The Wildest!

Performer: Louis Prima
Artist: Keely Smith; Sam Butera
Producer: Voyle Gilmore...
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Louis Prima (vocals); Sam Butera (tenor saxophone); James Blount (trombone); Keely Smith (background vocals); The Witnesses. Recorded in April 1956. Originally released on Capitol Records (T-755). Digitally remastered by Steve Hoffman. Personnel: Louis Prima (vocals, trumpet); Keely Smith (vocals); Jack Marshall (guitar); Sam Butera (tenor saxophone); James B;ount, Jr. (trombone); Willie McCUmber (piano); Amato Rodrigues (bass); Bobby Morris (drums). Recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, California in April & September 1956. Originally released on Capitol (755). Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna. All tracks have been digitally remastered. The album cover of Louis Prima's THE WILDEST! perfectly captures the unabashed and ever-present enthusiasm of the famed Italian-American vocalist/trumpeter--head tilted back, mouth agape, and sporting a smile a mile wide. This 1957 record contains many of Prima's best-known songs, including the boisterous "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" (covered by David Lee Roth in the '80s) and the swinging (and self-penned) "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" (revived in the '90s by the Brian Setzer Orchestra), along with the jazzy "Basin Street Blues/When It's Sleepy Time Down South," a nod to his hero and greatest influence, Louis Armstrong. In addition to an ensemble led by saxophonist Sam Butera, Prima is joined here by his wife, the cool-as-a-cucumber singer Keely Smith, who provided the ideal counterbalance to his rowdy persona. Although THE WILDEST! is notable for its occasionally bawdy humor, it also boasts an innovative combination of early rock & roll, jump blues, and jazz. While many Prima compilations feature a wider range of material, this is the performer at his undiluted best, making it essential for his true fans.

Record Collector (magazine) (p.106) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "This 1957 release is a veritable hits package....It's Prima at his prime."

New Orleans-born singer/trumpeter Louis Prima started recording in the 1930s with his New Orleans Gang. Around this time, he also composed the classic swing tune "Sing, Sing, Sing," which became a smash for Benny Goodman. In the '40s, Prima started working with singer Keely Smith, who he eventually married. With a raucous stage show mixing swing, R&B, some Italian flavor, and a hefty dose of humor, they were hugely successful all the way into the early '60s. Prima later earned accolades as the voice of King Louie in the hit Disney film THE JUNGLE BOOK. He passed away in 1978, but Smith went on performing and recording into the 21st century.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.3

Shipping Options and Policies