<back - LOUIE PRIMA - Louis Prima had a staggering impact on the genres of Jazz, Pop, Blues, and Rock n' Roll, both as fine singer/instrumentalist and accomplished composer, but especially as a dominant performer. Born 1910 in New Orleans's fabled Storyville district, Prima dropped out of high school to pursue music, influenced by sounds dished up by locals like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. A well-respected trumpeter, Prima formed Jazz combos to play Crescent City's clubs and theatres, before venturing to New York in 1934. A long-term gig with his New Orleans gang at a 52nd street club signified the start of Louie Prima's often difficult climb to the music biz top.

Things came up aces when he played his final hand in Las Vegas. Lost Wages has dashed many hopes, but Prima's Follies, with its madcap goings-on, always braced by ace musicians who could swing like invincible court jesters. But those thirties had also been swell times for Da Preem, as success in New York brought his Gang to Hollywood and appearances in movies with Martha Raye and Bing Crosby. Prima also chalked up several hits on the Brunswick label, like The Lady In Red and In A Little Gypsy Tearoom, but his immortality was guaranteed with Sing Sing Sing which became an instant classic when Benny Goodman recorded it. In 1948, Prima wrote A Sunday Kind Of Love, an enduring ballad that's been recorded by so many singers, including Jo Stafford, Etta James, and Fran Warren. It's assumed that Prima's act experienced a turnaround when he brought in a young singer named Keely Smith, delicately-phrased stylings, and prim manners contrasted emphatically with Prima's bellowing vocals, putty visage, and super-extroverted shenanigans. This was a wonderful pairing, but by 1954 Da Preem was having trouble getting gigs. Dispirited even further by alimony owed three ex-wives, he summoned New Orleans homeboy and tenor saxophonist Sam Butera, along with his Witnesses, to make a pilgrimage to Vegas.  Louis and Keely put out a series of hit records on Capitol Records, most being studio interpretations of their offbeat stage performances, like That Old Black Magic, Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody, and Pennies From Heaven. Many were intended for more mature audiences who liked to hear some of the elegant old mixed in with a lot of the raucous new. Yet when Louis and Sam went ballistic on Jump Jive and Wail, and They'll Be No Next Time, the same level of overdrive as Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis was captured. Hollywood would beckon again: Hey Boy, Hey Girl relied on a script loosely based on their rise to the top, while 1961's Twist All Night capitalized on the craze, but sans Keely from whom Da Preem had just separated. In 1963, Prima found another performing partner and final wife in Gia Maione, and continued performing until 1975 passing away in 1978. -GT/ MP3- Jump, Jive n' Wail | Old Black Magic |