Skip to content
EntityQ367447· pop 36· linked from 643 articles

Louis Prima

Sign in to save

Also known as King of the Swingers

American musician (1910–1978)

Person · Open Library

Works
2

Top works

  • Sing, Sing, Sing
  • The Louis Prima Songbook

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Male
Origin
United States
Active from
1910-12-07
Active to
1978-08-24
big bandjazzjump bluesstandardsswingtraditional pop

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
795,988
Total plays
6,596,606

Tags

swingjazzBig Bandloungejazz vocal

Louis Prima (December 7, 1910 - August 24, 1978) was born into a musical family in New Orleans. His family emigrated from Sicily, Italy, and after a brief stay in Argentina settled in the United States. Prima studied violin for several years as a child. His older brother Leon was a well regarded local bandleader. Prima was proud of his heritage, and made a point of letting the audience know at every performance that he was Italian-American and from New Orleans. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music

via Last.fm · Louis Prima

Key facts

Also known as
The King of Swing
Born
Louis Leo Prima , ( 1910-12-07 ) December 7, 1910, New Orleans, Louisiana , U.S.
Died
August 24, 1978 (1978-08-24) (aged 67), New Orleans, Louisiana , U.S.
Genres
Jazz swing traditional pop jump blues big band
Occupations
Musician entertainer bandleader
Instruments
Vocals trumpet
Years active
1929–1975
Labels
Capitol , Dot
Website
www .louisprima .com

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website
www.louisprima.com
Image
Louis Prima crop.jpg
Show 8 more facts
Commons category
Louis Prima
date of birth
1910-12-07
date of death
1978-08-24
start of work period
1929-00-00
name in native language
Louis Prima
birth name
Louis Leo Prima
nickname
King of the Swingers
end of work period
1975-00-00
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Article

Louis Leo Prima (/ˈluːi ˈpriːmə/; 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.

Connections

Categories