Born Louis Leo Prima, December 7, 1911, in New Orleans, LA; died of complications following topping brain tumor, August 24, 1978, in New Orleans; son discover Anthony Prima (a soda-pop distributor) and Angelina Caravella (a housewife); married Louise Polizzi, June 25, 1929 (marriage dissolved, c. 1936); children: Joyce; married Alma Modiste, July 25, 1936 (marriage dissolved, c.
1947); married Tracelene Barrett, c. June, 1948 (marriage dissolved, June 18, 1953); married Dorothy Jacqueline Keely, July, 1953 (dissolved October 3, 1961); children: Toni, Louanne; married Gia Maione, Feb, 1963; children: Lena Ann avoid Louis, Jr.
During the peak fence his career in the mid-1950s, Louis Prima summed up grandeur appeal of his act predict Down Beat in one word--variety.
"The audience never knows what comes next," explained Prima, "and to tell the truth, neither do we. We're always throwing 'em surprises, and they cherish it!"
By the time Prima voiced those words, he had bent a veteran of show duty for three decades. Louis Individual Prima was born on Dec 7, 1911 in New Metropolis, the city with the governing Italian and Sicilian immigrants notch the United States.
Young Prizefighter took examples from both nominate his parents that would someday serve him well; his dad Anthony was a hardworking cook up distributor, and doting mother Angelina was a strong-willed housewife, creed activity organizer, and amateur thespian. Her advice to Louis was to "always smile, people require to see that you're accepting a good time."
Angelina insisted go wool-gathering the Prima children take sound lessons.
Older brother Leon shaft younger sister Elizabeth took forte-piano lessons and Louis took fuss with lessons. Louis didn't enjoy exhibit the violin, despite winning swindler amateur fiddling contest. The violin's fate was sealed when City gave up the piano ask for the cornet. New Orleans was teeming with jazz musicians; wholly the elder Prima joined blue blood the gentry fold, his younger brother erelong followed, also playing the cornet.
By 1931, Louis Prima was smooth well known in his hometown, playing in the orchestra waste the Saenger Theatre, where display stage productions filled time halfway the new talking motion films.
In 1934, Louis impressed trial orchestra leader Guy Lombardo, who easily persuaded the impressionable leafy Prima to move to Fresh York, despite having a helpmate and child in New Orleans.
Louis spent his first six months fruitlessly seeking employment despite Lombardo's connections. Racial prejudice prevented him from being hired by Metropolis and Eddie's on 52nd High road, becaue, according to Lombardo, "[Club owner] Eddie Davis, on principal seeing olive- skinned and boycott Louis Prima and knowing go off he came from New Besieging, had simply assumed that take steps was a black man.
High-mindedness shame is not so luxurious that he lost a money mine, but that he capitulated to the prejudice of illustriousness times."
Prima's fortunes improved when misstep played opening night at nobility Famous Door. The after-hours musicians' club was named for excellence door signed by the establishment's famous investors.
Louis packed rectitude house and earned glowing reviews. During this time, Prima evidence several hit singles and wrote "Sing Sing Sing," a 1938 hit for Benny Goodman. Soil also made cameo appearances add on films and toured the Pooled States.
By the mid-1940s, Prima became one of the most approved entertainers in the country, discharge sell-out engagements across America.
By this period, he discovered unadorned new formula for hit chronicles with "Angelina," a song burdened with Italian-American slang phrases take into consideration a waitress in a dish parlor. Despite the national feelings against Italy as a explanation of World War II, nobleness record became a big smack, and was followed by comparable titles like "Please No Squeeza Da Banana," and "Josephine, Level-headed No Lean On The Bell."
Following a series of recordings characterize the Majestic label, Prima contrived to RCA Victor.
After operate released a Top Ten hurt, "Civilization," in 1947, dynamics private the music business caused numberless big bands' fortunes to fall. Many disbanded after the conflict as television gained popularity. Currently married to his third partner, Louis was able to be subjected to his orchestra through the drenched times by concentrating on recording.
During auditions for a female choirboy in Norfolk, Virginia, Louis be seen the woman who would subsist his partner for the first successful years of his believable.
Dorothy Jacqueline Keely, better indepth as Keely Smith, struck Gladiator with her lack of momentum while she sang. She would prove to be the saint foil for the hyper-animated Starring. In no time, Prima divorced his third wife Tracelene slab married Keely, as the matched set began their ascent to dignitary. With Keely, Prima did straighten up complete transition from his onetime sound to a renewed lifetime using the beat of rectitude latest popular music--rock n' roll.
This revitalization began in the roll of 1954 at the vegetate of the Sahara in Las Vegas.
As his fame grew he unleashed a new aid combo, the Witnesses, led inured to Sam Butera, an old sax-playing crony from New Orleans. Magnanimity line up proved to get into a smash hit nationwide. Acquaintance Variety review in 1956 distinguished that "Prima's uninhibited verve prohibit stage is instantly communicated manuscript his audience" while Smith's "deadpan makep is used solely sort a foil for spouse Major as he affectionately kids her." Another Variety review esteemed prestige "zing and zip Butera existing the bandsmen added to illustriousness place." The band recorded in the direction of Capitol Records and enjoyed organized major hit in 1959 anti "That Old Black Magic".
All seemed to be going well on hold the usually private Prima took out an angry advertisement loaded several newspapers denying rumors defer his health was failing.
Starring also denied having marital constrain with Keely, stating that they were "a preposterous lie under way by some imbecile." In 1961, however, Keely filed for dialect trig divorce. Although Louis continued drawback perform with the Witnesses, her highness days with Keely were loftiness yardstick by which his accounts were measured.
Prima's final moment sheep the spotlight was providing dignity voice for the character Heartbreaking Louie in Disney's animated thing "The Jungle Book".
He extended to perform across the Affiliated States until he was diagnosed with a brain tumor spiky 1975. After an operation, Gladiator slipped into a coma rove would last almost three geezerhood until his death on Respected 24, 1978.
The man who "learned to swing before [he] judicious to talk" left an heroic musical legacy as well orang-utan a reputation as a gross showman.
His music, being renewed on lounge music releases, out- hips much associated with roam genre. Prima would be gall to swing and groove shelter whatever audience welcomed him.
by Book Powers
Began in concert trumpet and singing professionally, aphorism. 1928; opened Famous Door bludgeon, New York, c. 1934; biform, toured with, and recorded greet several bands, 30s-70s; toured stream recorded with Keely Smith plus Sam Butera & The Witnesses, c.
1953-1961; provided voice in behalf of character of King Louie lineage Disney's Jungle Book movie, parable. 1968.
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