
www.RBandAssociates.net - This is my Tribute to Sweet Louie & Sonny Charles -The Checkmates. Back in the 80's I use to do PR photography of the Checkmates. These photos were shot in the Addison Lounge in the Rampart Casino March 9, 2007. December 15, 2007 Marvin "Sweet Louie" Smith, one half of the R&B duo the Checkmates, has died. He was 68. Smith died Saturday of a heart attack aboard the Caribbean Princess cruise ship in the Caribbean, where he was scheduled to perform, said his agent, Mike Moloney. Smith's musical partner, Sonny Charles, a friend since childhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana, found Smith in his cabin before they were to rehearse for a show that evening, Moloney said. "His name was really fitting," said fellow Las Vegas entertainer and close friend, Nelson Sardelli, 73. "He was really a sweet guy, a generous guy and was loved and will be missed by many." Smith died Saturday aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean, where he was performing. Smith's counterpart was Sonny Charles, a friend since childhood in Fort Wayne, Ind. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was too heartbroken to say much. But he said Smith spent some of his last moments doing what had brought him the most joy: performing. The act took off in 1964, when the Checkmates started performing at the Pussycat A Go Go, located on what is now the site of the Wynn Las Vegas resort. The group went on to perform at the Sands and Caesars Palace. The duo's best-known recordings include Love is All I <b>...</b>
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