Louis Prima!

[Lady Day]

You know, I think he deserves his own thread!

Ripped off, but never duplicated, this guy is gold.

I recently rediscovered my love for him digging around my music collection. Good tap your toes to feel good tunes.
Got any faves, any trivia on him. Lets just make this a Louis Prima day!


LD

 

[Miss Lucy June]

I LOVE Louis Prima!

My favs would have to be Just a Gigalo and Angelina, but I love listenting to pretty much everything of his!

 

[Tomasso]

Musicians will remember him for this and his fans will remember him for this.

 

[Zig2k143]

Just a Gigalo and Jump Jive an Wail I must say I enjoy him myself.... I'd love to learn more about him.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Look for the "Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang" sides from the mid/late thirties for some really fine, overlooked swing. One gift Prima shared with Fats Waller was the ability to take the most inane pop tunes and give out with a vocal that managed to convey just what he thought of the material while at the same time making it into a valid piece of swing. The 1936 Prima recording of "Pennies from Heaven," for example, is a real hoot!

 

[scotrace]

Jump Jive, yada yada.

I must have listened to "I wanna Be Like You" from Jungle Book 7,000 times when I was a kid. It still sends me!

 

[Feraud]

"I eat antipasto twice just because she is so nice Angelina.."
It is about time we had a Louis Prima thread!

LizzieMaine mentioned Fats Waller, another great performer!

 

[Senator Jack]

My faves are The Music Goes Round, Robin Hood, and Shadrach

 

[RedHotRidinHood]

I like "The Lip", "Angelina", "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good". Great stuff!!

 

[Miss Lucy June]

I suppose this is the perfect place to finally figure something out...

Does ANYONE get the song "Beep! Beep!"? Is she an alien? I know I'm blonde, but I seriously don't get it.

 

[The Wolf]

Thanks for bringing up him, Lady Day

You think he's better than David Lee Roth? I'm joking, I'm joking, don't hurt me.
I love his early stuff.
"and a glass of plain water for me."

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[RedHotRidinHood]

I suppose this is the perfect place to finally figure something out...

Does ANYONE get the song "Beep! Beep!"? Is she an alien? I know I'm blonde, but I seriously don't get it.

Me neither...it's one of the more strange songs he did, for sure!

 

[davew]

How about a tip o the hat as well to Louis great bandleader Sam Butera!! Sam could dance,sing,crack wise and blow the horn with the best of them,all the way up until a couple years ago when he retired.

 

[jamespowers]

Jump Jive, yada yada.

I must have listened to "I wanna Be Like You" from Jungle Book 7,000 times when I was a kid. It still sends me!

Like this?:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rV8HrpOu1FA
and this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u_ZylbesQkA
Regards,

J

 

[Tommy Fedora]

It was always good news when I found out that he would be on The Ed Sullivan Show, etc. I really enjoyed his style and energy, and he was a ringer for my Uncle Angelo !!

 

[DaveTheDude]

Some of the best work Mr. Prima did was with his wife, the still great Miss Keely Smith. If you want to hear "prime Prima", listen to their take on the classic "That Old Black Magic"!! All the Prima bells and whistles are part of that duet.

 

[ITG]

He also wrote the well-known big band tune "Sing, Sing, Sing."
He's one of my favorites!

 

[Valhson]

I am late on this but there is a reason they called him King Louie. The name came before the Jungle book I am told by the old man.

 

[PA Dancer]

Love Louie!

I make my best pizza dough when I'm singing and dancing around my kitchen to Louie Prima.

heehee

 

[52Styleline]

I really used to enjoy him after he hooked up with Keely Smith. Her deadpan act while he chewed up the place was highly entertaining. She was no dud as a singer either.