This longtime Las Vegas singer and entertainer is releasing her debut recording, which pays homage through song to legends who made her hometown famous, from Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin.

15 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Vocals, JAZZ: Swing/Big Band



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A well-known and highly acclaimed performer on the local entertainment scene in her beloved hometown of Las Vegas, Sandy Kastel has spent an exhilarating lifetime singing, both literally and figuratively, the praises of the city and its incredible legacy of music. Now, with the upcoming release of her debut album on Silk & Satin Records, the former Miss Nevadaâwhose father, acclaimed saxophonist, joined Harry Jamesâ band there when she was a little girlâbecomes a true cultural ambassador for the city, bringing this magic to the rest of the world for the very first time.
Kastel is currently putting the finishing touches on her eagerly anticipated recording, a tribute to the glorious entertainers who have defined the Vegas legend over the years. Putting her own unique spins on songs that continue to transfix our imaginations decades after we first heard them, the singer pays homage to, among others, Frank Sinatra (a medley of âAll Of Me,â âIâve Got You Under My Skinâ and âJust One Of Those Things,â plus âLuck Be A Ladyâ), Wayne Newton (âDanke Schoenâ), Peggy Lee (âFever,â âCome Back To Meâ), Johnny Mathis (âMistyâ), Dinah Washington/Celine Dion (âWhen I Fall In Loveâ) and Judy Garland (âOver The Rainbowâ).

Kastel has been signed to the independent Las Vegas based label Silk & Satin Records, which will initially sell the album via a TV direct response and radio campaign and via her own website.

Gearing up for the collectionâs late spring release, the singer will titillate AC radio listeners across the country starting in early March with her powerful cover of âBeyond The Sea.â Though world renowned as a classic hit by frequent Vegas performer Bobby Darin, the song, penned by Jack Lawrence & Charles Trenet, actually had big band origins, appearing in the late 40s on recordings by big band legends Benny Goodman and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. While Kastelâs recording pays homage to Darin, sheâs also forging a beautiful, even more personal connection to her dad.

Kastel, whose father, Dick Kastel, worked with everyone from Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand to Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Shirley MacLaine, Juliet Prowse and Ann Margret, has been part of the Vegas entertainment scene since her earliest high school days, when she performed in shows like âSweet Charityâ and âFunny Girl.â Over the years, she has performed at many of the major hotels (Sahara, Hilton, MGM Grand, Stardust) and was part of a popular spoof of musicals of the 30âs called âPinups At The Moviesâ that was the longest running show of its time. Several years ago, she created and performed her own production show at the Blue Note, which is now the Planet Hollywood Aladdin; she penned its theme song, calling itâwhat else?ââOnly In Las Vegas.â

Ironically for a project thatâs so Vegas-centric, Kastelâs album was recorded in Nashville with some of that cityâs top session musicians under the guidance of multiple Dove Award winning producer Dan Posthuma, well known in the Contemporary Christian and Gospel music worlds for his work with Debby Boone, Bryan Duncan, Shirley Caesar and Crystal Lewis.

âI met my husband Harold Stout in Las Vegas,â Kastel says, âbut weâd travel back quite a bit to his hometown in Indiana, and each time we did, Iâd go down to Nashville for different songwriting workshops put on by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. I did a lot of networking with other writers and musicians hanging out at the Bluebird Café and was excited about meeting Dan, who loved my history and suggested the idea of doing a Vegas-oriented album. Even as I develop as a songwriter, I love the idea of recording so many of my favorite songs which I have sung and performed over the years.â

Kastelâs cultural activities in Vegas extended earlier this year to a renewed involvement with the Miss America Pageant, which is now broadcast each January from the Las Vegas Aladdin. She attended various fundraising events and helped prep this yearâs Miss Nevada, Caydi Cole, for her judgeâs interview. Currently in the works is a personal partnership agreement with the Childrenâs Miracle Network. In January, it was announced that the Miss America Organization teamed up with CMN to create not only an official national platform, but official state and local platforms as well.

Silk & Satin Records is also sponsoring drag race car driver David Rampy for his upcoming events around the country this year. Rampy is a three time NHRA World Champion, five time NHRA Division Champion and two time NHRA Division 2 Driver Of The Year. Kastelâs image, logo and website address will be displayed on Rampyâs car and trailer throughout the year as he travels the NHRA circuit.

For Kastel, there is not only a physical connection to Las Vegas, but also a spiritual and emotional one. As a result, her deep, lifelong love of the city inspires everything she does, from her involvement in musically oriented cultural activities to her performances around town and the music on her album.

âAs we considered my background and the material that has influenced my life, we came up with a concept that honors the town where I grew up, Las Vegas,â she says. âA true part of Americana, Las Vegas has been a place where people go to celebrate 21st birthdays, graduations, weddings and even divorces. It is a place where people try their luck at winning at games of chance. It is a place full of hopes and dreams, and is a big part of the ongoing craze surrounding poker tournaments. Hip new places like The Palms are attracting not only young Hollywood starlets but also recording artists that want to record at its state of the art studio. The world has an endless fascination with Vegas, and itâs exciting now to have so many great opportunities, with Miss America and my new album, to proudly represent its ongoing sense of history, progress and magic.â