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)
Pretend
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You′re happy when you're blue
It isn′t very hard to do
And you'll find happiness without an end
Whenever you pretend
Remember anyone can dream
And nothing's bad as it may seem
Could be a lot if you′d pretend
You'll find a love you can share
One you can call all your own
Just close your eyes
He′ll be there
You'll never be alone
And if you sing this melody
You′ll be pretending just like me
The world is mine
It can be yours my friend
So why don't you pretend.
Keely Smith's song "Pretend" is a classic tune from the 1950s that encourages the listener to find happiness through the power of imagination. The lyrics suggest that happiness isn't always easy to come by, but if you pretend that everything is okay, you'll feel better. The song addresses a broad audience with its message of optimism and encouragement.
Keely Smith invites the listeners to pretend to be happy even when they're feeling blue. It's a common idea that people's moods ultimately affect their behavior and vice versa. However, the song suggests that if people can imagine that they're happy, they'll find happiness without end. Smith's lyrics also imply that nothing is as bad as it seems in the moment, and that the little things one doesn't have could be good enough if they pretend. She also urges her listeners to imagine a world where they can find true love, close their eyes and find comfort in the security of companionship, and believes that the power of the mind can make such a world a reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretend
Let's imagine
You're happy when you're blue
Let's pretend you are not feeling sad
It isn't very hard to do
It's easy to fake happiness
And you'll find happiness without an end
By pretending to be happy, you will eventually become happy for real
Whenever you pretend
In every moment of pretending
Remember anyone can dream
Everyone is allowed to imagine
And nothing's bad as it may seem
Things are not as bad as they may appear
The little things you haven't got
The things you lack
Could be a lot if you'd pretend
Wouldn't seem so bad if you pretended they weren't missing
You'll find a love you can share
You can find someone to love
One you can call all your own
You can have a special person of your own
Just close your eyes
Imagine
He'll be there
Your loved one will appear in your thoughts
You'll never be alone
You won't feel lonely anymore
And if you sing this melody
If you sing along to this song
You'll be pretending just like me
You'll be pretending to be happy, just like I do
The world is mine
I feel like I have everything
It can be yours my friend
You too can feel this way
So why don't you pretend
So why don't you fake it until you make it?
Writer(s): L. Douglas, C. Parman, D. Belloc, F. La Vere
Contributed by Riley I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jymster46
I love her rendition too! Thanks so much for listening! Jim
ClassicDamsel
Yes, this song is absolutely beautiful and Ms. Smith does it complete justice! She makes it her own with that lovely, silky voice of hers. I love it! Thank you so much for sharing it!
J.R. Klink
Absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!
Jymster46
@sorrowfulflower Hi Heather! She has a style all her own and it is one that I love. I am so happy that you liked it and I thank you very much for listening and passing along such nice comments, they mean a lot! And, that "Bravo" is like Whipped Cream on top...Thanks so much!! Jim
Jymster46
@ClassicDamsel Silky voice is right on! Very well put Miss Damsel! Thank you so much for listening and thank you so much for your great comments! I am tickled that you liked it! Cheers! Jim
Jymster46
@CIB67 Very well put, Les! I agree! She is a wonderful song stylist, for sure. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Jim
CIB67
10/27/11 ~ AWESOMELY FANTASTIC VIDEO AND KEELY OWENS THIS SONG I DON'T THINK THERE IS A BETTER VERSION BY ANYONE ~ LES ~ COLLINGSWOOD, NJ ~
J.R. Klink
I am sharing again on FB!