Hey luigi louis prima biography

His older brother Leon was a well regarded local bandleader. Prima was proud of his heritage, and made a point of letting the audience know at every performance that he was Italian-American and from New Orleans. His singing and playing showed that he absorbed many of the same influences as his fellow Crescent City musician, Louis Armstrongparticularly in his hoarse voice and scat singing.

In his youth, Prima played trumpet with Irving Fazolahis brother's band, and the pit band of the Saenger Theater. Prima's informal jazz group was known as Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, and this band recorded prolifically for Brunswick throughand then for Vocalion and Decca. Prima's composition, " Sing Sing Sing ", which he had released with the New Orleans Gang in March, as a Brunswick 78, Brunswickwith "It's Been So Long" as the B side, became one of his biggest hits and one of the most covered standards of the swing era; Benny Goodman 's performance of the song at Carnegie Hall with a featured performance by Gene Krupa on drums has become iconic.

Prima moved to Los Angeles to headline at the Famous Door nightclub. He appeared in several Hollywood moviesincluding a featured performance with Bing Crosby in the film Rhythm on the Range. Prima and his Dixieland Gang continued to play club dates across the nation, including a stint at New York's Hickory House. Big bands were big business then, and Prima apparently bowed to pressure from booking agents and formed a conventional big band in He exploited a distinctive, shuffling beat which he called "Gleeby Rhythm" ; this trademark Prima shuffle remained part of his repertoire for two decades.

Prima sang most of the band vocals, with Lily Ann Carol as the "girl singer".

Hey luigi louis prima biography

Prima's high-powered drummer at this time was Jimmy Vincent, an energetic teenager who remained with the Prima band for many years. In he added singer Cathy Ricciardi, who recorded under the name Cathy Allen. Prima's big band continued into the early s, with a series of novelty recordings supervised sometimes heavy-handedly by record producer Mitch Miller.

The popularity of the big-band sound started to wane, and Prima began losing money, just as he needed it to support the pregnant Smith. Prima found work with Smith in small venues all over the East Coast. Eventually he called up his friend Bill Millerwho was then entertainment director of The Sahara nightclub and casino in Las Vegas, and asked for a job.

The main stage at the hotel was booked for months to come, but Miller had an opening on the small stage in the lounge. His friend Cab Calloway warned him against the cramped Sahara lounge, and Vegas lounges in general were considered the domain of struggling newcomers and faded has-beens, but the financial pressure was too great for Prima to turn the gig down.

He released his first album with Capitol Records, The Wildest! Keely worked with other artists to release the album I Wish You Loveand received a Grammy for it in She earned Billboard and Variety's number one female vocalist award in —59, and the Playboy Jazz Award in It earned the duo a Grammy. The couple also had two daughters together, one of whom, Toni, became an actress and singer in her own right.

The couple was constantly performing and it affected their marriage. An attempted vacation boating down the Atlantic coast ended up grounded in the Intracoastal Waterway until rescued by the Coast Guard. Kennedy ; the two played "Old Black Magic" together. The constant performances and Prima's infidelities were too much for Smith. That noted, Smith also had an affair with Frank Sinatra, prior to her divorce from Prima in After Smith was out of his life and his performances, Prima tried to prove that he did not need her.

Prima said, "I have no desire whatsoever to have any dealings with Keely Smith under any conditions…There is nothing in the world or no one that could ever make me accept this woman in our act. Prima's father died inthe same year as the divorce from Smith. His mother died in the winter of Inhe tried to form his own recording company called Prima One Records.

He did his best to make her famous by producing her first album "This Is … Gia. He can be heard on the soundtrack of another cartoon feature, The Man Called Flintstone. Prima was married five times and had six heys luigi louis prima biography. All but his marriage to Maione ended in divorce. InPrima suffered a heart attack. Two years later, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, he sought medical attention, and was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor.

Following a surgery, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma. He never recovered and he died inhaving been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in a gray marble crypt topped by a figure of Gabrielthe trumpeter-angel, sculpted by Russian-born sculptor Alexei Kazantsev. Prima's expected visit to a small Italian restaurant drives the plot of the critically acclaimed film Big Night.

His rendition of " Pennies from Heaven " was featured in the Christmas blockbuster Elf. On July 25,the centenary year of his birth, Prima received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Prima's New Orleans—based daughter, Lena Primaperforms throughout the nation. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version.

In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American musician — For his son, the entertainer born insee Louis Prima Jr. Jazz swing traditional pop jump blues big band. Louise Polizzi. Alma Ross. Tracelene Barrett. Keely Smith. Gia Maione. Prima was said to be a clowning entertainer who used obnoxious language even when performing duets with the band's female singers, such famous as Lily Ann Carol and Keely Smith.

Inhe married his vocalist, Keely Smith; they were divorced in He married Gia Maione in ; they had two children. Back to Profile. Photos Works. Main Photo Add photo. School period Add photo. The man who "learned to swing before [he] learned to talk" left an impressive musical legacy as well as a reputation as a consummate showman. His music, being revived on lounge music releases, out- hips much associated with that genre.

Prima would be happy to swing and groove for whatever audience welcomed him. Began playing trumpet and singing professionally, c. Capitol Collectors' Series, Capitol, International Musician, November Melody Maker, September 7, Time, September 7, Variety, October 10, ; September 11, ; December 25, ; April 8, Cancel or. She was a quiet, kind of serious girl, who didn't especially like to talk about her famous father.

She was, though, very beautiful, and it was well known who her family was. Her mother was Tracelene Barratt, who was married to Louis from around to Tracy was born, probably, inas I was.