Project 1001: June 15, 2024; The Wildest! by Louis Prima
Life goes on without me
Upon receiving today’s selection, the name Louis Prima sounded familiar. After opening up the album to see Just a Gigolo, made famous for my generation by David Lee Roth, it all came rushing back to me. And while listening to the music, I am pretty sure my parents talked about him at some point. In any event, I really loved listening to this record. It’s a lot of fun! I can envision letting this whole thing play at a wedding reception and a good time being had by all.
The Wildest! is renowned for its pioneering fusion of early rock and roll, jump blues, and jazz.1
Prima has been described as worthy of the “Mt. Rushmore of Italian-Americans” who “made us all so proud”. And his music was considered by some to the “soundtrack of Italian-American life.”2
Jim Smith writing for AllMusic: “The Wildest! is the gem of Louis Prima's catalogue. None of his other efforts transcend its raunchy mix of demented gibberish, blaring sax, and explosive swing, which rocked as hard as anything released at the time.”3
Louis Prima has been characterized as an innovative musician and performer from the 1930s up until his death from a brain tumor in 1978, who knew how to adapt himself to the times.4
In a remembrance of Prima Frank Mastropolo wrote, “many music fans don’t realize that when they listen to David Lee Roth’s 1985 version of the medley, they hear a note-for-note copy of Prima’s 1956 recording. The arrangement of the two standards was written by Prima sideman Sam Butera, who was furious because he was never compensated by Roth. Butera was angry with good reason; Louis Prima’s take remains the classic version despite the huge success of Roth’s version.”5
My Rating:
Here’s a documentary on Prima if you care to take a deep dive (and you should!).
Released in October of 1956, here’s what was happening:
• Number one song: Don't Be Cruel by Elvis Presley.6
• The top-selling album: The King and I soundtrack.7
• War and Peace sold the most movie tickets in America.8
• TV viewers flocked to I Love Lucy.9
• Readers devoured Don’t Go Near the Water (fiction) by William Brinkley and Eisenhower(non-fiction) by Robert J. Donovan.10
Notable births:
• Gina Haspel, first female director of the CIA.
• Freddie Jackson, R&B singer and songwriter ("Rock Me Tonight").
• Hart Bochner, actor (Die Hard).
• Christoph Waltz, German Austrian actor (Django Unchained).
• Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress (Remington Steele; Centennial).
• Chris Carter, American television producer (The X-Files).
• Marin Alsop, American conductor and 1st woman to head a major American orchestra (Baltimore Symphony, 2007-2021; Vienna RSO, 2019-present).
• Beth Daniel, American golfer (Women's PGA Championship 1990).
• Mae Jemison, 1st African American woman in space.
• Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player (18 Grand Slam singles titles).
• Danny Boyle, English film director (Trainspotting; Slumdog Millionaire).
• Carrie Fisher, American actress (Princess Leia in Star Wars, When Harry Met Sally...) and writer (Postcards from the Edge).
• Dwight Yoakam, American country singer-songwriter ("Honky Tonk Man").
• Matthias Jabs, German rock guitarist (Scorpions).
• Rita Wilson, American actress, singer, and film producer.
• Patty Sheehan, American golfer (6 LPGA major titles; US Open 1992, 94)
• Wilfredo Gómez, Puerto Rican boxer.
Notable deaths:
• Clarence Birdseye, American inventor and founder of the modern frozen food industry (Birdseye), dies of a heart attack at 69.
• Charles Strite, American inventor (the automatic pop-up toaster), dies at 78.
The playlist is chock full of legends! Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
All the videos here: You're Welcome 98; The Wildest! by Louis Prima
Prime playlist: 98. The Wildest! by Louis Prima
Ibid.