Born in 1942 in Roanoke, Virginia, Newton began singing professionally at the age of six, and formed a rockabilly duo with his brother Jerry after the family moved to Phoenix in the mid-'50s. The pair was featured on a local TV show while still in their pre-teens, and moved to Las Vegas in the early '60s for a five-year engagement. By 1963, Jerry had dropped out of the act, and Wayne returned to Capitol to begin recording as a solo act, under the tutelage of Bobby Darin. Newton's first three singles charted well, led by 1963's Top 20 hit "Danke Schoen" (a staple of Newton's act for the rest of his life), but the rest of the '60s saw only one upper-reaches chart entry, "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (the corresponding album was his only Top 20 entry).

The beginning of the '70s saw Newton recording for a new label, Chelsea, and though it provided him with the biggest hit of his life, the number four "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," Newton began focusing more and more on his Las Vegas show after his voice began to lower. Remaking his image into a slick Mr. Entertainment instead of the wide-eyed innocent of his "Danke Schoen" days, Newton became the king of Las Vegas by the 1980s; he won the Entertainer of the Year award more than any other performer, set a record as the highest-paid nightclub performer in history, bought the Aladdin casino, and managed enough spare time to win an international award for his most active hobby, the breeding of Arabian stallions.

Despite the acres of fame and riches (and winning a libel lawsuit against a 1991 NBC documentary which questioned if mob money had helped buy the Aladdin), Newton was forced to file bankruptcy in the early '90s. Several multi-million dollar performances around the world cured his financial blues, and in no time he was back on top. Newton has been cameo featured in several films, including The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Vegas Vacation. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week in a showroom named after him. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton. His last show at the Stardust was on April 20, 2005. During a break in his on stage performance, he announced to the crowd that night he wanted to spend more time with his wife and new daughter as the main reasoning for canceling the contract. Newton said the Boyd family made him a very nice offer to stay on past the demolition of the hotel and casino and to play in other Boyd venues, but Newton declined citing "another deal in the works for Vegas", but he did not mention the Hilton specifically. News crews were expecting this performance to end on time, to make their 10 pm and 11 pm shows, but the show finally ended around 11:30 pm, thus eliminating the possibility. Mr. Las Vegas went on at 7:30 that night, and sang nearly his entire repertoire and songs of other Vegas mainstays as well.

In 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as “Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle.� In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And recently during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."

Newton is currently performing with a full band at casinos and major venues throughout 2007 across the United States.

Newton was the Grand Marshal of the 80th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, May 1–7, 2007. He canceled a sold-out show to join the Festival.

Newton was featured on the 2007 fall season of Dancing with the Stars partnered with Two Time Champion Cheryl Burke. He became the third contestant to be eliminated from the contest.