Louis Prima, born on December 7, 1910, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a flamboyant and multi-talented American entertainer whose career spanned several decades and embraced a variety of music styles including jazz, swing, and later, rock and roll. He was not only a virtuoso trumpeter but also a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and actor. Prima's energetic performance style and humorous persona made him a popular figure, especially during the 1950s and 1960s.

Prima began his career in the 1920s with a New Orleans jazz band, but it was in the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s that he truly made his mark with hits like "Sing, Sing, Sing," which later became a signature song for Benny Goodman. In the 1950s, he formed a successful act with singer Keely Smith, saxophonist Sam Butera, and the Witnesses, which blended jazz with the more contemporary rock 'n' roll sound, producing hits such as "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" and the definitive version of "That Old Black Magic." Prima's lively stage shows were characterized by a ceaseless energy and jovial banter that made him beloved to audiences, a fact underscored by his frequent appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Even after the height of his career, Louis Prima's influence endured, and his work has been revisited and celebrated by later generations, highlighting his timeless appeal and his role as a pioneer in American music.

Genres

Adult Standards

Jump Blues

Lounge

Swing

Related Artists

Dean Martin

Frank Sinatra

Tony Bennett

Nat King Cole

Ella Fitzgerald

Sammy Davis Jr.

Bobby Darin

Bing Crosby

Perry Como

Keely Smith

Cab Calloway

Louis Armstrong

Latest Release

When You're Smiling/Oh Marie (Medley/Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, May 10, 1959)

Louis Prima•

Keely Smith•

Sam Butera & The Witnesses

Single - Released December 8, 2023