The Treniers still able to produce sweet sounds

     By Leanne Mieszala
     View staff writer
      For the last 50 years, The Treniers have been singing the blues in Las Vegas and enjoying every minute of it.
      This seven piece ensemble plays everything from blues to jazz to good old rock 'n' roll.
      "If Vegas wants it, we can play it," said Skip Trenier, who has been doing vocals with the group since 1949. "In fact, we were playing rock 'n' roll even before Elvis Presley and all the others."
      Other members of the group include leader Claude Trenier on the cowbell; musical director Don Hill on alto tenor saxophone, clarinet and flute; Dave Akins on drums and vocals with the group since 1974; arranger Jack Holland on piano, trumpet and vocals; Harry Walker on vocals with the group off and on for the past 40 years; and Donald Jackson on bass and vocals with the group for four years.
      In honor of their musical achievements, Mayor Jan Jones issued a proclamation declaring last March 16 as Trenier Day in Las Vegas.
      Coming from a musical family in Mobile, Ala., Claude Trenier and his twin brother Cliff, who passed away in 1983 from cancer, began their musical career by calling themselves The Trenier Twins. In 1946, they formed The Treniers.
      The group has performed in front of sold out crowds ranging in age from 10 to 110, and in places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, N.J., and London, England.
      "The guys just returned from a road trip to England where they performed before a crowd of 1,500," said Ken Sands who along with Marge Toledo has been the groups road manager for the past eight years. "The group has plans to return there in May."
      "We're very popular in London," Claude Trenier said.
      While the group periodically updates their musical selections, the members continue to play pieces in their own style, and it's a style of music very few can capture.
      Claude Trenier believes the group's perseverance in maintaining its own technique despite the industry's ever-changing musical trends makes it more popular today than ever.
      "We didn't join them, we just went right along with them," he said.
      When it comes to the group's choreography, its antics on stage come just as natural as the music.
      "The choreography is not rehearsed," Claude Trenier said. "One of the guys just starts doing something, and the others join in. I guess you could say we were one of the first moving acts on stage."
      Having played on the Las Vegas circuit for the past 50 years, members of the group now refer to the city as the new Las Vegas because of the drastic changes that have taken place.
      "When they had less hotels, they had more entertainment where now they have more hotels and less entertainment," Skip Trenier said. "In earlier days, you had the camaraderie of performers who always hung around together. If you had a late night show, all the stars would show up and hang out with you. We've had Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Redd Foxx, Wayne Newton, you name it ... come on stage and jam with us. It was a tribute to the group itself when you would get all these performers to sit in with you."
      "We've probably had more entertainment come up on stage than most folks," Claude Trenier said. "They come up, and they feel comfortable with us."
      Of all the different acts that have joined these renowned entertainers on stage, one instance stands out in the mind of "Cousin" Harry Walker.
      "I remember a time when Frank Sinatra came down to see us back East in Atlantic City," Walker said. "He said, `Tell the Treniers to open the show, I'm coming down.' ... The band hit the first few notes to `New York New York' and stopped. Frank walked straight over to the microphone and said, `Hit it,' and began singing `New York New York.' When people looked up from the casino floor and saw he was on stage, word spread through the casino like wildfire, and they came through the doors like cattle. A security guard looked at me and said, `Tell him to get off, he's emptying the casino.' I replied, `You tell him.' "
      Over the years, The Treniers have appeared on numerous television shows and have starred in various movies including "Don't Knock the Rock," "Calypso Heat Wave" and "Jukebox Jamboree." Their latest release on compact disc is called "They Rock They Roll They Swing."
      While the entertainment business has certainly seen its share of groups come and go, The Treniers have no plans of ending their long-lived legacy anytime soon.
      "We plan to be around as long as possible," Skip Trenier said, "God-willing."
      The Treniers will be performing daily in the lounge at The Orleans through Sunday. Showtimes are 8, 9:20 and 10:40 p.m.