Died On This Date (August 24, 1978) Louis Prima / Jazz Legend

Louis Prima
December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978

Louis Prima was a popular jazz trumpeter, singer, and band leader who came to prominence performing and recording with his then-wife, Keely Smith.  Thanks to his big personality on stage, Prima and his jazz combo became a popular Las Vegas draw during the ’50s.  Prima and Smith won a Grammy in 1959 for their single, “That Old Black Magic.”  His widest exposure came thanks to the 1967 Disney film, Jungle Book.  In it, Prima voiced the popular orangutan, King Louie and sang the hit song, “I Wanna Be Like You.”  In 1975, Prima’s doctors discovered a stem brain tumor.  During the surgery to remove it, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, putting him into a coma.  He passed away on August 24, 1978 at the age of 67.

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Capitol Collectors Series: Louis Prima - Louis Prima

Died On This Date (June 3, 2009) Sam Butera / Played Sax For Louis Prima

Sam Butera
August 17, 1927 – June 3, 2009

buteraBorn and raised in New Orleans, Sam Butera took up the saxophone as a child.  Almost immediately after he graduated from high school, Butera was playing professionally, and within a few years in was playing with the likes of Tommy Dorsey.  In 1956, Butera hooked up with Louis Prima and Keely Smith and became part of their famed live act and recordings.   He stayed with Prima for the next two decades and can be heard on such classic recordings as “Old Black Magic” and “I Want To Be Like You” from Disney’s The Jungle Book.  Sam Butera passed away at the age of 81.

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When You're Smiling - Sam Butera