Paul Salos Oral History

Object number2015.001.0030

Date02/05/2015

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Paul Salos

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumBorn digital (.m2ts file)

DimensionsDuration: 61 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Paul Salos. A longtime professional entertainer and noted Frank Sinatra impersonator, Salos performed at the Theater Lounge and Adolphus Hotel in Dallas in the early 1960s. He knew Jack Ruby and spent time with him at his club and apartment. As a result, he was interviewed by the FBI following the assassination. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on February 5, 2015 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is one hour and one minute long.

Curatorial Commentary

Paul Salos was interviewed by the FBI alongside fellow entertainer Carme Pitrello at the Park Hotel in Tampa, Florida, on November 26, 1963. A report of their interview appears as Warren Commission Exhibit No. 1542 in Volume 23. In a three-page summary of the interview, Salos and Pitrello related that they were engaged by Jack Ruby for forty weeks of performances, beginning on Labor Day 1962. They collectively described Ruby as "emotional, quick-tempered," though someone "interested in his help and entertainers." They also praised his "terrific memory" and noted that he was "extremely proud of his good physical condition." - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

Paul Salos' remarkable career in entertainment hit its peak in 2008 when he participated in the third season of the NBC program, America's Got Talent. Salos performed four songs across multiple episodes, advancing to the Top 10 that season before he was eliminated. On the show, he performed the Frank Sinatra standards, "Luck Be a Lady," "My Way," "Come Fly with Me" and "New York, New York."

For more than thirty-five years, Salos has performed his one-man Frank Sinatra tribute show around the world and across the United States, including engagements at multiple Las Vegas resorts such as Caesar's Palace, The Bellagio and MGM Grand. As of 2024, at age 87, he is still available for bookings. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

Paul Salos previously recorded an oral history with The Sixth Floor Museum in 2004. The Museum's Paul Salos Collection (2004.031) includes a small paper ticket to the Bob Wills Ranch House, with "J. Ruby Ent. Inc." listed as the operator. Country western musician Bob Wills opened his Ranch House music venue in Dallas in 1950 and briefly leased it to Jack Ruby in the 1950s. Ruby is credited with hosting several prominent African American performers there, including Count Basie and Nat King Cole. The venue was renovated in the late 1950s and ultimately reopened in 1967 as the Longhorn Ballroom. - Stephen Fagin, Curator