When Minnesota native Randy Mattson went to a Wayne Newton show with his parents, that night in Vegas contained a partial preview of his future.
Mattson, '89 BA Music, is a master chief musician with the U.S. Navy Band. Since 2006, he held the wordy title of "specialty groups department chief in charge," which entails supervising four separate performing units: The Commodores Jazz Ensemble, The Sea Chanters Chorus, The Cruisers Contemporary Ensemble, and The Country Current Bluegrass and Country Band. All of those specialty groups participate in protocol performances - which include doing shows at official events and providing background music for the president, vice president, military officials, and members of Congress.
Mattson's road to becoming a musician and military man started early. "My dad was a vocal music teacher, so I grew up playing instruments and it became a life-long love," he said. That love took Mattson from Minnesota to Vegas in 1978 when he enrolled at the university.
As Mattson worked on his craft a handful of hours each day, he attended classes as a part-time student for four years. "Frank Gagliardi (the former director of the UNLV Jazz Ensemble) facilitated a smooth transition into the Las Vegas professional music scene for me and countless student musicians," Mattson said.
Richard Straub, who served as Mattson's bass teacher, was also a major influence. "The best part of UNLV is I got a lot of individual attention," Mattson said. "Richard Straub spent so much time with me. You don't get that kind of attention at a school with hundreds of bass players who are trying to establish themselves."
As a student, he said, "I had no money and seemed to be going nowhere, but the beauty was I was practicing nonstop."
Mattson's eventual break as a professional Las Vegas performer included a blast from the past. He ended up attending an audition that he didn't realize was an audition. "I knew Wayne Newton's bass player was planning on leaving," Mattson said. "They said come down to opening night where they were having a rehearsal. Wayne happened to call a tune that I knew. He gave a kid a chance at that time."
That included a fall 1984 performance that he still cherishes. He had been working with Newton for a couple of months when a series of shows at Caesars Palace enabled Mattson's parents to see their son in action. "I never conceived I would be the one playing bass up there," Mattson said. "To have my parents see it and the stagecraft ... that was a memorable moment."
Many memorable moments followed, but the travel and performing schedule made it difficult to settle down and raise a family. In 1991, Mattson moved toward a military career. He auditioned for the U.S. Navy Band as a civilian. Navy Band members are already musically trained and hired before embarking on basic training and military life. Mattson's introduction to the Navy Band came when a friend of a friend alerted him about an opening in the band.
In addition to performing, the Navy Band educates middle and high school students about the military through outreach programs. "We represent the professionalism of the Navy to the public through tours, recordings and TV appearances," Mattson said. "We are musical ambassadors who tell people about the Navy."
