Late Singer Connie Francis Held Las Vegas Record
Posted on: July 17, 2025, 08:11h.
Last updated on: July 17, 2025, 11:28h.
Connie Francis, the wholesome pop star of the pre-Beatles era who died Thursday at age 87, was the youngest solo performer to headline in Las Vegas. At least she was in 1960, when she performed at the Sahara Hotel’s Congo Room in a residency that lasted nine more years.
At just 21, Flamingo headliner Wayne Newton broke Francis’ record in 1963. But her debut had marked a shift in the Vegas entertainment landscape, where pop singers — especially young women — were rarely given top billing in major casino showrooms.
In that regard, Francis helped pave the way for future headliners Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and Adele.
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero on Dec. 12, 1937, Francis held other records during her career. She was also the first female singer with a million-selling rock n’ roll hit (1958’s “Stupid Cupid”). And she was rarely off the pop charts from 1958’s “Who’s Sorry Now” through 1962’s “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You.”
The chanteuse was just 17 when she signed a contract with MGM Records following appearances on several TV variety shows. At age 9, she appeared on “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” and “The Perry Como Show.” It was Godfrey who suggested she shorten her last name.
Dick Clark featured her repeatedly on “American Bandstand,” and she said in later years that his support kept her music career afloat.
From May 13-16, 1966, Francis recorded six shows, accompanied by the Lou Basil Orchestra, that were released as “Live at the Sahara in Las Vegas.” The property’s entertainment director, Stuart Allen, praised her on the album’s liner notes as “a rare performer in this present musical age.”
“She is one of the very few who have graduated successfully from the field of pop music to become one of the world’s foremost theatre and night club entertainers,” Allen explained. “In doing this, she has not only gained a whole new public but has retained and even added to her vast following in the pop music field.”
Francis continued to headline in Las Vegas until December 2004, when she performed at the Las Vegas Hilton. In 2010, she appeared at the same venue alongside Dionne Warwick in a show billed as “Eric Floyd’s Grand Divas of Stage,” which turned out to be her final Vegas appearance.
She retired in 2018, and contributions to Las Vegas entertainment were acknowledged when she was inducted into the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame a year later.
Francis had recently seen an unexpected streaming surge as her 1962 hit, Pretty Little Baby” became one of the biggest songs on TikTok this year. As of July, it has been featured in more than 2 million videos on the platform and garnered nearly 85 million streams on Spotify.
Last Comments ( 1 )
Thank you for acknowledging Connie's brilliance. She did indeed pave the way for Las Vegas headliners like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, and Adele. Connie headlined at the Sahara in 2004/2005 (New Year's Eve weekend) and at the Las Vegas Hilton (with Dionne Warwick) in 2010, in addition to other Vegas engagements in the 2000's. Latterly, she also headlined at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. Connie's last concert before retiring was in 2011 in New York. In addition to being a brilliant artist, Connie was a warm, gracious and funny lady who was very kind to her fans. She is sorely missed and the industry will not see the likes of her genius again.