Smith showed a natural aptitude for singing at a young age. At 14, she sang with a naval air station band led by Saxie Dowell. At 15, she got her first paying job with the Earl Bennett band.
She saw Louis Prima perform in New York City in 1949. When he came through Norfolk, Virginia, she auditioned. She became the calm balance to Prima's wild antics, as he made his way through a repertoire of jump blues, jazz, and Italian pop songs. They recorded together in 1949 and married in 1953.
Their songs included Johnny Mercer's and Harold Arlen's "That Ol' Black Magic", which was a Top 20 hit in the US in 1958. At the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959, Smith and Prima won the first Grammy for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for "That Ol' Black Magic". Her deadpan act was popular with fans. The duo followed up with the minor successes "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", a revival of the 1937 Andrews Sisters hit. Smith and Prima's act was a mainstay of the Las Vegas lounge scene for much of the 1950s. Though her actual voice was not used, she was caricatured as "Squealy Smith" in Bob Clampett's 1960 Beany and Cecil episode "So What and the Seven Whatnots," a Snow White spoof in a Vegas setting.
Smith appeared with Prima in the 1959 film, Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, singing "Fever", and also appeared in and sang on the soundtrack of the previous year's Thunder Road. Her song in Thunder Road was "Whippoorwill". Her first big solo hit was "I Wish You Love" in 1957. In 1961, Smith divorced Prima. She then signed with Reprise Records, where her musical director was Nelson Riddle. In 1965, she had Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom with an album of Beatles compositions, and a single, "You're Breaking My Heart" which reached No. 14 in April.
She returned to singing in 1985, recording the album I'm in Love Again with Bud Shank and Bill Perkins. Her albums, Swing, Swing, Swing (2002), Keely Sings Sinatra (2001) for which she received a Grammy nomination, and Keely Swings Count Basie Style with Strings (2002) won critical and popular acclaim.
In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.
Smith was of Irish and Native American ancestry.
Married Louis Leo Prima July 13, 1953, in Virginia Beach; the couple divorced in 1961. They had two children: Toni Elizabeth and Luanne Francis.
Married Jimmy Bowen in 1965. The couple divorced in 1969.
Married singer Bobby Milano (real name Charles Caci) in 1975 in Palm Springs. Frank Sinatra gave the bride away.
Smith died of apparent heart failure in Palm Springs California on December 16t, 2017 at the age of 89.
Discography
1957 I Wish You Love (Capitol)
1958 Politely! (Capitol)
1959 Swingin' Pretty (Capitol)
1959 Be My Love (Dot)
1960 Swing, You Lovers (Dot)
1960 A Keely Christmas (Dot)
1961 Twist With Keely Smith (Dot)
1961 Dearly Beloved (Dot)
1962 Because You're Mine (Dot)
1962 What Kind of Fool Am I? (Dot)
1962 Cherokeely Swings (Dot)
1963 Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New (Reprise)
1964 The Intimate Keely Smith (Reprise)
1965 Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon—Paul McCartney Songbook (Reprise)
1965 That Old Black Magic (Reprise)
1985 I'm In Love Again (Fantasy)
2000 Swing, Swing, Swing (Concord Jazz)
2001 Keely Sings Sinatra (Concord Jazz)
2002 Keely Swings Basie-Style With Strings (Concord Jazz)
2005 Vegas '58 – Today (Concord)
With Louis Prima
1958 Breaking It Up! (Columbia)
1958 Louis Prima & Keely Smith on Broadway (Coronet)
1959 Louis and Keely! (Dot)
1958 Together (Dot)
1961 Return of the Wildest! (Dot)
With Louis Prima and Sam Butera and the Witnesses
1957 The Call of the Wildest (Capitol)
1957 The Wildest Show at Tahoe (Capitol)
1958 Las Vegas Prima Style (Capitol)
1959 Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (Capitol)
1960 On Stage (Dot)
All the Things You Are
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something to make my heart beat the faster.
What did I long for? I never really knew.
Finding your love I've found my adventure,
Touching your hand, my heart beats the faster,
All that I want in all of this world is you.
You are the promised kiss of springtime
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You are the angel glow that lights a star,
The dearest things I know are what you are.
Some day my happy arms will hold you,
And some day I'll know that moment divine,
When all the things you are, are mine!
In Keely Smith's All the Things You Are, the singer begins by expressing a longing for adventure and excitement, but acknowledging that they have never really known what they want. That all changes when they find the love of their life, and their perspective transforms. They describe their partner as the promised kiss of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem long, the breathless hush of evening that trembles on the brink of a lovely song, and an angelic glow that lights up the stars. In essence, the partner is all that matters in the world to them.
The last stanza of the song indicates a hope for a future where the singer can hold their partner and have all the things that truly matter - their love and presence. The song is a heartfelt love ballad that describes the overwhelming feelings of finding one's soulmate.
Line by Line Meaning
Time and again I've longed for adventure,
I have often wished to experience something exciting and new.
Something to make my heart beat the faster.
Something that would make me feel alive and fill me with adrenaline.
What did I long for? I never really knew.
I was unsure of what I truly wanted in life.
Finding your love I've found my adventure,
In finding your love, I have discovered the excitement and fulfillment I was searching for.
Touching your hand, my heart beats the faster,
Being close to you brings me great joy and excitement.
All that I want in all of this world is you.
You are the only thing I truly desire in this world.
You are the promised kiss of springtime
You represent the joy and renewal of springtime, promising new beginnings and warmth.
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
Your absence makes the cold and lonely winter season seem endless and unbearable.
You are the breathless hush of evening
In the quiet of the evening, you are the peaceful stillness that takes my breath away.
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You inspire me to create a beautiful melody, one that starts hesitantly but grows stronger and more joyful as it progresses.
You are the angel glow that lights a star,
You are the brilliant light that illuminates the sky, making everything else seem dim by comparison.
The dearest things I know are what you are.
You are the most precious thing in my life, and nothing else can compare to you.
Some day my happy arms will hold you,
I look forward to the day when I can hold and embrace you with joy.
And some day I'll know that moment divine,
I anticipate the moment of great wonder and amazement when I will truly understand your importance to me.
When all the things you are, are mine!
When I have you and possess all that you embody, I will be the happiest person on earth.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind