Born on December 7, 1910 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Louis Prima was a trumpeter, band leader, singer, composer, and sometime film star. He was the son of Italian immigrant parents Angelina and Anthony Prima and was educated at Jesuit High School, and studied the violin for several years under Hemmersback, before switching to the trumpet. At the tender age of 17, Louis was inspired by such jazz greats as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.
In the early 30s he worked with Red Nichols, before forming his own seven-piece group called 'New Orleans Gang', with its signature tune, 'Way Down Yonder In New Orleans'. They recorded more than 70 titles in New York for various labels from 1934-39, some of which made the US Hit Parade.
He was composing songs by then, and one of them, 'Sing, Sing, Sing', when developed by Benny Goodman, became a smash hit for the 'King Of Swing', and remains a Swing Era classic. Through the years, Prima wrote and co-wrote many other songs, including 'Robin Hood', which was a success for Les Brown in 1945. Also in 1945, Prima had engagements at Frank Dailey's Terrace Room in Newark New Jersey. He also wrote the 1947 Jo Stafford hit, 'A Sunday Kind Of Love'.
In 1948, Prima began working with the poker-faced 16 year old singer Dorthy Keely Smith daughter of Fannie and Jesse Smith, she was born in Norfolk, VA. After having a hit in 1950 with their joint composition 'Oh, Babe!', they were married on July 13, 1953 and had two daughters,Toni Elizabeth and Luanne Frances. Keely was his fourth wife.
During the next decade they were one of the hottest nightclub acts in the USA, and became known as 'The Wildest Show In Las Vegas'. Prima's inspired clowning and zany vocals delivered in a fractured Italian dialect, coupled with Smith's cool image and classy singing, were anchored by tenor saxophonist Sam Butera and his group, the Witnesses. Even if the music was aimed at older listeners, it shared a great deal of the spirit of early rock & roll.
In 1956, Prima inked a new deal with Capitol, marking the most celebrated and influential period of his recording career. His first album for the label was 1956's The Wildest!, which successfully translated the high energy of his live act into a studio recording; it featured many of his best-known latter-day songs, including the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley, "Jump, Jive an' Wail," "Buona Sera," "Oh Marie," and the jive-talking duet "The Lip." Over the next few years, Capitol issued six more Prima albums. In 1958 he and Smith won a Grammy for their hit version of "That Old Black Magic." In 1959, they appeared in the film Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, which featured their renditions of the title song, "Lazy River," and "Banana Split for My Baby," among others.
While Prima and Smith boasted terrific chemistry on stage, their infidelity-riddled marriage was floundering by the close of the '50s. In 1961, Prima switched from Capitol to Dot Records. Smith divorced him later that year, scuttling the act and largely negating the deals. Without Smith, he was never again as popular or prolific on record, but he continued to perform in Las Vegas with his band, and toured successfully as well. He spent much of the late '60s playing Vegas casinos and lounges. In the early '70s he and Butera returned home to New Orleans, where they made a steadier living playing in the French Quarter for the tourist crowd. In late 1975, Prima underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and fell into a coma; although he survived for nearly three more years, he never regained consciousness, and died on August 24, 1978. Find out more about his life and music at http://www.louisprima.com/
Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com
Visit my ezine: http://www.concelebratory.blogspot.com/
and personal blog: http://www.copyat5.blogspot.com/
He was composing songs by then, and one of them, 'Sing, Sing, Sing', when developed by Benny Goodman, became a smash hit for the 'King Of Swing', and remains a Swing Era classic. Through the years, Prima wrote and co-wrote many other songs, including 'Robin Hood', which was a success for Les Brown in 1945. Also in 1945, Prima had engagements at Frank Dailey's Terrace Room in Newark New Jersey. He also wrote the 1947 Jo Stafford hit, 'A Sunday Kind Of Love'.
In 1948, Prima began working with the poker-faced 16 year old singer Dorthy Keely Smith daughter of Fannie and Jesse Smith, she was born in Norfolk, VA. After having a hit in 1950 with their joint composition 'Oh, Babe!', they were married on July 13, 1953 and had two daughters,Toni Elizabeth and Luanne Frances. Keely was his fourth wife.
During the next decade they were one of the hottest nightclub acts in the USA, and became known as 'The Wildest Show In Las Vegas'. Prima's inspired clowning and zany vocals delivered in a fractured Italian dialect, coupled with Smith's cool image and classy singing, were anchored by tenor saxophonist Sam Butera and his group, the Witnesses. Even if the music was aimed at older listeners, it shared a great deal of the spirit of early rock & roll.
In 1956, Prima inked a new deal with Capitol, marking the most celebrated and influential period of his recording career. His first album for the label was 1956's The Wildest!, which successfully translated the high energy of his live act into a studio recording; it featured many of his best-known latter-day songs, including the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley, "Jump, Jive an' Wail," "Buona Sera," "Oh Marie," and the jive-talking duet "The Lip." Over the next few years, Capitol issued six more Prima albums. In 1958 he and Smith won a Grammy for their hit version of "That Old Black Magic." In 1959, they appeared in the film Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, which featured their renditions of the title song, "Lazy River," and "Banana Split for My Baby," among others.
While Prima and Smith boasted terrific chemistry on stage, their infidelity-riddled marriage was floundering by the close of the '50s. In 1961, Prima switched from Capitol to Dot Records. Smith divorced him later that year, scuttling the act and largely negating the deals. Without Smith, he was never again as popular or prolific on record, but he continued to perform in Las Vegas with his band, and toured successfully as well. He spent much of the late '60s playing Vegas casinos and lounges. In the early '70s he and Butera returned home to New Orleans, where they made a steadier living playing in the French Quarter for the tourist crowd. In late 1975, Prima underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and fell into a coma; although he survived for nearly three more years, he never regained consciousness, and died on August 24, 1978. Find out more about his life and music at http://www.louisprima.com/
Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com
Visit my ezine: http://www.concelebratory.blogspot.com/
and personal blog: http://www.copyat5.blogspot.com/
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