Louis Prima was born in New Orleans on December 7, 1910. Prima’s mother made sure that each of her children had an opportunity to play a musical instrument and young Louis began on the violin. Louis’ older brother played cornet, and one summer while he was away in Texas, Louis began teaching himself to play it. When he was in high school, he played in the band and was influenced by hearing Louis Armstrong. By the time he was a senior in high school Louis Prima decided that he would pursue a career as a professional musician.

Prima’s professional career began slowly as he played in some local bands and eventually decided to try his luck in New York City. Although he was Italian-American, Prima was sometimes denied jobs because club owners thought he was Black. In 1934 he started his own group. Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang got a regular gig at the Famous Door on 52nd Street and began recording for the Brunswick label. They produced a few minor hits in the mid 1930s. One of those hits was his 1936 recording of Sing, Sing, Sing, a song Prima wrote, and which would later become a monster hit for Benny Goodman.

In 1939 first lady Eleanor Roosevelt invited Prima and his band to play at the president’s birthday party at the White House. They did perform and the ensuing publicity greatly enhanced their visibility. By the mid-1940s his band was doing very well and was touring and recording regularly. In 1948 Louis Prima hired a new singer for his band, a woman named Keely Smith. She and Prima would not only marry but would produce a series of extremely popular records over the next decade.

In 1954 Louis Prima and Keely Smith became a regular attraction at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. During the decade Prima recorded some of his most popular songs including I Ain’t Got Nobody, Just a Gigolo and That Old Black Magic which stayed on the top 40 for two months. After having relocated their home base to The Desert Inn, Prima and Smith were invited to perform at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration party in 1961. Unfortunately, constant touring and performing took a toll on their marriage and Smith and Prima divorced that same year. In 1967 Louis Prima supplied the voice of the orangutan King Louis in the Disney film “The Jungle Book.” Prima continued performing until his death in 1978.

Here is a link to Louis Prima and Keely Smith performing one of their best-known numbers during a 1959 television appearance:

"THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC"