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You should create your own MySpace Layouts like me by using nUCLEArcENTURy .COM's MySpace Profile Editor !PLEASE VISIT THE OFFICIAL LOUIS PRIMA WEBSITE AT WWW.LOUISPRIMA.COMLOUIS PRIMA: A BIOGRAPHY
1910-1978 (www.LouisPrima.com)Of all the musical giants of the past seven decades, since the days of the big swing bands and Dixieland jazz, there is one who stands out among them all as the greatest contributor towards modern music and the course it eventually took. His name is Louis Prima and it all started when he left his home in New Orleans,Louisiana with his band, The New Orleans Gang, and opened at the Famous Door on 52nd Street in New York City in 1933.
A new era of music began, with Louis coining such expressions as "swing" and other "hep" sayings like "solid jack," "crazy man," and many more. Later, it was decided to name Benny Goodman the King of Swing, but only as a result of a big hit on the song Sing Sing Sing, written by Louis Prima. The swing trend continued through the Prima drive. His music eventually topped the sales of the then number one band, Guy Lombardo.
In 1944, Louis and his twenty-two piece orchestra scored a tremendous hit with million seller "plus" entitled Angelina. It started the entire country talking about pizza, veal parmigiana, pasta fagiole, and antipasto. Prima continued to create hit recordings throughout the Big Band era with songs like Robin Hood, I’ll Walk Alone, Josephina, Please No Squeeza Da Banana, Bacciagaloop, Felicia No Capicia, Civilization and on and on.Louis made history in the theatres, breaking house records wherever he appeared. The Palace Theatre, Cleveland -The Metropolitan, Providence - The Earl, Philadelphia - The Adams, Newark - The Downtown, Detroit - The Oriental, Chicago.In the 1950s, Elvis Presley had the country "All Shook Up" and when asked where he got the wiggle, he replied, "From Louis Prima, of course." Louis knew that the times were changing and if he wanted to stay on top, he would have to change as well. He down-sized the big band to a small group he named The Witnesses and added the sounds and talents of the great sax-man Sam Butera. He performed magic again by developing a shuffle beat, combined with a New Orleans southern rock sound,and added the wailing sax .The string of hits that followed included Just a Gigolo - I Ain't Got Nobody, Buona Sera, Zooma-Zooma, When You're Smilin', and many others. Louis was also awarded the first Grammy award in the Vocal Group category for his knockout rendition of That Old Black Magic in 1959.Louis Prima was the "Big Daddy" of them all : the leader of the most talked about attraction in America.
In night clubs from coast to coast. . .on theater screens. . .on television. . .on stage. . .on recordings. . .wherever discriminating audiences gathered for exciting entertainment, they looked first for Louis Prima. In 1966 Louis was approached by Walt Disney to do an animated feature film for him. He became the voice of King Louie, the orangutan, in the award winning Disney production of "The Jungle Book." The film was nominated for an Oscar and Louis received a gold album for the sound-track recording. Louis’ award winning composition "Sing Sing Sing" was placed into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
During the 1960s and 1970s Louis continued to break attendance records at The Sahara Hotel, The Sands Hotel, The Hilton and Tropicana Hotels in Las Vegas, Harrah's Reno and Tahoe, The Copacabana in New York City, The Palmer House, Chicago, Ben Maksik's Town and Country, New York, The Bachelors Three, Fort Lauderdale, and theaters in the round throughout the country.
Although he passed away on August 24, 1978, his legend and music live on. In the late 1990s, the "Gap" stores brought Louis and swing music to the attention of a whole new generation. Their television commercial, "Khakis Swing" used another great song that Louis wrote and recorded entitled "Jump, Jive and Wail." This song and commercial gave life to such latter day swing groups as The Cherry Poppin Daddies ,Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, The Royal Crown Revue, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.In the truest sense of the words, Louis Prima was a "star." His name alone commanded top billing for some forty-seven years. From the time he was eighteen years old and the leader of his own group, Louis set a standard of showmanship seldom equaled and never surpassed!! He continues to receive the highest compliment that show business can convey - imitation!! Louis Prima's style is more than an exciting entertainment spectacle; it is a goal to which performers will always aspire. His music is just as refreshing today as the day he first played it.AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRIMA LABEL RECORDINGSIn 1963, Louis Prima fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams: Prima Magnagroove Records, his own recording studio and record company. These recordings encompass his career and music from 1963 through 1975. Louis always moved with the times by adding new young talent to his band, the Witnesses. Maintaining Gia Maione Prima as his vocalist and saxophonist Sam Butera as his cohort enabled Louis to provide his audiences with a diverse variety of talent, music, and fun at every performance. With this formula, Louis Prima remained the NUMBER ONE nightclub attraction in Las Vegas and around the country.Over three decades have passed since his last performance, and Louis Prima’s music is very much alive and in great demand today! Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the wildest ride through Louis’ beloved Prima label recordings. These classic recordings have been digitally remastered, restored, and are available to the public for the first time in many years. This initial release of the Prima Label masters in the digital era is historic indeed!Louis Prima was interviewed at his Fairway To The Stars Golf Course by the noted journalist Jack Lebo for an Armed Forces Radio broadcast in 1971. He told Lebo that he chose to call his record company Prima Magnagroove Records because his music was …In a large groove.We think you’ll agree with Louis’ own assessment of his swingin’ sounds when you listen to the Prima Label recordings.PRIMA LABEL CD's are available at www.LOUISPRIMA.COMPRIMA LABEL Recordings are available for Download at Itunes.com.Here’s a brief synopsis of each of the newly restored Prima label titles:Prima Show in the Casbar from 1963 was the first Prima Label album recorded live at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Solitude and Las Vegas Woman are Louis at his jazzy best! Sam Butera’s Greenback Dollar Bill is both raucous and hilarious. Louis and Gia’s duet on the popular hit You’ll Never Get Away From Me has the audience roaring. This classic album magically transports the listener into Louis’ audience in the heyday of Las Vegas!King of Clubs, recorded live at Harrah’s Club in Reno and Lake Tahoe in 1964, proves again that Louis Prima will forever be THE King of Clubs! Louis performs a new medley of Them There Eyes and the showstopper, Ol’ Man River. Sam Butera tops his familiar Night Train with a new, wailing version of Blues in the Night. You’ll have some serious laughs courtesy of Louis and Gia’s rendition of Dinga Won’t Ding. Louis reworked the lyrics of Oh, Look What You’ve Done To Me on this comedic extravaganza!This is Gia (1965) features Gia’s lovely vocal stylings and a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Louis Prima and Alphonse D’Arteaga.Our favorites include Time Was, Love Me With All Your Heart,After You, Lost,My Funny Valentine,and Tender Is The Night.This is a romantic classic featuring the combination of violins that will melt your heart,and the voice of an angel!The Golden Hits of Louis Prima was originally recorded for Hanna-Barbera Records in 1965. This album contains updated versions of some of Louis’ favorites and chart-toppers! Pay particular attention to the fantastic, swingin’ arrangement on the Prima standard, Josephina, Please No Lean-a on the Bell. During his association with Hanna-Barbera, Louis provided the singing voice for Fred Flintstone in the animated feature film, A Man Called Flintstone.The New Sounds of The Louis Prima Show from 1969 is truly a gold star recording…track after track of musical perfection!!! I’m Confessin’ is the very finest vocal performance and trumpet solo by Louis…he makes his trumpet TALK on this one!!! This album introduced Louis’ brilliant new discovery, “Little Richie†Varola on the Hammond B-3 Organ…hands and feet of fire and a personality to match! Louis’ only recording of the R&B standard The Story ‘Bout The Dog appears here. Louis also recorded an exclusive solo version of I Wanna Be Like You from Walt Disney’s Jungle Book especially for this album. Sam Butera introduced a smooth new sound by utilizing a revolutionary new amplifier with an octave splitter at this session.The Prima Generation ’72 from 1972 is a living example of the respect that Louis Prima, Sam Butera and The Witnesses deserve as highly skilled musicians and performers. Louis outdoes himself with a fantastic fusion of rock, jazz and swing on up-tempo versions of It’s Impossible, As Time Goes By, Cold, Cold Heart/ Little Mother, and Lazy River. As always, keeping his inimitable sense of humor, Louis introduces his “Italian Troubadour†bassist/vocalist “Rolly Dee†(Rolando Disgraziato DiIorio) on two comedic vocal performances, I Left My heart in San Francisco, and Rose Garden. Sam Butera’s sax solos on New Sorrento and If You Really Love Me are sensational examples of the new 1970’s sound of the Prima band. Prima discovery and guitar virtuoso Ronnie James rocks out on Oh Happy Day! with Louis doubling as conductor and trumpeter. This IS the sound of the seventies-PRIMA STYLE !!!Angelina , recorded in 1973 (and dedicated by Louis to his mother Angelina Prima) will be a big hit not only with the Italian community, but also with collectors. This marked the first and only time that Louis recorded all of his Italian novelty songs as one concept album. His version of the Italian Wedding classic Che La Luna heard here is definitive and most sought after by Prima fans from around the world. Knockout versions of Oh, Marie, Baciagaloop, For Mari-Yootch, and Felicia, No Capicia are also included here.Just a Gigolo (1973) A truly mellow and jazzy Louis takes center stage with Sam Butera and The Witnesses on Just a Gigolo. The concept here is a salute to all of the great ladies: Judy, Margie, Joanna, Margie, and others. Louis’ special lyrics to the classic Caldonia are a unique and fun addition to this recording. You’ll love every minute of it!!!The Wildest ’75 is the last recording Louis completed before entering a surgery induced coma in October of 1975. He remained in a comatose state until his death on August 24, 1978. His last 45rpm single released from this album entitled I’m Leaving You will haunt your heart. During Louis’ final years, radio stations in New Orleans and Las Vegas filled the airwaves with this song. Over the years, this song has become a most requested Prima item. Louis also performs the Italian novelty Where Do You Work-a, John?, and showcases Gia’s lovely voice on Something, and The Lip. He also added 1970s styled arrangements to some of his classics like Sing, Sing, Sing and The Sheik of Araby at these sessions.
