather, father, brothers, and even cousins have all been a major part of the jazz music scene in Detroit as well as around the country and overseas. It’s no wonder that David would eventually embark on his own musical journey. Moving to the windy city of Chicago at age 16, David would soon develop and nurture his own style and with his two older brothers began performing in many of the jazz hot spots in the city. It was in Chicago a few years later that David was seen by non other than Mr. Jilly Russo who was Frank Sinatra’s trusted best friend and bodyguard. Russo was so impressed by his talents as a singer that he contracted David and his brothers to open Jilly’s Night Club which became a Chicago hotspot for celebrities and performers alike.
With this new found and well deserved notoriety David was approached to perform in many of the big jazz venues throughout Chicago. Venues such as The Green Mill, Joe’s Bebop Café, The Jazz Showcase and Andy’s Jazz Club all welcomed David and his talent with open arms.
In the year 2000, David took his talent to South Florida where along with his band and played all the major venues. It was here that David was contracted by the world renowned and iconic Fountain Bleu Hotel to perform nightly in there legendary showroom. The Fountain Bleu was also known to be back in the day a favorite hang out of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. along with countless other celebrities of the time.
After enjoying a very successful five year run at the Fountain Bleu David set his sights on Las Vegas. It is there that he would pursue portraying Frank Sinatra in long running show The Rat Pack Is Back. David would soon be asked to go to Chicago and headline the touring version of the show in 2008 where he would be nominated for the Oscar Wilde Theater Award for best performance in a musical making him the only Frank Sinatra performer to ever be nominated in this category. Upon his return to Vegas, David would continue to pursue his love of jazz and Frank Sinatra.
In 2010 David would join the cast of Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show which ran in Las Vegas and toured nationally as well.
Always in demand he has found himself cast in numerous other shows as Frank Sinatra. Shows such as The Concert That Never Was a show featuring the performances of Barbara Streisand and Frank Sinatra, Shades Of Sinatra, Legends In Concert, American Trilogy a show featuring the performances of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Neil Diamond, and finally David’s own show Frankly Sinatra.
David has brought his talents as Frank Sinatra through out the United States as well as overseas to venues in Brazil, Santa Domingo, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.
David Decosta as “FRANK SINATRA”
David was born in Dearborn and raised in a musical family that includes his dad and brothers plus a 27 year old cousin who is a jazz prodigy. DeCosta credits them with inspiring him to sing.But out of the tree of life, DeCosta picked this plum gig of being Frank in Chicago, where his family later moved, and had a regular stint at Jilly's. Davidspent a number of years performing in southern Florida before moving to Las Vegas.
David DeCosta has the audience believing that “Ol’ Blue Eyes” is once again back on stage. His voice is smooth and silky, his mannerisms true to Frank Sinatra and with his background of jazz music his understanding of the songs is deep.
David has performed in several Rat Pack shows in Vegas, as well as throughout the country and others such as Canada,Brazil,Santa Domingo,Paris etc.
Johnny Edwards as “DEAN MARTIN”
Johnny Edwards who staggers into the role of Dean Martin, was born and raised in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. At an early age Johnny had a love and fascination with music and comedy. He also developed a talent for impersonation and improvisation. Not being a shy kid by any means he would entertain at family gatherings sometimes alongside his now famous cousin, singing sensation and pop icon Cyndi Lauper. It was her early influence that made Johnny appreciate everything creative in art and music. Later on in his life Johnny got to experience and see first-hand thought her success what the entertainment business was all about.
By age 12 Johnny had been in multiple school productions as either a featured singer or comic relief. He enjoyed hearing the laughter and applause and the feeling of being on stage. On his 15th birthday one of Johnny’s biggest musical heroes Elvis Presley passed away. It was at this time a local band began featuring Johnny in a tribute show dedicated to Elvis. As Johnny matured he began challenging himself by pushing his talents and developing and perfecting his arsenal of celebrity and singing impressions.
In 1983 Johnny would survive the removal of a softball sized brain tumor. It was then that Cyndi Lauper not only put Johnny on the dedication of her hit debut album She’s So Unusual but also put him in the music video of her hit song She Bop from that very album. The whole experience of the video shoot fueled Johnny’s desire to become an entertainer. In 1990 Johnny teamed up with his best friend Mike Nico and together they began impersonating and performing as comedy legends Laurel and Hardy. By this time Johnny had mastered transformation make up and after a 3 hours of make-up application was able to transform himself and his partner into the comedy duo. They appeared in various dinner theaters and comedy venues around the country. It was at this time that Johnny started to incorporate various impressions of celebrities in the shows that they did. Elvis was always one of the crowd favorites. By 1993 Johnny’s ability to perform as Elvis earned him the honor of performing at the New York Hilton Hotel for the unveiling of the Elvis postage stamp. Shortly after this event Johnny’s wife Linda, who was his girlfriend at the time saw first-hand Johnny’s amazing talent. It was she who would convince Johnny to go to Las Vegas with her on a vacation to visit her brother. Little did Johnny know she had an agenda. On the third day of their Vegas Vacation she informed Johnny that he had a live audition with John Stuart the creator and owner of the world renowned show Legends in Concert. Stunned Johnny went to the show accompanied by his wife and between shows was auditioned with the Legends in Concert orchestra by John Stuart. Within weeks of the audition Johnny moved to Las Vegas and his Vegas career had officially began with him working for Legends In Concert in various venues and as various characters as well.
From 1993 thru 2004 Johnny had become one of the premier Elvis tribute artists nationally and internationally. In 2000, Johnny appeared in the Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell movie 3000 Miles to Graceland. In 2003 Johnny was awarded best performer in a tribute show by Las Vegas magazine What’s On. His talent brought him to countries such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, Berlin, Switzerland and Puerto Rico. He has performed as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Sir Elton John for Legends In Concert, Heroes of Rock and Roll, Legends Live at the Copa, American
Superstars, Rock and Roll Legends, All Shook Up, The King in Concert, Vegas Headliners and Superstars of Country to name a few.
By the end of 2003 Johnny made the conscious decision to retire from performing as Elvis and concentrate on Dean Martin. It was shortly after that Johnny began performing as Dean Martin in a show about Frank Sinatra called Ole Blue Eyes. It was here Johnny was called upon to take over the role of Dean Martin in the Las Vegas production of the long running and award winning show The Rat Pack Is Back. Since 2004 Johnny has been playing Dean Martin for shows such as The Rat Pack is Back, Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show, Frank and Dean: One More for The Road, (which he co-created and performed with fellow Rat Pack cast member Robbie Howard) and Legends in Concert. Each show toured nationally throughout the U.S. or internationally to countries such as Canada, Monaco, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. It is in Australia that the show The Rat Pack from Vegas has enjoyed very successful national tours since its inception in 2010 and thanks to Abstract Entertainment completed a three month fifty two city tour of Germany in 2016. Johnny is one of the original cast members and is still happy and proud to be affiliated with the show today. He has appeared as Dean Martin in the hit television show CSI Las Vegas and the soon to be released motion picture Las Vegas Vietnam stars Eric Roberts.
Kenny Jones as “SAMMY DAVIS JR.”
Kenny Jones is a gifted singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist... One Dynamic Entertainer. He has received raved reviews and standing ovations worldwide.
Born and raised in Atchison, KS his love of music began at the tender age of eight. Kenny recalls his first stage appearance at the age of twelve with a local group called The Jive Five. singing and dancing to the music of James Brown. He later learned how to play the piano, bass guitar, and drums while attending Zion Baptist Church. Kenny became a member of the gospel group called The Jesus Children he than moved on to play bass for the Genetta Bradley Singers in the greater Kansas City area.
As a teenager Kenny became the front man for one of Atchison’s popular R&B bands called Soul Review. After Kenny’s discharge from the US Navy he returned to his home town to continue working in the church. Kenny left Atchison and relocated to Denver, CO to pursue his gospel career at The House of Joy where he cut his first gospel album and released his first single called Peanut Butter and Jelly. In 1989 and 1990 Kenny was voted The Best Male Vocalist of the Year by the Gospel Music Workshop of Denver.
In spite of his love for gospel music his love for R&B was calling. Kenny had the opportunity to become the front man for one of Denver’s hottest R&B bands called, 1UP. One of his career highlights was performing at the opening of The Hard Rock Café in Shanghi, China. Kenny was called to the Northwest when another opportunity to once again become the front man and lead singer for another hot R&B band called, Groove City. Groove City performed mainly in the Seattle/Spokane area until the band moved to Las Vegas in 2001 to seek other musical opportunities.
Kenny has traveled and appeared in major showrooms, casinos, theaters and private country clubs throughout the world. Such as Chicago, Dallas, California, New York, Atlantic City, St Croix as well as Las Vegas and many more. Kenny has also made several radio and TV appearances. in June of 2013 Kenny was awarded the keys to the city in his home town of Atchison KS.
Kenny is now appearing in showrooms and theaters as well as corporate and private engagements paying tribute to the ultimate entertainer Mr. Showmanship, Sammy Davis, Jr.