Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights: High Rolling With Happy Chandler's Wayward Son, Dan Chandler [Hardcover]

John L. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Bluegrass Days, Neon Night takes you through the rollicking life and times of legendary Las Vegas casino host and bon vivant, Dan Chandler. The wayward son of former Kentucky Governor and Major League Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler, Dan likes to say he started at the top and has spent his life working his way to the middle.Dan's bluegrass days began as a boy growing up in the Kentucky Governor's Mansion, the youngest son of one of the most popular politicians in America. Dan not only encountered President John F. Kennedy, but also learned a hard lesson in politics and life. Dan arrived in Las Vegas as the gambling capital's mob days were fading, but Caesars Palace had no shortage of characters - and he became intimate friends with super high rollers and stars ranging from Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson to Frank Sinatra.Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights is an unforgettable true tale told in the voice of one of the last of the great Vegas characters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John L. Smith writes a four-times-a-week column for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. This prize-winning columnist has published many books, including, Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas and No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak. A fourth-generation Nevadan, he lives in Las Vegas with his wife Tricia and daughter Amelia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Stephens Press LLC (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932173439
• ISBN-13: 978-1932173437
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,879,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, January 13, 2008

By 

Don L. Gould "GOULD COMUNICATIONS" (PARSONS KANSAS 67357) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights: High Rolling With Happy Chandler's Wayward Son, Dan Chandler (Hardcover)

Great stories related by chandler of the vegas high roller comp system and the clebs he incountered.Do not miss.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing book from John L. Smith, February 28, 2007

By 

H. Gray (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights: High Rolling With Happy Chandler's Wayward Son, Dan Chandler (Hardcover)

I have never submitted a review, but feel compelled to do so after reading this book. I am a huge fan of John L. Smith's writings and have purchased and read every one. This book, however is NOT, repeat - NOT - written by him! In the preface, the real author, Dan Chandler, says this book is written in his (Chandler's) own words and, clearly this book is. It is not up to the usual very high standard of Smith. It is a rambling, name dropping, everybody loves me chronicle of Chandler's relationships with known personalities and leaves the reader with a sense of how important Chandler thinks he is (or was - he's dead now). If you even think this is a biography (or autobiography) of Chandler's life you are wrong. Even though he brags about being employed by Caesers Palace seven times and working several other casinos as a casino host, there is not one sentence about how he got fired and rehired seven times. He only wants people to know how many of the rich and famous were his "best friends" or in his words "my man ..." What Smith's role in the book is unclear, except to think that he somewhat edited Chandler's words. Very disappointing book "authored" by a great writer with a biting, humorous way with words. I will still by Smith's books, but this one is a stinker!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant exposé in to the life of Dan Chandler Las Vegas Host, March 21, 2006

By 

Alexis Mario Lozano (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bluegrass Days, Neon Nights: High Rolling With Happy Chandler's Wayward Son, Dan Chandler (Hardcover)

In John L. Smith's latest book, Bluegrass Days Neon Nights, he travels through the life of Las Vegas casino host Dan Chandler. The son of Kentucky Governor and Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler, Dan Chandler often joked that he started at the top and spent his life working his way to the middle. His rise or descent can be argued but as a casino host in Las Vegas Chandler led a riotous life filled with the greatest celebrities of politics, sports, music and movies.