Born on December 7th, 1910, Louis Prima was an Italian American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. His music found its roots in New Orleans Jazz, swing music, and jump blues, while also touching several other genres like the big band group he formed in the 1940s. Throughout the 40s' and 60s' he pushed his musical boundaries to early R&B, rock n' roll, and boogie-woogie. Prima eventually branched out to include Italian Folk music into his repertoire.
Prima was born into a music Italian American family in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prima's father Anthony was born to a Sicilian immigrant from Salapruta, and his mother Angelina emigrated to the United States from Ustica, an island north of Sicily.
Prima's interest in Jazz started when he heard the music of Louis Armstrong. Later, Prima would pay attention to the music coming from the clubs and would often listen to his brother Leon play the Carnet. After high school and a few unsuccessful gigs, Prima eventually got his break with Lou Forbes at The Saenger.
Prima's career lasted from 1929 until 1975, in which he produced close to thirty albums, and many singles like "Buona Sera," "Angelina/ Zooma Zoom," and "Just a Gigolo."