Louis Prima
Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he formed a seven-piece New Orleans-style jazz band in the late 1920s, fronted a swing combo in the 1930s and a big band group in the 1940s, helped to popularize jump blues in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s, and performed frequently as a Vegas lounge act beginning in the 1950s. From the 1940s through the 1960s, his music further encompassed early R&B and rock 'n' roll, boogie-woogie, and Italian folk music, such as the tarantella. Prima made prominent use of Italian music and language in his songs, blending elements of his Italian and Sicilian identity with jazz and swing music. At a time when ethnic musicians were discouraged from openly stressing their ethnicity, Prima's conspicuous embrace of his Sicilian ethnicity opened the doors for other Italian-American and ethnic American musicians to display their ethnic roots. Prima is also known for providing the voice for the orangutan King Louie in the 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book. |
Birth and Death Data: Born December 7, 1910 (New Orleans), Died August 24, 1978 (New Orleans)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1933 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, trumpet, leader, songwriter, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-65 of 65 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 63167 | 10-in. | 1/17/1938 | Yes, there ain't no moonlight | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63168 | 10-in. | 1/17/1938 | Rosalie | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63169 | 10-in. | 1/17/1938 | Where have we met before? | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63783 | 10-in. | 5/16/1938 | Why should I pretend ? | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63784 | 10-in. | 5/16/1938 | Doin' the serpentine | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63785 | 10-in. | 5/16/1938 | You call it madness | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 63786 | 10-in. | 5/16/1938 | Nothin' too good for you | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 65952 | 10-in. | 7/12/1939 | A good man is hard to find | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 65953 | 10-in. | 7/12/1939 | If I could be with you one hour tonight | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 65954 | 10-in. | 7/12/1939 | Of Thee I sing | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 65955 | 10-in. | 7/12/1939 | Sweet and low down | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | DLA 1637 | 10-in. | 12/12/1938 | Show me the way to go home | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | DLA 1638 | 10-in. | 12/12/1938 | Exactly like you | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | DLA 1639 | 10-in. | 12/12/1938 | Jitterbugs on parade | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | DLA 1640 | 10-in. | 12/12/1938 | Now and then | Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang | vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Prima, Louis," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/108876.
Prima, Louis. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/108876.
"Prima, Louis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Louis Prima
Discogs: Louis Prima
Allmusic: Louis Prima
Apple Music: Louis Prima
IMDb: Louis Prima
Britannica: Louis Prima
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Prima, Louis, 1910-1978 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no89016730
Wikidata: Louis Prima - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q367447
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/17408624
MusicBrainz: Louis Prima - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b5997eef-2516-491a-a10e-5cee842bbcdc
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