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)
Secret Love
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love,
Became impatient to be free
So I told a friendly star,
The way that dreamers often do
Just how wonderful you are,
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Even told the golden daffodils
At last my hearts an open door,
And my secret love's
No secret anymore.
The song "Secret Love" by Keely Smith is a beautiful and heartfelt ballad about a love that was once hidden and kept secret, but now, the singer is ready to proclaim it to the world. Within the lyrics of the song, the singer reminisces about their secret love that they kept hidden deep within the heart. However, as time passed by, they could no longer contain the love they felt for their beloved and decided to confide in a friendly star. In the second verse, the singer expresses their love and the reasons why they are so in love with their secret love.
The chorus of the song is the singer proclaiming their love to the world. They shout it from the highest hills, and even tell the golden daffodils, that their heart is an open door and their secret love is no secret anymore. The song is filled with an abundance of emotion and passion - it beautifully portrays how one's heart can be consumed by secret love, and how liberating it can be when we finally share it with someone.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a secret love,
At some point in my life, I had a love that I kept secret from everyone.
That lived within the heart of me
This love was completely within me and not shared with anyone else.
All too soon my secret love,
Unfortunately, it did not remain a secret love for very long.
Became impatient to be free
It became unbearable for me to keep this love a secret any longer.
So I told a friendly star,
As a dreamer would, I confided in the stars and universe about my secret love.
The way that dreamers often do
It's common for people who dream and hope to share their feelings with the universe.
Just how wonderful you are,
I talked about how amazing and wonderful this person was.
And why I'm so in love with you
I explained the reasons why I fell in love with them.
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
I am now expressing my love for this person in the most public and enthusiastic way possible.
Even told the golden daffodils
I have even confided in things as simple as daffodils about my love for this person.
At last my hearts an open door,
I have finally opened up my heart and allowed myself to love without reservation.
And my secret love's
The love I kept hidden inside for so long
No secret anymore.
Is no longer a secret and is now out in the open for everyone to see.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind