Former 98 Degrees singer to host show at Green Valley Ranch Resort

Former 98 Degrees singer Jeff Timmons is setting up shop at Green Valley Ranch Resort with his new show, "Wired."

Timmons is scheduled to host "Wired" at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights starting June 29 at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch Resort, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway.

There is no admission charge, and the show is open to people 21 or older.

Timmons might be best-known for his involvement with pop group 98 Degrees, which he founded in the '90s.

Even though he always enjoyed being musical, playing in his school band and singing in lead roles in his high school musical theater productions, Timmons didn't pay much attention to his talent.

"The universe kept giving me signs, I guess," Timmons said. "I just wasn't listening."

While at a college party, he decided to put together a four-part harmony with some friends to impress some girls.

"I thought we could get any girl," Timmons said.

Seeing they had talent, Timmons considered starting a band.

Timmons dropped out of college for a quarter before finishing to pursue making a band. He and three friends moved to Los Angeles in hopes of being discovered.

"We played anywhere that would let us," Timmons said. "We would sing for food. We would sing for money."

The group made a demo to send to recording agencies.

Over the Christmas holiday, the three other members went home to visit family.

"And they never came back," Timmons said.

Not giving up on his dream, Timmons held auditions to find replacement members.

"I ended up meeting a guy who knew people interested in joining," Timmons recalled. "Those guys eventually became the rest of the band."

The new members were Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre.

The guys modeled the band off another music group, Boyz II Men.

"We had our heart on signing with Motown (Records)," Timmons said.

After being passed over by several recording labels, the demo landed with executives at Motown, who invited the group to perform.

"We were so nervous," Timmons said. "They asked if we could dance, too, which we couldn't really. So we went into their offices. They had cleared out a conference room to see us dance, too. I guess we pulled it off."

Timmons and the group signed with Motown and formed under the band name 98 Degrees. The band is best known for songs "The Hardest Thing" and "I Do (Cherish You)."

"It was a great experience," Timmons said. "I got to tour the world and sing with Mariah Carey. I was on the covers of magazines."

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the band members went in separate directions.

"We were in New York that day when it happened," Timmons said. "No one knew what was going to happen at that point."

Timmons said the members wanted to take time and focus on their families.

On his own, Timmons dabbled in music and released a solo album, "Whisper That Way," in 2004.

In 2011, Timmons was contacted by a producer from "Chippendales," the male revue at the Rio. He asked Timmons if he'd be interested in being a guest performer at the show.

"Even though I had been in the music scene, coming from my Midwest background, I said no," Timmons said. "I had a preconceived notion of what they did, and I said I would never do that."

The producer convinced him to at least come out and watch the show.

"I hid in the back because I didn't want anybody to recognize me," Timmons said.

To his surprise, he thought the production was done well. He decided to be a guest performer Thursdays through Sundays for four weeks.

Timmons, who took off only his shirt, offered the production a live music element.

"I think the experience rejuvenated me," Timmons said.

While he was performing in the show, Timmons fell in love with Las Vegas. He and his family live in Summerlin.

Now, Timmons has a chance to put together his own show at Green Valley Ranch Resort.

"It is all about the music," Timmons said. "We have a smokin' hot band and great vocalists. We might even have some celebrity guests from time to time."

Aside from putting the show together, Timmons is working on a new album and a book about being in the music scene.

Timmons said he also is in talks with several networks about doing a reality television show about his life.

Right now, his main focus is making "Wired" a success.

"People are in for a party before the party," Timmons said. "We are gonna bring the house down."

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.