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Big Daddy Carlos

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Big Daddy Carlos
Adley in 2014
Born
Carlos Adley

(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968 (age 56)
Inglewood, California
Alma materCalifornia State University, Fullerton
Occupation(s)Impresario, music venue owner, restaurateur, promoter

Carlos Adley, more commonly known as Big Daddy Carlos, is an American Hollywood & Las Vegas nightlife impresario, music venue owner, restaurateur, promoter, and musician.

He is the owner of the Hollywood restaurant and lounge La Velvet Margarita Cantina and the Fremont Country Club in Downtown Las Vegas, and its adjoining rock "n" soul bar Backstage Bar & Billiards.[1]

Career

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Adley got his start as a bouncer with a fake ID at Club Lingerie in the mid-1980s. In his late teens, he was running the door for David Lee Roth's Hollywood afterhours club, The Zero.[2] Over the next couple of years he made the jump from doorman to DJ to venue promoter,[1] while majoring in communications at Cal State Fullerton on a full athletic scholarship as the Titans football team's starting defensive nose guard.[3][4]

In 1993, Adley chose the Hollywood nightlife industry over a professional football career.[3] Adley went on to run Sweet Daddy Brown's, one of Los Angeles's largest afterhour gambling clubs,[2] which he opened with casino heir Eddie Harrah.[citation needed] The club featured house and hip hop music, featuring talents such as Frankie Knuckles and DJ Lethal.[2]

From 1994 through 1999, Adley was the promoter and house DJ at Johnny Depp's Viper Room while running numerous Hollywood venues, including The Opium Den, Blue, Dragonfly, Martini Lounge and Vertigo. In 1995, Adley formed Chickenhawk (1995–2000), (MCA Records, Capitol Records) a rock n' roll band in which he was the lead singer. He collaborated with Mickey Petralia on the soundtrack for the motion picture Gas Food Lodging. In 2000, Adley married nightclub owner and restaurateur Ava Berman and formed the F.O.M.M. Corporation. In 2001, the F.O.M.M. Corporation purchased real estate in what is now known as Hollywood's "Cahuenga Corridor" in the Entertainment District.[citation needed]

He and Berman opened the Mexican eatery, Velvet Margarita, on Cahuenga Boulevard on Cinco de Mayo 2004. Over time, the couple began to accumulate property in the area, taking advantage of the neighborhood's budding bar scene. The area later became known as "the Cahuenga Corridor". The restaurant hosts an annual charity gala on its anniversary to benefit an El Faro Orphanage[5] in Tecate, Mexico.[2] The eatery has been listed as an editor's pick on USA Today's 10best.com for lounges in Los Angeles[6] and "Top Newcomer" in Zagat's 2005 guide to "LA Nightlife".[7] It has also received letters of recognition from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosafor outstanding achievement in the Hollywood business community.[citation needed]

In late 2008, Adley partnered with casino owner Terry Caudill (4 Queens & Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel) to master-lease and remodel the historic and iconic Binions Hotel & Casino.[citation needed]

In May 2010, Terry Caudill and the Adleys leased the former Sears building at 601 Fremont in the Fremont East Entertainment District of Las Vegas from the city for 30 years with a development agreement stipulating the completion of construction by February 2013. The first phase included plans for a 10,000 square foot music venue called Fremont Country Club and a high-end sports bar/pool hall called Backstage Bar & Billiards. It was expected to cost $10 million with annual lease of $233,000.[8][9] Michael Chugg was in charge of booking musical acts, such as DJ Scotty Boy and DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit.[8] Backstage Bar & Billiards lounge, also known as "Triple-B", opened near the end of 2012.[10] The Fremont Country Club later opened in March 2013.[11] They had planned to develop a mixed use hotel and apartment complex, including a radio station, at the site. However, these plans have yet to materialize.[12][13][14] Adley and Terry Caudill announced in September 2019 that they had purchased the land and building located at 601 Fremont Street. The site included a 50,000-square-foot building and almost an acre of surface parking.[15]

Personal life

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Adley was inducted into the California State University, Fullerton Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the 1985 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Conference Championship Football Team.[16][17]

Adley is from Las Vegas.[8]

Philanthropy

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In 2015, Adley partnered with Ken Kragen and Michael Chugg and other environmentalists to form the Love The Sea charity organization.[18] Its purpose is to facilitate Ocean Aid's music and educational festivals on a global format to bring awareness to the plastic pollution that is detrimentally affecting the world's ocean ecosystems. The first Ocean Aid festival was held April 30, 2017, and featured CeeLo Green, Bootsy Collins and Maxi Priest as headliners. The event was broadcast live statewide on KFVE-TV.[19][20][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ryan, Erin (January 10, 2013). "'Big Daddy' Carlos Adley, Nightlife Impresario". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Lecaro, Lina (April 18, 2017). "From orphanages to ocean cleanup, Big Daddy Carlos parties for good causes". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Munoz, Theresa (September 14, 1991). "Adley's Battle for Eligibility at Northridge Ends Happily". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Digiovanna, Mike (September 21, 1991). "College football | Titans Should Have Fear, Underdog Is Here: Cal State Fullerton, with 13-game Division I losing streak, plays fired-up Division II Northridge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "News and Events". Friends of El Faro. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  6. ^ "Velvet Margarita Cantina is one of the best places to party in Los Angeles". 10Best. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "Meal Ticket: L.A. Nightlife". Newsweek. August 7, 2005. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c McGarry, Caitlin (April 17, 2012). "Plans for downtown club, bar advance". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  9. ^ Choate, Alan (May 19, 2010). "New lease at 601 Fremont Street may be shot in arm for entertainment district". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  10. ^ Ryan, Erin (December 5, 2012). "Triple B fills Downtown's watering-hole hole". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  11. ^ Ryan, Erin (January 9, 2014). "'Big Daddy' Carlos' big plans for Downtown Las Vegas". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. ^ Martin, Bradley (November 6, 2014). "The Central from Big Daddy Carlos Has Big Plans for Downtown". Eater Las Vegas. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  13. ^ Ryan, Erin (June 5, 2014). "Details leak for a skyscraping dream in Downtown Las Vegas". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  14. ^ Martin, Bradley (November 13, 2012). "Backstage Bar & Billiards Racks Up An Opening Date". Eater Las Vegas. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Miller, Cody (September 21, 2019). "Owner of Four Queens, Binion's acquires Fremont Street property near El Cortez". KSNV. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ^ "Hall of Fame". Cal State Fullerton Athletics. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Cal State Fullerton - Titan Yearbook, Class of 1989". E-Yearbook.com. Fullerton, California. p. 50. Retrieved July 11, 2022. ROSTER: John Aceves 55, Carlos Adley 77, ...
  18. ^ "Love the Sea". Love the Sea. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  19. ^ Wade, Kat (May 1, 2017). "Ocean Aid Hawaii at the Waikiki Shell". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  20. ^ Paulos, Cindy (March 7, 2017). "Ocean aid talk with Big Daddy Carlos and Ava". insight (Podcast). Spreaker. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  21. ^ "Ocean Aid Hawaii Debuts in Waikiki". Tasting Kauai. April 12, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
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