Louis Prima Answers The Call!

Louis Prima is an American Icon. Of course, being part Italian I think it's manditory for me to think that. As a bold, talented, ambitious youngster, Prima rose from the rank-and-file of musicians in the training ground of New Orleans in 1934 and headed for the "Big Time" in the city of New York. After a few weeks the Louis Prima Band became a smash hit in the small-but-jumping club,"Famous Door" and before long, the entire 52nd Street, between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, was renamed "Swing Street." A whole new era of music began, with Louis coining such expressions as "swing" and other "hep" sayings like "solid jack," "crazy man," and many more. A few years passed and Louis hit the charts with "Angelina." It started the whole country talking about pizza, veal parmegiana, pasta fagiole, and antipasto. One smash came after another, like, "Josephina," "Please No Squeeza Da Banana," "Bacciagaloop, Makes Love on the Stoop" and "Felicia No Capicia." When Elvis Presley was asked where he got the wiggle, he replied, "From Louis Prima, of course." Louis down-sized the big band to a small group and added the sounds and talents of the great sax-man Sam Butera and vocalist, Keely Smith. He performed magic again by developing a shuffle beat, combined with a New Orleans southern rock sound, added the wailing sax and for comedic value, transformed the vocalist into the dead-pan partner that he could play off of. The string of hits that followed included "Just a Gigolo - I Ain't Got Nobody," "Buona Sera," "Black Magic," "Zooma, Zooma," "When You're Smilin'," and on and on. Louis Prima was not just Louis Prima - he was the "Big Daddy" of them all! One of his best albums (that include most of his fore mentioned hits) was 'The Call of The Wildest". What's even better than the album is the hilarious cover of Louis singing to a moose! I present it for you now. Enjoy!

Call of The Wildest