Copa Room

Copa Room
Address	3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South; Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
Location	Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Coordinates	36°07′17″N 115°10′08″W / 36.1214°N 115.1689°W
Owner	Las Vegas Sands
Type	showroom
Capacity	12,000
Construction
Built	1952
Opened	1952
Closed	1996

The Copa Room was an entertainment nightclub showroom at the now-defunct Sands Hotel on The Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was demolished in 1996 when the Sands Hotel was imploded.

It was noteworthy for the many popular entertainers who performed there, including members of the Rat Pack, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Jimmy Durante, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Edith Piaf and Bobby Darin, among others.^[1]

It was also the recording venue for several live albums, including Frank Sinatra's Sinatra at the Sands,^[2] Sammy Davis Jr.'s That's All!^[3] and The Sounds of '66,^[4] and Dean Martin's Live at the Sands Hotel - An Evening of Music, Laughter and Hard Liquor.^[5]

The Copa Room's showgirls were known as "The Copa Girls."^[6] The showroom took its name from the famed Copacabana in New York City. Hotel manager Jack Entratter used to be in charge of the New York venue for more than 12 years, where his showgirls were also known as the Copa Girls. Entratter designed the Copa Room to replicate the Brazilian decor at the Copacabana.^[6]^[7] The room seated about 400 people.^[1] Entratter never allowed his showgirls to appear onstage totally nude.^[6]

The musical director during the Copa Room's 1950s and 1960s heyday was Antonio Morelli.^[8]

In 1981, The Sands in Atlantic City, New Jersey, opened and renamed its showroom the Copa Room. The showroom featured many of the same entertainers as its Las Vegas counterpart.

Notable performers

Musicians:

Comedians:

Dancers/Other Celebrities:

References

^ ^a ^b Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 27, 1952. p. 1. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Sinatra at the Sands". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ "That's All!". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ "The Sounds of '66". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ "Live at the Sands Hotel". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Jack Entratter and the Copa Girls". University of Nevada. Las Vegas. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
^ Smith, Tom (2016). One For My Baby: A Sinatra Cocktail Companion. Peter Owen Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7206-2017-7.
^ James, Ronald Michael (2009). Nevada's Historic Buildings: A Cultural Legacy. University of Nevada Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-8741-7798-5.

[Billboard-1] Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 27, 1952. p. 1. ISSN 0006-2510.

[2] "Sinatra at the Sands". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[3] "That's All!". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[4] "The Sounds of '66". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[5] "Live at the Sands Hotel". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[UNLV-6] "Jack Entratter and the Copa Girls". University of Nevada. Las Vegas. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

[drink-7] Smith, Tom (2016). One For My Baby: A Sinatra Cocktail Companion. Peter Owen Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7206-2017-7.

[8] James, Ronald Michael (2009). Nevada's Historic Buildings: A Cultural Legacy. University of Nevada Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-8741-7798-5.

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