Today is the 100th anniversary of Louis Prima, a legendary singer and musician from the swing era.
He is one of my favourite artists, and first performed in the 1920s. But his career only really took off in the 1940s, and in 1949, his partnership with singer Keely Smith, later to become his second wife, gave him a popularity that would eventually take him to Vegas.
For most people, he’ll probably be remembered mostly for “Sing, Sing, Sing”, which he wrote, but its popularity would be mostly credited to Benny Goodman’s classic version of the track. However, he did have his own legacy, providing the voice for King Louis in Disney’s Jungle Book and singing “I Wanna Be Like You”, one of the more memorable tracks in the film. Some videos for you to enjoy are below.
For now, I’ll save some more of my favourites from Louis for another time.
In the meantime, a very happy 100th birthday to Louis Prima, and hope he’s laughing and smiling looking down on us in his unique style!