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)
The Man I Love
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is where our story ends
Never lovers, ever friends
Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day
But before you walk away
I sincerely want to say
To give your heart a song to sing
And then a kiss, but more than this I wish you love
And in July, a lemonade
To cool you in some leafy glade
I wish you health and more than wealth, I wish you love
My breaking heart and I agree
That you and I could never be
So with my best, my very best, I set you free
I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all, when snowflakes fall
I wish you love
I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all, when snowflakes fall
I wish you love
In Keely Smith's song "I Wish You Love," the singer is bidding goodbye to a non-romantic relationship that has run its course. The opening lines, "Goodbye, no use leading with our chins/This is where our story ends," suggest that there is no need for either party to put on any bravado or false fronts; they both know that it is time to part ways. However, the farewell is not bitter; rather, it is tinged with bittersweet wistfulness. The singer hopes that the person she is saying goodbye to will find happiness and contentment, even if it is not with her. This is made clear in the lyrics "But most of all, when snowflakes fall/I wish you love," which demonstrate that the singer's farewell is filled with genuine warmth and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye, no use leading with our chins
Farewell, there is no point in being optimistic
This is where our story ends
Our relationship is now over
Never lovers, ever friends
We never had a romantic connection, only a friendship
Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day
Let's end it here, in our hearts
But before you walk away
Before you depart from me
I sincerely want to say
I truly want to express
I wish you bluebirds in the Spring
I want you to have happiness and joy in life
To give your heart a song to sing
To fill your heart with pleasant emotions
And then a kiss, but more than this I wish you love
I desire for you to experience love that goes beyond physical actions
And in July, a lemonade
In the summer months, I wish for you refreshing relief
To cool you in some leafy glade
To relax you in some natural surroundings
I wish you health and more than wealth, I wish you love
I wish for you good health and fulfillment that surpasses material wealth
My breaking heart and I agree
My heart in pain and I both acknowledge
That you and I could never be
Our relationship was doomed from the start
So with my best, my very best, I set you free
I release you with the utmost sincerity and good intentions
I wish you shelter from the storm
I desire for you comfort and protection in difficult situations
A cozy fire to keep you warm
I want you to have warmth and security
But most of all, when snowflakes fall
Above all else, in moments of vulnerability
I wish you love
I wish for you to experience true love
I wish you shelter from the storm
I desire for you comfort and protection in difficult situations
A cozy fire to keep you warm
I want you to have warmth and security
But most of all, when snowflakes fall
Above all else, in moments of vulnerability
I wish you love
I wish for you to experience true love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Drew Barfield, Paul Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
catman916
She is one of the greatest singers, period!
Dean Chovan
I agree, Catman
Jean Fleming
absolutely love this singer, she never gives a bad performance.
catman916
She deserves much greater recognition. I have tried to do my part by uploading many of her recordings, Jean.
Ricardo da Mata
That's a fact!
Peter Farrar
The Gershwin brothers were responsible for this beautiful romantic ballad "The Man I love". The magical combination of Keely Smith & the superb backing orchestra of Nelson Riddle raised this musical episode into a supreme high level of entertainment for all music lovers to enjoy. Keely Smith's powerful performance came from the depth of her heart & sou,l with every vocal chord delivered with precision & crystal clear clarity. What an unforgettable performance by an international super star. Other leading female artists recorded this beautiful ba!!lad but justice prevailed & they we're deleted as opposition.
Jean Fleming
thanks for uploading all her recordings ,her voice is so beautiful .I could listen to her all day.
catman916
You're welcome, Jean. As you can tell, I'm a big Keely fan.
brianjavea
I do
allieddrsc1
She is simply magnificent !!!