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)
April In Paris
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart
The song "April in Paris" by Keely Smith is a nostalgic and dreamy piece about the beauty of spring in Paris, and how it can awaken a sense of wonder and joy in the human heart. The opening lines suggest that the singer has never experienced the full effect of spring before, and perhaps was not even aware of its charm or allure. But then something magical happens - she finds herself in Paris during the month of April, and suddenly everything changes. The scent of chestnut blossoms fills the air, and people gather around holiday tables under the trees. She feels a sense of wonder and delight that she knows can never be replicated or repeated - it is a singular experience, unique and unforgettable.
The chorus repeats the idea that the singer had never known how beautiful spring could be until she visited Paris in April. She is overwhelmed by the realization that her heart can sing, and that she had been missing out on the warmth and tenderness of a lover's embrace. The memory of that time has stayed with her, and she is left wondering whom she can turn to now that she has experienced such a profound connection. Overall, the song captures the bittersweet nostalgia of a fleeting moment of beauty, and the longing that follows when it is gone.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew the charm of spring
I've never quite understood or experienced the true allure and magic of the season of rebirth and renewal.
I never met it face to face
I've never encountered spring in such a tangible, intimate way.
I never knew my heart could sing
I've never felt my heart so alive and upbeat, brimming with joy and contentment.
I never missed a warm embrace
I've never yearned for a tender, enveloping hug in my life, nor have I ever known the bittersweet pain of someone's absence.
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Except for that one time I was in Paris during April and witnessed firsthand the breathtaking sight of chestnut trees blooming.
Holiday tables under the trees
I spotted tables festively decorated with spring flowers and colorful dishes, all arranged amid the lush greenery of the park.
April in Paris, this is a feeling
The emotions that coursed through me at that moment were unlike anything else I've experienced before, a mix of wonder, delight, and wistfulness.
That no one can ever reprise
That special moment, that fleeting season, can never be relived or replicated, as magical moments are unique and irreplaceable.
Till April in Paris
Until that day when my heart was ignited and my soul stirred by the beauty and grandeur of Paris in the springtime.
Whom can I run to
Who else can I turn to or rely upon in such an awe-inspiring moment?
What have you done to my heart
What sorcery or spell have you cast upon me to transform me so utterly and irrevocably?
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, VERNON DUKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DouglassD
Like fingernails on a chalkboard. No emotion, just straight singing...