Jazz Musician, Actor. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a child he studied violin for several years before claiming his brother's trumpet. By the time he was twelve, he and his fifteen-year-old brother, Leon, were leading their own band, starting as the pit band at the Saenger Theater. At 22, he was spotted performing with Red Nichols by Guy Lombardo, who encouraged him to move to New York. There he formed the band, Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang. His 1936 composition, "Sing, Sing, Sing" became one of the biggest hits and most covered numbers of the era. In 1939, he dissolved his Gang in favor of fronting a big band; The Gleeby Rhythm Orchestra. He moved to Los Angeles where he headlined at the Famous Door nightclub. In 1948, he hired Dorothy Keely Smith as his singer, and their onstage chemistry was immediate. He would make her Mrs. Prima number four in 1952. In 1954, he accepted a booking at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, and his late show became one of the city's hottest attractions. He and Smith divorced in 1961, and he married singer, Gia Maione, and continued to work in Vegas. In 1966, he contributed a song to the animated film, "The Man Called Flintstone." In 1967, in an inspired decision, Disney cast him as the orangutan, King Louis, in the animated feature, "The Jungle Book." His rendition of "I Wanna Be Like You" was a popular hit that led to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris, who had voiced Baloo the Bear; "The Jungle Book" and "More Jungle Book" on Disneyland Records. Prima's act moved back to New Orleans in the early 1970s, and in 1975 he underwent brain surgery in order to remove a tumor, and lapsed into a coma. He would remain hospitalized until his death almost three years later. He was interred in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a grey marble crypt topped by a figure of Gabriel, the angel with a trumpet. His music continues to be covered by other musicians, including the Brian Setzer Orchestra who covered the Prima standard "Jump and Jive and Wail" during the 1990s nouveau swing revival, sending it to the top of the charts once again.
Jazz Musician, Actor. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a child he studied violin for several years before claiming his brother's trumpet. By the time he was twelve, he and his fifteen-year-old brother, Leon, were leading their own band, starting as the pit band at the Saenger Theater. At 22, he was spotted performing with Red Nichols by Guy Lombardo, who encouraged him to move to New York. There he formed the band, Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang. His 1936 composition, "Sing, Sing, Sing" became one of the biggest hits and most covered numbers of the era. In 1939, he dissolved his Gang in favor of fronting a big band; The Gleeby Rhythm Orchestra. He moved to Los Angeles where he headlined at the Famous Door nightclub. In 1948, he hired Dorothy Keely Smith as his singer, and their onstage chemistry was immediate. He would make her Mrs. Prima number four in 1952. In 1954, he accepted a booking at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, and his late show became one of the city's hottest attractions. He and Smith divorced in 1961, and he married singer, Gia Maione, and continued to work in Vegas. In 1966, he contributed a song to the animated film, "The Man Called Flintstone." In 1967, in an inspired decision, Disney cast him as the orangutan, King Louis, in the animated feature, "The Jungle Book." His rendition of "I Wanna Be Like You" was a popular hit that led to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris, who had voiced Baloo the Bear; "The Jungle Book" and "More Jungle Book" on Disneyland Records. Prima's act moved back to New Orleans in the early 1970s, and in 1975 he underwent brain surgery in order to remove a tumor, and lapsed into a coma. He would remain hospitalized until his death almost three years later. He was interred in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a grey marble crypt topped by a figure of Gabriel, the angel with a trumpet. His music continues to be covered by other musicians, including the Brian Setzer Orchestra who covered the Prima standard "Jump and Jive and Wail" during the 1990s nouveau swing revival, sending it to the top of the charts once again.
Bio by: Iola
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A Legend
When the end comes I know,
They'll say "Just a gigolo"
As life goes on without me.
Lovingly, your little family
Gia Lena Ann and Louis Jr
Family Members
Children
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