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Eugene Eash is Margaritaville's showman

By GENE COLEMAN — Special to the Sun Herald Eugene Eash can dance. He can sing. He can play a variety of instruments. But Eash shines brightest as the quintessential song-and-dance man who has brought his talent to Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi as entertainment director. Eash, a Chicago native, was mentored by one of the greats, Ben Vereen. "When I was growing up in the yards, I was involved in a group that performed musical acting vignettes with the show 'Good Vibes.' It was based out of Chicago and Ben was one of the producers. He was dating the choreographer, who was my dance instructor, and they kind of took me on as their kid for years," Eash said. He still keeps in touch with Vereen, but his inspiration to be a showman ultimately came from another source. It happened in his college days as he was playing third trumpet for a Chicago-based production of "The Phantom of the Opera." "I looked up on stage and said, 'That's what I want to do for the rest of my life,' " he said. Eash went on to sing on cruise ships, open for entertainers in Branson, Mo., and bring big-name entertainment to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as their entertainment coordinator. He also performed on Broadway and was in the last national tour of "A Chorus Line." Amid his many tours, one of Eash's stops was Biloxi, where he said he fell in love with the people, food, hospitality and sights and sounds. When he got a call to return here for a performance, he not only came but decided to stay. He felt it was a great place to build his entertainment company, Eugene Eash Productions, and was glad to join the team at Margaritaville. "In this entertainment world you never know where you're going to go. Margaritaville and Jimmy Buffett are really cool; knowing he's from this area, and to be a part of that is really cool," Eash said. He is responsible for booking live music, keeping things lively with stilt walker performances, overseeing the Volcano Show and even setting the ambiance of the casino floor. Eash also is the casino's signature performer. His show is an upbeat mix of top hits, reggae and what he calls tropical rock. Other bands who have played the casino include local and regional acts such as The Randy Moore Band, Dirty Play, Cool Rayz and Chasing Scarlett. Copyright 2012 Sun_Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/30/4156747/eugene-eash-is-margaritavilles.html#storylink=cpy
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