One of the few items I have from
my father is a tattered old
LP vinyl record of
Louis Prima called
The Wildest. Louis was a very
charismatic individual, and this was the album that finally captured this nutty performer.
Louis Prima was born in 1911 to Italian immigrants. Even though he’s famous for his trumpet work, he started out playing the violin. When he did pick up the trumpet, he became so good at playing the jazz tunes of the day, inspired by such greats as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver, that he picked up his first gig at age 17.
His first job was playing at a New Orleans theatre, eventually building up enough prestige to form his first group in the 1930’s called The New Orleans Gang. They recorded many hits, including their signature piece, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans. Many of the tunes made the Hit Parade.
Louis tried his hand at writing, eventually coming up with the swing classic Sing, Sing, Sing, which was a huge hit for the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Louis also delved into acting, eventually landing a small role in Bing Crosby’s Rhythm on the Range. He made a good impression with his playing and his acting, and won a few small parts off and on. His true passion remained music.
When playing at a nightclub in 1943, he asked the audience of anyone wanted to sing. An underaged young girl by the name of Keely Smith volunteered, and she wowed everyone with her amazing vocals. Louis asked her to join his band, and they left that night for their first gig together. Keely was the opposite of Prima – he was the wild, raucous musician and she was a stony-faced singer. She made an excellent straightman for Louis’ antics.
They collaborated on several songs, one of which became a big hit for them in 1950 – Oh, Babe! They had been flirting and romancing for many years, and after this success, Keely married Louis a couple of years later. In the meantime, they had one of the hottest acts on the nightclub circuits.
Eventually, Louis, Keely and the group, Sam Butera and the Witnesses, landed a steady gig in Las Vegas, where it was billed as the wildest act on the strip. Louis danced around and acted crazy, played some amazing trumpet, and poked fun at himself and his fellow musicians in a wacky broken Italian accent. Keeley remained calm, cool and collected, and the crowd begged for more. The landmark album The Wildest was released in 1956, and a typical crazed performance was recorded in Tahoe in 1957 and released under the same name. They also won a Grammy in 1958 for their performance of That Old Black Magic.
Prima and Keely eventually divorced in 1961 after signing a contract to play the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. The group rested a bit on its laurels, although Louis did attempt to find other work to feed his interests. He landed the role of King Louis in Disney’s The Jungle Book, which grossed over 26 million dollars.
Louis eventually played all over Vegas up until 1975, when he underwent surgery for a brain tumor. He never recovered from the operation, and he died three years later, still in a coma, in a New Orleans nursing home.