Louis Prima - "The Wildest"

Born on December 7, 1910, Louis Prima would be 99 years old this coming Monday. And if he were still around, he would still be "The Wildest"!

I'm spotlighting Louis' birthday a few days early because this coming month is so cram-packed with Christmas and anniversaries and "Rudolph" history and yammering about The Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I didn't want to squeeze him out. I've already talked a little about Louis here (when I talked about Phil Harris and their roles in "The Jungle Book") and way back here
(in my first blog post ever, when I talked about his bandleader, Sam Butera) but this is all about Louis!

Check him out:



In this week that started with Randy Newman and went through Merle Travis and Brownie McGhee, it seems only fitting to tie it up with you more guy who filled the music with fun and exuberance. You just can't sit still listening to Louis:



Louis rode the musical trends of his time, from jazz combo leader in the 1920's, to swing band in the 1930's, to big band leader in the 1940'sand ending in the early 1960's with a stab at pop-rock...but the sweetest to me was is 1950's lounge act period! This is when he was "The Wildest"!

In the 1950's, Prima's albums from Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe were some of the hippest around. If you were going to throw a really hip cocktail party, it was Louis' music on the Hi-Fi. The Rat Pack was fine for looking cool...but to BE cool you needed Louis Prima and Keely Smith!

CHRISTMAS BONUS:

Though there's no real video here...'tis the season for Louis and Christmas"

Thanks Louis for keepiing the show-room on the vinyl and taking us along for a swinging good time!