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GARY CORDELL: A LIFE IN MUSIC
By Neil Adams
Two things have set Gary Cordell apart since he moved to entertainment mecca Las Vegas in 1985:
The sound of his trumpet.
The sound of his voice.
As a result, Cordell’s unique combination of talent and temperament has taken the 1983 Corner High School graduate around the world.
“Music has been my life, and it’s something I don’t take for granted, “ says Cordell, whose Alabama drawl has been a frequent point of interest since moving to Nevada. “Around Vegas, I’m known for my accent, my love of Alabama and my love of Alabama football.
“There aren’t many people here with Southern accents, but I don’t try to be anything I’m not. The way I speak and the way I was raised are part of who I am.”
Make no mistake, it is Cordell’s musical talent that has allowed him to thrive under the bright lights of Las Vegas far more than two decades.
A third-generation Corner High graduate, Cordell earned an associates degree from Wallace State Community College in Hanceville before graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in London and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Beginning with modest professional gigs as a substitute musician while in college, Cordell steadily built a reputation within Las Vegas’ vibrant music scene as one of the most versatile, honest and dependable musicians on the strip.
He has played in every major Las Vegas showroom since the mid-1980’s, including Ceasars Palace, the Flamingo, the Tropicana, Bellagio, the Golden Nugget and the MGM Grand, among others. However, his talent has taken him much farther from Alabama that the Nevada desert.
“I’ve been really fortunate because I’ve gotten to travel so much and see so much because of music,” says Cordell, who has performed in Scotland, Canada and England as well as American music hubs such as New York, New Orleans, Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Chicago and Hawaii.
“I can’t imagine my life without music.”
One key to making a living as a professional musician, Cordell says, is
versatility.
You’ve got to be able to do it all, “I‘ve always had a pretty eclectic taste in different types of music, and it’s paid off. In the process, I’ve made a lot of connections through the years. By no stretch of the imagination am I the best trumpet player in Las Vegas, but I’m not the worst.
“I’m glad to say I’ve built a good reputation in this town.”
Cordell has performed practically every genre of music: classical, jazz, blues, opera, country, ska, pop, rock and salsa. Entertainers Cordell has performed with include Luciano Pavarotti, Elton John, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Natalie Cole, Wayne Newton, Johnny Mathis, Metallica, Kenny Rogers, Don Rickles, the Scorpions and Tears for Fears to name a few.
He also formed his own band, Deacon Blue, which performed rock , blues, soul and R&B music. The band’s name was taken from the Steely Dan song “Deacon Blues,” whose lyrics include the famous line “They call Alabama the Crimson Tide/Call me Deacon Blues.”
In 2007, Cordell secured one of the plum gigs of his career. He is currently the featured trumpet player of “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” a Tony Award-winning musical based on the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Directed by Academy Award winner Mike Nichols, “Spamalot” has been Las Vegas’ No. 1 draw in ticket sales since debuting in March 2007.
“Spamalot is the biggest gig I’ve ever had,” Cordell says, “and it puts me in a position for bigger things.”
His musical journey started in the “corner” of Jefferson, Walker, and Blount counties. Cordell began his studying music as a sixth-grader at Corner Elementary School.
“I wanted to play saxophone, but they already had enough people playing sax,” he says. “I was asked to play tuba because I was a big kid, but I ended up playing trumpet. I told them I wanted to play trumpet, or I’d go play football,” Cordell adds with a laugh.
He soon became a fixture in the Yellow Jackets’ marching band. While in high school, Cordell spent a year performing with the Spirit of Atlanta drum and bugle corps. At Wallace State, Cordell performed with the jazz band, which led to a music scholarship to UNLV. There, he performed with the marching band, jazz band, pep band and brass quintet. In 1987, Cordell played first trumpet at the Scotland Military Tattoo Festival, which Cordell opened with a performance from atop Edinburg Castle.
“My career is just something that happened because I enjoyed being in Corner’s marching band, and one thing led to another,” he says.
Cordell is an experience music instructor, as well. He has been an adjunct trumpet teacher at the Nevada School of the Arts. Through the years, he has had his own studio, where he has instructed students.
The influence of long-time Corner High band director Rick Coggin can’t be overestimated, Cordell says. Mr. Coggin likes to tell his favorite Gary Cordell story. He recalls that one day during Gary’s senior year he was playing the solo in the shows’ opener. At the very end of the solo Gary was to play the last note and then “rip” up to a very high note for added effect. Mr. Coggin summoned Gary to the sideline during a break and asked him how “high” he could play. Gary looked at Mr. Coggin in the eye and very humbly replied “Mr. Coggin, how high do you want me to go”. Mr. Coggin said he knew then that he had something special.
”If it weren’t for Mr. Coggin , I wouldn’t be playing music,” he says. “He was incredibly strict, but that certainly paid off later in life. I learned so much about discipline from him, and I owe him a big debt. He’s a heck of a band director.”
The encouragement of his family was crucial, Cordell says, especially once he reached Las Vegas. Beginning a life as a professional musician is not easy , but Cordell found strength in the support of his mother, Sue Cordell, his father, the late Monty Cordell, and his sister, Sharon Rushing, as well as members of his extended family.
“If it wasn’t for their encouragement I never would have stuck with playing the trumpet,” Cordell says. “My mom and dad always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do and not be influenced by what others wanted me to do.
“Sharon has always been there for me also. I left when she was 12 years old, and although my leaving must have been hard on her, she always has been proud of me and encouraged me to pursue my career. …My mom and Sharon have taken a backseat and put my dreams and desired before their own so many times that I have lost count. If there is any credit to be given for the success of my career, it should be given to them.”
With such support, Cordell says, he is able to carry a bit of home with him always.
“No matter how long I live in Vegas or where music takes me, I’m still just Gary from Corner,” he says. “I’ve now lived longer in Las Vegas than in Alabama, but my mind has always stayed back home.
“A lot of what I’ve done has to do with where I’m from and where I went to school, Corner High. It’s a special place.”
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