MUSIC REVIEW: LOUIS PRIMA & LILY ANN CAROL - OH MARIE!

I had the pleasure of getting a copy of this new CD from Jasmine, and it is one of the best CD issues in years. I am familiar with Louis Prima and his time with Keely Smith in the 1950s, but this whole era with Lily Ann Carol is new to me. Lovingly put together by Alan Eichler, this new CD is a must for anyone who is a Louis Prima, and a fan of good music in general!

Here are notes from the CD:

Before Keely Smith, there was Lily Ann Carol. When Louis Prima abandoned Dixieland and formed his first big band, the beautiful New York native was signed to be his star vocalist, and for more than six years - from 1940-1946 they were one of the most popular attractions in clubs and theatres across the country.

Here gathered together for the first time are nearly all of their recordings and this is the very first collection to throw a spotlight on Lily Ann, who up until now has been something of a mystery figure.

Among their wartime hits are 'Bell Bottom Trousers', 'I'll Walk Alone', 'A Fellow on a Furlough', 'Hitsum-Kitsum-Bumpity-Itsum' 'The Lip' and of course 'Oh Marie'

All tracks have been restored here in sparkling sound on a jam-packed Jasmine CD, with Lily Ann not only singing beautifully, but keeping up with Louis in the humour department as well.
Track Listing

1. DANCE WITH A DOLLY
2. DAYDREAMS COME TRUE AT NIGHT
3. PLEASE HAVE MERCY
4. TICA-TEE, TICA-TA
5. I'LL WALK ALONE
6. THERE'S A LOT OF MOONLIGHT BEING WASTED
7. A FELLOW ON A FURLOUGH
8. OH MARIE
9. BELOVED
10. THIS HEART OF MINE
11. LET'S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME
12. HITSUM-KITSUM-BUMPITY-ITSUM
13. RUM AND COCA COLA
14. I WANNA GET MARRIED
15. BELL BOTTOM TROUSERS
16. I WAS HERE WHEN YOU LEFT ME
17. SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
18. THERE! I'VE SAID IT AGAIN
19. I DON'T WANT TO BE LOVED (By Anyone Else But You)
20. THERE'S A BROKEN HEART FOR EVERY LIGHT ON BROADWAY
21. ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE
22. HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN
23. JUST A LITTLE FOND AFFECTION
24. EVERYBODY KNEW BUT ME
25. THE LIP
26. I'LL BE WITH YOU IN APPLE BLOSSOM TIME
27. PORGY

You can purchase this CD on Amazon or any supplier of great music or you can contact Jasmine Records HERE

RIP: KEELY SMITH

Keely Smith, the Grammy winning singer known for her solo recordings of jazz standards as well as her partnership with her first husband, Louis Prima, died Dec. 16 in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 89 and had been suffering from heart failure, according to her publicist, Bob Merlis.

Her hits included “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” “That Old Black Magic,” which she reprised with Kid Rock at the 2008 Grammy awards, made a big impression on pop culture: Kermit the frog, wearing a wig, performed as Smith on the early Muppets show “Sam and Friends,” singing “That Old Black Magic.” Smith and Prima also performed the hit at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.

Born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely in Norfolk, Va., she was of Cherokee and Irish parentage. She started out singing at a naval air station band and got her first paying job at age 15 with the Earl Bennett band.

She was hired as “girl singer” in Prima’s big band when still a teenager, and went on the road with the band in 1948. Smith and Prima married and had two children.

The duo won a Grammy in 1959, the first year of the awards, for best pop vocal performance by a duo or group for “That Old Black Magic,” which stayed on the charts for 18 weeks. They had hit albums with “The Wildest!” and “The Wildest Show at Tahoe.”

She was also Grammy-nominated later in life for the 2001 album “Keely Sings Sinatra.”

A mainstay of the Las Vegas lounge scene for many years, she was honored in the Las Vegas Hall of Fame as well as with stars on the Hollywood and Palm Springs walks of fame.

Smith also sang in several movies including “Hey Boy! Hey Girl!,” “Senior Prom” and “Thunder Road.”

She launched as a solo artist in 1957 with “I Wish You Love,” produced by Nelson Riddle, and she followed that with “Swingin’ Pretty” and “The Intimate Keely Smith,” which was re-released last year. The album was produced by Jimmy Bowen, whom she married in 1965 after divorcing Prima in 1961.

In 2005, she played a series a well-received shows in Manhattan. Variety said, “Smith’s bold, dark voice took firm hold on a handful of great standard tunes, and she swung hard.” Her final performance was in 2011 at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center.

Survivors include her children Toni Prima and Luanne Prima...