New Orleans has produced more than its share of larger-than-life musicians, but Louis Prima might have been the largest of them all. Born in the French Quarter to a Sicilian family, Prima became one of the most electrifying entertainers of the twentieth century, a singer, trumpeter, bandleader, and comedian who could whip a crowd into a frenzy before the first drink was finished.
A Kid from the Quarter
Louis Prima was born on December 7, 1910, in New Orleans. He grew up in the French Quarter in a Sicilian-American family. His older brother Leon was already a local trumpet player, and Louis picked up the instrument early. By his teens he was playing in New Orleans clubs, absorbing the city's mix of jazz, blues, and whatever else was in the air.
From New Orleans to Vegas
Prima moved to New York in the 1930s and quickly became a popular bandleader. He wrote "Sing, Sing, Sing," which became Benny Goodman's signature hit. But it was in Las Vegas in the 1950s, with his wife Keely Smith and saxophonist Sam Butera, that Prima became a phenomenon. Their act at the Sahara Hotel was the wildest show in town, a mix of jump blues, Italian comedy, and pure showmanship.
King Louie
Walt Disney cast Prima as the voice of King Louie the orangutan in The Jungle Book (1967). "I Wan'na Be Like You" became one of Disney's most beloved songs. Prima passed away on August 24, 1978. The city he came from never forgot him.
Dirty Coast Connection
Prima's energy lives in designs like Do Watcha Wanna and Listen To Your City. Be A New Orleanian Wherever You Are.
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