the woman's vocal is Keely Smith, her voice and style made her an icon of Las Vegas, you've got to see a video with her in it...amazing! Her performance of "Bill" with the Count Basie Orchestra would be a major Female Fridays hit. There's a video of that performance.
Absolutely- please check out to Keely Smith- her recording of "I Wish You Love" is magical. For that matter the whole album is worth a listen. Female Crooner for Female Friday!
Keely (Louis’ wife) is fantastic. You might call her a female crooner. Check out “It’s Magic” “On the Sunny Side of the Street” “When Your Lover Has Gone”
So glad y'all revisited Louis Prima! What you are hearing is pure New Orleans scat! Some more of his songs I'd recommend include "Che La Luna" (one of my personal favorites), "Buona Sera", "Sing Sing Sing", "When You're Smiling", "The Sheik of Araby", "Oh Marie", "Yes! We Have No Bananas" & of course, I Wanna Be Like You" (from the Disney movie "Jungle Book").
Great song choice! I absolutely love Louis Prima and this song! David Lee Roth did a cover of this song as well. Louis Prima also voiced the Orangutan "King Louie" in the Disney classic cartoon, "The Jungle Book." Love the sax on this song too! Thanks Jay and Amber for sharing this classic! 👋😎♥️
I loved the original before Roth did his cover but I thought the cover was awesome too. Of course the video is a requirement when listening to the DLR version.
Louis prima was actually part of Frank Sinatra's rat pack. And Louis prima's wife, Keely Smith, was also a member of the rat pack. She was the only woman that could keep up with them when it came to their on stage banter and insults.
I discovered this CD in the mid-90s and wore it out, I loved it so much that I ended up buying the Louis Prima Capitol Collection box set. It was amazing the amount of great songs in this collection.
You really need to see the live version. His beautiful wife, Keely Smith, his backup singers/horn players, and of course, Louis himself are so fun to watch!
Ah yes, definitely check out his duets with Keely Smith, "That Old Black Magic" and you've got to play "Jump, Jive an' Wail" and you have to play live clips of them.
You'll love this fun fact! Disney sent the animators for Jungle Book to watch Louis Prima singing live, so King Louie's movements were exactly what they saw Louis Prima doing in his act.
Actually, Disney filmed all actors singing songs for his films to give his animators inspiration. In Louie Prima's case, when Walt saw the footage of Prima and his band members, he said he couldn't use it. Their dancing was too risqué and erotic.
Yes! One of my fav videos when I was a kid! He had a whole skit at the beginning “Dave tv” 😂 that and California girls! Id get so happy when they came on!!!
Louis Prima was a great musician, songwriter, and entertainer. When the big bands went away in the late 40's, he reinvented himself with first a lounge and then a stage show in Vegas. He was the loudmouth outgoing guy and his tall, sultry, beautiful wife, Keely Smith, was the perfect opposite. She would usually stand on stage with a gorgeous gown, a blank expression with eyes of total disgust and have with Louis one of the most entertaining acts in American history.
Louis Prima is from New Orleans where I was born and still live. My Dad when he was very young was a trumpet player as was Louis Prima. My dad took me to see Louis Prima in a club in New Orleans when I was old enough to get in. Loved him.
@@michaelrue1400 Not only did Louis Prima provide the voice of King Louie, but the mannerisms of King Louis and the rest of the monkeys were based on Prima's band. There are videos on You Tube interviewing the animators who studied Prima's very animated, humorous band and replicated their on-stage dancing and antics for Jungle Book.
The lyrics to Just a Gigolo were written in German in 1924 by Julius Brammer and adapted into English in 1929 by Irving Caesar, so you might say it was written by Julius Caesar lol. The melody was written by an Austrian composer named Leonello Casucci in 1928. I Ain't Got Nobody was written in 1915 by lyricist Roger A Graham and composer Spencer Williams. Louis Prima combined the two songs into a medley in 1956.
In the 1930's my grandfather, Al Bartlett, was a musician in Atlanta GA and worked with big band and early jazz performers. He played strings (guitar, ukulele, banjo, etc.) and as such was almost always a rhythm player. He thoroughly enjoyed that time in his life that ended when he enlisted in the Army at 28. After the war he went into graphic art and design, but always retained a love of music. I only knew him as an older man, and I wish I could have known him when he was young. I miss you Al, you and your pencil thin mustache. You were awesome!
My parents LOVED Louis Prima, Keely Smith and the band who played with them, Sam Butera and the Witnesses. They went to their shows every year when they went to Las Vegas for their wedding anniversary. My Dad said that they'd also catch Sam and the Witnesses when they'd play separately later in the night. Hearing this brings my parents very close to me. I totally agree with others when they say that watching live performances of Louis, Keely and the band are a must!
@@jodyjackson5475 Those were the days when you saw world class performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank and the Rat Pack, Louis and Keely every night and then like my Dad said, catch the band doing another set later. What a magical time it must have been in that respect.
Louis Prima, Kelley, and Sam. Can you imagine seeming them live back in the day. What I wouldn’t give for a Time Machine to go back to Vegas to see them. And Frank and Dean and Sammy and Rickles….
Prima's sax player is the legendary Sam Butera. Louis Prima & The Witnesses was a "show band", they were entertainers individually as well as a band. Very funny and entertaining live. My husband played trumpet in his son Louis Jr.'s band for years, they covered all Sr.'s many hits. There's so many other huge one hits, Prima wrote the big band standard popularized by Benny Goodman, "Sing Sing Sing" which is worth checking out.
I rediscovered Louis Prima about 3 years ago, during quarantine and I'm so glad I did. My parents played old jazz and swing standards when I was a kid and while I kept up with a lot of it as I've grown, some artist slipped through the cracks. But I went into a deep dive on Louis, Keely Smith, and Sam Butera during lockdown and it just reminded me my childhood. Gonna need y'all do look into Che La Luna, Angelina, Jump Jive An' Wail, That Old Black Magic, The Bigger The Figure, When You're Smiling, I've Got The World on a Stringer, Yes We Have No Bananas, Luigi, Shadrack, etc
I am down here in New Orleans. Louie Prima is at rest here. The entire front of his tomb has the lyrics to Just A Gigolo on it !!! I am a Waiter/ italian singer . His kids eat in this restaurant . His daughter is sooo sweet !!! She sings here and in Vegas. Leena Prima.
Awesome that you did a reaction on the great Louis Prima! Can you imagine being in Vegas, paying a small cover charge and hear these folks play all night?
I don't have a fav song because I love so many, And this is one of them for sure ..From the first time I heard it as a 17yr old in the 80's.I still listen to this song it's fing fantastic his sing is amazing as too the back ups the whole production is banging!
Louie Prima was an Italian powerhouse that did not get the recognition he deserved (that’s my opinion). Let’s give him some now! Play much more of his musical antics. “C’ė La Luna” is one of his great hits, I know it’s an Italian standard, played in many gangster movies (and others as well).
Always thought this was such a fun song!! I'm very eclectic about my music. You should prob check out David Lee Roth's version too,!! It's killer!!!❤❤❤
He and his band were probably the greatest Las Vegas show for well over a decade. His wife at the time, Keely Smith, was a fabulous singer and their gimmick was that he would try to impress her and she would completely ignore him on stage. The band behind him, Sam Butera and the Witnesses... high energy unbelievable. You need to react to one of to a video of their performance sometime. You'll be out of breath! And I don't know how many shows a night those guys did. Many.
The female vocal you hear is his wife Keeley Smith. You need to watch a live video of them performing together. He is very boisterous so she plays the opposite of that. They are so much fun. That Old Black Magic is a good one to try.
You guys need to see him performing LIVE in some of the videos on RUclips. This song "Gigolo" was done with his wife Keely Smith on Ed Sullivan Show. There's a couple of others, but it shows all the guys in the band and how he performed. Louis was also a great Trumpet player too.
As stated earlier, David Lee Roth recorded a cover of this, introducing a younger crowd to this classic. Louis was from New Orleans, with his mother and paternal grandparents from Sicily.
when i first met the accountant for my business, i was just getting into Louis Prima, and when i mentioned it to him (knowing he was a big jazz and swing fan) he yelled, in alarm, "LOUIS PRIMA??? THAT CLOWN??" -- guess he wasn't a fan, haha. i still love me some Prima.
I love that, He ain't got nobody ~ and it's such an upbeat, happy sound!!!! I also Love the two of you ~ your appreciation for ALL music makes me want to cry tears of joy! Your kids are lucky to have you as parents! 🥰🥰🥰
If you have seen "Young Frankenstein," you might recall a scene where Frederich & Inga follow a sound down to the cellar and see Igor, who suddenly sings out a few lyrics to this song. BTW, you mentioned "The Jungle Book" (which was in fact Disney). Baloo the bear was voiced by Phil Harris, who also was a big band leader and voiced characters in many animated films and also appeared in some live action movies. Along with "The Bear Necessities" from "The Jungle Book," his biggest was probably the novelty record "The Thing."
This is actually a medley of two songs. The first one, originally written in German by Julius Brammer in 1924, the English lyrics were adapted by Irving Caesar five years later, so you can say Just a Gigolo was written by Julius Caesar. Louis Prima turned it into the medley you just listened to in 1956.
"Now here's your part of the deal Cuz, lay the secret on, me of man's red fire." When my parents lived in San Francisco the next door neighbor worked for Buena Vista(Disney) Studios. When my parents moved out of San Francisco in 1960 they stay close with their neighbors. We would go over to their for dinners, birthday parties and such. Jenny(the neighbor lady) would sometimes show movies in the basement that she borrowed from work. It was really cool. she had a popcorn machine and a 35 MM projector, we had it made. In May of "67" they invited us over to celebrate my 6th birthday. All us kids sat in that basement and watched for the first time "The Jungle Book," it wasn't even in theaters yet! I fell head over heels, especially with King Louie. Then I had to wait until 1991, when it was released on VHS to see it again. Coincidentally it was released on my birthday in 1991.
Brian Setzer Orchestra (Brian Setzer of Stray Cats) did a fun version of Louis Prima's 1950s song Jump, Jive an' Wail. (BrianSetzerOrchVEVO video). Talk about a horn section...I think you'd enjoy it.
You need to watch the actual video. He inserted comedy into his performances, and his wife Keely Smith singing in the background, was also funny. Even his band got laughs.
You have to put yourself in a time machine, back to Las Vegas in the 50's to really feel Louie Prima. A late night show, everyone dressed to the t's. No shorts. Suits, tees, evening gowns required. Everyone drinking martinis, old fashioned, Manhattans. No margaritas, no flavored daiquiri, no blenders. 90% of the crowd smoking cigarettes. And Louie Prima live with the real Rat Pack in the crowd with you.
Another crooner from the 40s, 50s and 60s that you should check out is Jimmy Durante. Listen to “Make Someone Happy”, “Smile”, and “Young At Heart”. His songs were used in “Sleepless in Seattle” an excellent movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Love Louis often known as king of the swingers he did the song king of the swingers in Disneys Jungle Book. Louis is not just a crooner he leads a band and plays a super hot trumpet. With his band he often had Keely Smith singing. Oh Marie one my favorite is a great bandstand with a lot of hot trumpet and sax. With Italian American slant and Latin influences but jazzy with it.
A sad note here is that there will never be another performer like Louie Prima! He was one of a kind! Absolutely amazing! I have always thought he should have been invited into the Rat Pack. He would have fit in perfectly. I believe the female voice you heard at the end chorus was Keely Smith. She did a lot of tunes with him, please react to “That Old Black Magic”, they did it together. Great song, great pick! Thank you!
I used to like watching him clown around while singing with Keely Smith on his many TV appearances. She was an underrated singer, and I don't know she kept a straight face while he was carrying on. BTW, his sax man, Sam Butera, is one of the all-time greats. I believe the group was "Sam Butera and The Witnesses" if I'm not mistaken.
the woman's vocal is Keely Smith, her voice and style made her an icon of Las Vegas, you've got to see a video with her in it...amazing! Her performance of "Bill" with the Count Basie Orchestra would be a major Female Fridays hit. There's a video of that performance.
Absolutely- please check out to Keely Smith- her recording of "I Wish You Love" is magical. For that matter the whole album is worth a listen. Female Crooner for Female Friday!
Keely is an amazing singer. She would be a great one to react to. She’s on a lot of Louis’s songs. They were married for awhile.
Definitely - even check out the live version of this song, where she has a more prominent role!
Keely (Louis’ wife) is fantastic. You might call her a female crooner. Check out “It’s Magic” “On the Sunny Side of the Street” “When Your Lover Has Gone”
I saw Keely Smith and Louie’s sax player Sam Butera in Las Vegas and they were awesome.
You have to do a live video version. His showmanship is next level, especially with Keeley Smith.
I couldn't agree more with this. They are so fun to watch together. Great performers.
Indeed... DO THIS!
Definitely watch the live version
Just what I came here to say. He looks like he’s having a blast along with all the people performing with him.
absolutely
David Lee Roth helped me appreciate and know this song.Louis Prima and Keely Smith were great singers
So glad y'all revisited Louis Prima! What you are hearing is pure New Orleans scat! Some more of his songs I'd recommend include "Che La Luna" (one of my personal favorites), "Buona Sera", "Sing Sing Sing", "When You're Smiling", "The Sheik of Araby", "Oh Marie", "Yes! We Have No Bananas" & of course, I Wanna Be Like You" (from the Disney movie "Jungle Book").
And y'all can talk about Van Halen's cover - but Louis Prima is the OG in my book. Other versions have been done but none can compare to Mr. Prima.
Wow, you are a true fan, how did you get so involved?
@@joiedevivre2005You can't leave out his wife Keely Smith!
You've nailed it! Lots of Italian in laws in my family.
Both versions are great in there own way , David Lee Roth was nasty, this one is just pure joy🙋🏻♀️
Thank you. You missed a trick not seeing the live performance, Keely Smith absolutely makes it special.
Shes so foxy
Great song choice! I absolutely love Louis Prima and this song! David Lee Roth did a cover of this song as well. Louis Prima also voiced the Orangutan "King Louie" in the Disney classic cartoon, "The Jungle Book." Love the sax on this song too! Thanks Jay and Amber for sharing this classic! 👋😎♥️
I had only heard the David Lee Roth cover; loved the original!
Yeah, didn't know David's was a cover, but then I was just a kid when it came out, so I didn't know older music very well.
I loved the original before Roth did his cover but I thought the cover was awesome too. Of course the video is a requirement when listening to the DLR version.
Louis prima was actually part of Frank Sinatra's rat pack. And Louis prima's wife, Keely Smith, was also a member of the rat pack. She was the only woman that could keep up with them when it came to their on stage banter and insults.
IMO Louis was better than any of the rest of tje rat pack. Also apparently Sinatra had a huge crush on Keely
They were members of the breakfast club, along with Ertha Kitt and Shirley McClain. Not really considered rat pack.
Keely and Frank are responsible for my wife's and my wedding dance song. Keely was stunning, hilarious, and had a PHENOMENAL voice.
@@swingsloth I saw her at Birdland in NYC about 15 years ago. She was around 80 and still could belt out a tune.
@@georgepassabet4460 if you say so.???
About 40 years ago I read an article saying we should all own Louis Prima’s greatest hits. Bought it, no regrets, ever.
I discovered this CD in the mid-90s and wore it out, I loved it so much that I ended up buying the Louis Prima Capitol Collection box set. It was amazing the amount of great songs in this collection.
So much FUN!
My son borrowed my copy... Needless to say I haven't seen it since😂
Louis Prima is one of the originators, a huge influence on 1950’s popular music, his jump swing dance beats were some of the best ever. ✌️
Influenced Rockabilly.
My mom would put this song on in the car when my sister and we’re babies but we sang this song at top of our lungs..good times…RIP MOM
Our song was American Pie… great memories ❤
You really need to see the live version. His beautiful wife, Keely Smith, his backup singers/horn players, and of course, Louis himself are so fun to watch!
Ah yes, definitely check out his duets with Keely Smith, "That Old Black Magic" and you've got to play "Jump, Jive an' Wail" and you have to play live clips of them.
David Lee Roth did a great cover of this!! You guys should REALLY check it out!!
Great? Well............
Just saw that uh😒😒 I wouldn't say great. Maybe I'm just use to van Halen's normal sound.
The Village People also did a version of this song before David Lee Roth.
DLR looks like he is having tons of fun in the video though
He just tried to copy this song exactly. There is only ONE Louis Prima!
Hey, kids! Sending this reaction to Louis and Keely's daughter, Toni Elizabeth Prima (my Sister-In-Law). 😃😃😃
Please pass on that my wife and I while going through IVF had the name Keely picked out for a little girl if we'd been successful.
Louis was my grandma’s 1st cousin. His mom was the sister of my great grandfather Joseph Caravella (aka “Big Daddy”)
Louis prima aka the king of swing ❤ 🎺🎷🎶🎙🎹 🇮🇹
You'll love this fun fact! Disney sent the animators for Jungle Book to watch Louis Prima singing live, so King Louie's movements were exactly what they saw Louis Prima doing in his act.
😮 Your kidding!!!
@@valerievelarde62 ruclips.net/video/rV8HrpOu1FA/видео.html&ab_channel=bwatson65
Actually, Disney filmed all actors singing songs for his films to give his animators inspiration. In Louie Prima's case, when Walt saw the footage of Prima and his band members, he said he couldn't use it. Their dancing was too risqué and erotic.
David Lee Roth did a version of this too.
Love that video with all the "cameos".
He did some amazing covers, didnt he?
This is a great cover!!!
Dave’s version was a note-for-note copy of Prima and was a big hit.
Yes! One of my fav videos when I was a kid! He had a whole skit at the beginning “Dave tv” 😂 that and California girls! Id get so happy when they came on!!!
Have loved this song my whole life. I even like David Lee Roth's cover of it.
Need to listen to the David Lee Roth cover
Louis Prima was a great musician, songwriter, and entertainer. When the big bands went away in the late 40's, he reinvented himself with first a lounge and then a stage show in Vegas. He was the loudmouth outgoing guy and his tall, sultry, beautiful wife, Keely Smith, was the perfect opposite. She would usually stand on stage with a gorgeous gown, a blank expression with eyes of total disgust and have with Louis one of the most entertaining acts in American history.
Louis Prima is from New Orleans where I was born and still live. My Dad when he was very young was a trumpet player as was Louis Prima. My dad took me to see Louis Prima in a club in New Orleans when I was old enough to get in. Loved him.
Wow. You are lucky, I would have loved to seen Louis live
@@akadros310 I forgot to mention it was Louis and his band including his wife. I will never forget it.
And his daughter Lena is very talented!
Louis Prima and his excellent singer wife KeelySmith. They were a dynamic duo back in the day I was young but I remember them on all the shows on TV
You should definitely do David Lee Roth's cover of this song. Great cover.
Louis Prima. One of my all time favorites. You can hear the fun they're having recording their songs. Glad you reacted to this!
Great song. I love the energy of it. There is a David Lee Roth cover that is pretty awesome too.
Hearing this, I just kept visualizing David Lee Roth dancing in the video he did for this song.
You have to check out David Lee Roth's, (Van Halen), version of this song. It's just awesome. The video is funny too.
Love Louie Prima's style. Love this song. He was the voice of the king of the apes in Jungle Book.
I'd always understood that the voice of King Louie was based on Louis Armstrong. But I can definitely hear a resemblance in this song.
@@michaelrue1400 Not only did Louis Prima provide the voice of King Louie, but the mannerisms of King Louis and the rest of the monkeys were based on Prima's band. There are videos on You Tube interviewing the animators who studied Prima's very animated, humorous band and replicated their on-stage dancing and antics for Jungle Book.
I left a CD of Louis Primas greatest hits in a car I traded in about 10yrs ago. I sure hope whoever bought the car liked Louis Prima as much as I did.
You guys! Always a surprise. I am impressed. He played King Louie in the original Jungle Book
Ohhhhhhhhh!
Beyond embarrassed that I didn’t know David Lee Roth’s version was a cover! Love this version so much!
Don't feel too bad, that's the only version I've ever heard.
This is a cover too!
Uneducated heathens. 🤣
The lyrics to Just a Gigolo were written in German in 1924 by Julius Brammer and adapted into English in 1929 by Irving Caesar, so you might say it was written by Julius Caesar lol. The melody was written by an Austrian composer named Leonello Casucci in 1928.
I Ain't Got Nobody was written in 1915 by lyricist Roger A Graham and composer Spencer Williams. Louis Prima combined the two songs into a medley in 1956.
In the 1930's my grandfather, Al Bartlett, was a musician in Atlanta GA and worked with big band and early jazz performers. He played strings (guitar, ukulele, banjo, etc.) and as such was almost always a rhythm player. He thoroughly enjoyed that time in his life that ended when he enlisted in the Army at 28. After the war he went into graphic art and design, but always retained a love of music. I only knew him as an older man, and I wish I could have known him when he was young. I miss you Al, you and your pencil thin mustache. You were awesome!
My parents LOVED Louis Prima, Keely Smith and the band who played with them, Sam Butera and the Witnesses. They went to their shows every year when they went to Las Vegas for their wedding anniversary. My Dad said that they'd also catch Sam and the Witnesses when they'd play separately later in the night. Hearing this brings my parents very close to me. I totally agree with others when they say that watching live performances of Louis, Keely and the band are a must!
Mine too! The album cover with her huge eyes and his huge mouth the album was amazing and played often!!❤
@@jodyjackson5475 Those were the days when you saw world class performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank and the Rat Pack, Louis and Keely every night and then like my Dad said, catch the band doing another set later. What a magical time it must have been in that respect.
Diamond Dave does an awesome cover of this!
David Lee Roth of Van Halen did a cover of this that was fun. The video was pretty silly and fun too. You should react to it for comparisons sake. 😊
You should really watch a live Louis Prima performance. You won't be disappointed.
Another New Orleans great, and a true character for sure!
Louis was amazing. Just watch any video of him and you'll see he was ALWAYS having a LOT of fun.
Louis Prima, Sam Butera & The Witnesses & Keely Smith!! Love it! ~ T H E C O R R S ~
If you watch the fabulous movie set in the 50’s with a great cast called “Big Night” you’ll hear Louie Prima music. ❤❤
Louis Prima, Kelley, and Sam. Can you imagine seeming them live back in the day. What I wouldn’t give for a Time Machine to go back to Vegas to see them. And Frank and Dean and Sammy and Rickles….
Keely (not Kelley)
Prima's sax player is the legendary Sam Butera. Louis Prima & The Witnesses was a "show band", they were entertainers individually as well as a band. Very funny and entertaining live.
My husband played trumpet in his son Louis Jr.'s band for years, they covered all Sr.'s many hits. There's so many other huge one hits, Prima wrote the big band standard popularized by Benny Goodman, "Sing Sing Sing" which is worth checking out.
He would walk through the crowd with his whole band following behind him
I rediscovered Louis Prima about 3 years ago, during quarantine and I'm so glad I did. My parents played old jazz and swing standards when I was a kid and while I kept up with a lot of it as I've grown, some artist slipped through the cracks. But I went into a deep dive on Louis, Keely Smith, and Sam Butera during lockdown and it just reminded me my childhood.
Gonna need y'all do look into Che La Luna, Angelina, Jump Jive An' Wail, That Old Black Magic, The Bigger The Figure, When You're Smiling, I've Got The World on a Stringer, Yes We Have No Bananas, Luigi, Shadrack, etc
"Banana Split For My Baby" is a great one by Louis Prima
Married to singer and partner Keely Smith a wonderful voice as well she passed in 2017
I am down here in New Orleans. Louie Prima is at rest here. The entire front of his tomb has the lyrics to Just A Gigolo on it !!! I am a Waiter/ italian singer . His kids eat in this restaurant . His daughter is sooo sweet !!! She sings here and in Vegas. Leena Prima.
One of my favorite Louis Prima songs is " Jump, Jive, An' Wail "
Please react to that one if you have not already.
There's a great live version on Ed Sullivan with talented wife Keeley and saxophone player. Lot of humor, good times ❤
What a great reaction. Fantastic to see you enjoying yourselves with the old music.:)
Awesome that you did a reaction on the great Louis Prima! Can you imagine being in Vegas, paying a small cover charge and hear these folks play all night?
Listen to the David Lee Roth version
I don't have a fav song because I love so many, And this is one of them for sure ..From the first time I heard it as a 17yr old in the 80's.I still listen to this song it's fing fantastic his sing is amazing as too the back ups the whole production is banging!
Good 'ole Louis Prima...great during his time 🎤🎶🎷
Can't help but smile through this!
Phil Harris was the voice of Baloo in "The Jungle Book". He did a song called "The Thing".
Absolute banger. THAT voice, and when the drums really kick in...magic
Louie Prima was an Italian powerhouse that did not get the recognition he deserved (that’s my opinion). Let’s give him some now! Play much more of his musical antics. “C’ė La Luna” is one of his great hits, I know it’s an Italian standard, played in many gangster movies (and others as well).
I never felt he got the attention he deserved. I would take him over Sinatra and the rest of the rat pack anyday
David Lee Roth did a version of this.
❤ Gotta see David Lee Roth version of this song. The video is great❤
Always thought this was such a fun song!! I'm very eclectic about my music. You should prob check out David Lee Roth's version too,!! It's killer!!!❤❤❤
Sing Sing Sing. Louis Prima..THE BEST CLEAN HOUSE SONG EVER
He and his band were probably the greatest Las Vegas show for well over a decade. His wife at the time, Keely Smith, was a fabulous singer and their gimmick was that he would try to impress her and she would completely ignore him on stage.
The band behind him, Sam Butera and the Witnesses... high energy unbelievable.
You need to react to one of to a video of their performance sometime. You'll be out of breath! And I don't know how many shows a night those guys did. Many.
My grandad had a very old recording of this song on a 16 speed record for his old hand cranked Victrola record player.
David Lee Roth did a cover of this song joined by Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonette. There’s a video of it..
Louis Prima was great! Please cover more of his music, please. The video is a must watch! Blessings.
The female vocal you hear is his wife Keeley Smith. You need to watch a live video of them performing together. He is very boisterous so she plays the opposite of that. They are so much fun. That Old Black Magic is a good one to try.
You guys need to see him performing LIVE in some of the videos on RUclips. This song "Gigolo" was done with his wife Keely Smith on Ed Sullivan Show. There's a couple of others, but it shows all the guys in the band and how he performed. Louis was also a great Trumpet player too.
Excellent - wish we could have seen them perform this. Sounded like the whole band was having such a good time.
As stated earlier, David Lee Roth recorded a cover of this, introducing a younger crowd to this classic. Louis was from New Orleans, with his mother and paternal grandparents from Sicily.
when i first met the accountant for my business, i was just getting into Louis Prima, and when i mentioned it to him (knowing he was a big jazz and swing fan) he yelled, in alarm, "LOUIS PRIMA??? THAT CLOWN??" -- guess he wasn't a fan, haha. i still love me some Prima.
I believe that was his wife Keely Smith providing background vocals
The female voice that joins in near the end is Keely Smith. She was married to Louie and on stage she was the perfect foil to his antics.
I love that, He ain't got nobody ~ and it's such an upbeat, happy sound!!!! I also Love the two of you ~ your appreciation for ALL music makes me want to cry tears of joy! Your kids are lucky to have you as parents! 🥰🥰🥰
If you have seen "Young Frankenstein," you might recall a scene where Frederich & Inga follow a sound down to the cellar and see Igor, who suddenly sings out a few lyrics to this song.
BTW, you mentioned "The Jungle Book" (which was in fact Disney). Baloo the bear was voiced by Phil Harris, who also was a big band leader and voiced characters in many animated films and also appeared in some live action movies. Along with "The Bear Necessities" from "The Jungle Book," his biggest was probably the novelty record "The Thing."
Yes....Louis prima one of my favorite artists of all times and Young Frankenstien is one of my favorite movies of all times
The first time I heard this song, it was done by David Lee Roth. That's a good version also.
This is actually a medley of two songs. The first one, originally written in German by Julius Brammer in 1924, the English lyrics were adapted by Irving Caesar five years later, so you can say Just a Gigolo was written by Julius Caesar. Louis Prima turned it into the medley you just listened to in 1956.
Anytime, and I mean anytime you need a pick me up, Louis Prima will always bring a smile to your face
"Now here's your part of the deal Cuz, lay the secret on, me of man's red fire." When my parents lived in San Francisco the next door neighbor worked for Buena Vista(Disney) Studios. When my parents moved out of San Francisco in 1960 they stay close with their neighbors. We would go over to their for dinners, birthday parties and such. Jenny(the neighbor lady) would sometimes show movies in the basement that she borrowed from work. It was really cool. she had a popcorn machine and a 35 MM projector, we had it made. In May of "67" they invited us over to celebrate my 6th birthday. All us kids sat in that basement and watched for the first time "The Jungle Book," it wasn't even in theaters yet! I fell head over heels, especially with King Louie. Then I had to wait until 1991, when it was released on VHS to see it again. Coincidentally it was released on my birthday in 1991.
Brian Setzer Orchestra (Brian Setzer of Stray Cats) did a fun version of Louis Prima's 1950s song Jump, Jive an' Wail. (BrianSetzerOrchVEVO video). Talk about a horn section...I think you'd enjoy it.
Your Right Jay! Mr. Louis Prima was the voice for King Louie in the the original 1967's Disney's The Jungle Book...
Listened to my first Louis Prima album today, The Wildest, and was absolutely delighted by it. Will definitely listen to it again
You need to watch the actual video. He inserted comedy into his performances, and his wife Keely Smith singing in the background, was also funny. Even his band got laughs.
You have to put yourself in a time machine, back to Las Vegas in the 50's to really feel Louie Prima. A late night show, everyone dressed to the t's. No shorts. Suits, tees, evening gowns required. Everyone drinking martinis, old fashioned, Manhattans. No margaritas, no flavored daiquiri, no blenders. 90% of the crowd smoking cigarettes. And Louie Prima live with the real Rat Pack in the crowd with you.
Another crooner from the 40s, 50s and 60s that you should check out is Jimmy Durante. Listen to “Make Someone Happy”, “Smile”, and “Young At Heart”. His songs were used in “Sleepless in Seattle” an excellent movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Yes! Please do Jimmy Durante. The man was a legendary entertainer who was all heart.
Love Louis often known as king of the swingers he did the song king of the swingers in Disneys Jungle Book. Louis is not just a crooner he leads a band and plays a super hot trumpet. With his band he often had Keely Smith singing. Oh Marie one my favorite is a great bandstand with a lot of hot trumpet and sax. With Italian American slant and Latin influences but jazzy with it.
When I was a teen I knew this song from David Lee Roth, I thought it was the song. And likes both now.
He was a jazz singer/ trumpet player in the New Orleans music scene back in the 50s &. 60s.
An underrated gem from this group is "There'll Be No Next Time," where saxman Sammy Butera takes the lead vocal/rap with Louis as the hype man.
Love, love, love. This was so much fun. We remember him from our younger years. It was fantastic hearing it again. Thank you so much. ❤❤❤
Louie Prima is best appreciated when you watch a live performance.
Louie also sang "Jump, Jive an' Wail" which Brian Setzer (Stray Cats) covered in 1998. Both versions are great.
Louis wrote the song!
A sad note here is that there will never be another performer like Louie Prima! He was one of a kind! Absolutely amazing! I have always thought he should have been invited into the Rat Pack. He would have fit in perfectly. I believe the female voice you heard at the end chorus was Keely Smith. She did a lot of tunes with him, please react to “That Old Black Magic”, they did it together. Great song, great pick! Thank you!
Fantastic choice! Deeply sad lyrics disguised by a joyous performance. Masterpiece.
Judging by his live performances' moves, Louis Prima was a David Byrne forerunner.....very addictive !!!
KING LOUIE ... Wrote Sing Sing Sing, Benny Goodmans Hit Wonder❤ An Italian from, New Orleans, All genre's of Music.😊 Thanks guys xx
I live in san diego and was at comic con last weekend and thought someone was done up like Louis......but it was security 😢
After listening to this I am immediately going to listen to my big band playlist on Spotify 👊🏻👏🏻👍🏻
I went on a date with his daughter, Lena Prima in High School. We were in Music Appreciation class together.
I used to like watching him clown around while singing with Keely Smith on his many TV appearances. She was an underrated singer, and I don't know she kept a straight face while he was carrying on. BTW, his sax man, Sam Butera, is one of the all-time greats. I believe the group was "Sam Butera and The Witnesses" if I'm not mistaken.