In his youth, Prima played trumpet with Irving Fazola, his brother's band, and the pit band of the Saenger Theater. In 1933 he began his busy recording career, as part of the David Rose orchestra at station WGN, Chicago; he was also part of the small recording group The Hotcha Trio, with Rose on piano and Norman Gast on violin. In 1934 Prima moved to New York, working regularly on 52nd Street with old New Orleans friends like Eddie Miller (tenor sax and clarinet) and George Brunies (trombone), and also new acquaintances like Pee Wee Russell (clarinet). Prima's informal jazz group was known as Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, and this band recorded prolifically for Brunswick through 1936, and then for Vocalion and Decca.
Prima's 1936 composition, "Sing Sing Sing", which he had released with the New Orleans Gang in March, 1936 as a Brunswick 78, Brunswick 7628, with "It's Been So Long" as the B side, became one of his biggest hits and one of the most covered standards of the swing era; Benny Goodman's performance of the song at Carnegie Hall with a featured performance by Gene Krupa on drums has become iconic.
Louis Prima and His Band
Prima moved to Los Angeles to headline at the Famous Door nightclub. He appeared in several Hollywood movies, including a featured performance with Bing Crosby in the 1936 film Rhythm on the Range. Prima and his Dixieland Gang continued to play club dates across the nation, including a 1939 stint at New York's Hickory House.
Big bands were big business then, and Prima apparently bowed to pressure from booking agents and formed a conventional big band in 1940. He exploited a distinctive, shuffling beat (which he called "Gleeby Rhythm"); this trademark Prima shuffle remained part of his repertoire for two decades. Prima sang most of the band vocals, with Lily Ann Carol as the "girl singer." Prima's high-powered drummer at this time was Jimmy Vincent, an energetic teenager who remained with the Prima band for many years.
In 1947 he added singer Cathy Ricciardi, who recorded under the name Cathy Allen. She was succeeded in 1949 by Keely Smith (who was to become his fourth wife), and the band concentrated on novelty songs like "Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)" and "All Right, Louis, Drop the Gun." Prima's big band continued into the early 1950s, with a series of novelty recordings supervised (sometimes heavy-handedly) by record producer Mitch Miller.
Vegas years
The popularity of the big-band sound started to wane, and Prima began losing money, just as he needed it to support the pregnant Smith. Prima found work with Smith in small venues all over the East Coast. Eventually he called up his friend Bill Miller, who was then entertainment director of The Sahara nightclub and casino in Las Vegas, and asked for a job. His friend Cab Calloway warned him against the cramped Sahara lounge, but the financial pressure was too great. Prima telephoned saxophonist Sam Butera and instructed him to pick up a few musicians and go to Las Vegas in time for Prima's debut.
Prima acknowledged his new musicians for the opening-night crowd, and spontaneously asked Butera what the name of the band was. Butera ad-libbed, "The Witnesses!" From then on, Sam Butera and the Witnesses backed Prima and Smith on stage and records.
Prima and Smith worked hard throughout the 1950s, performing multiple shows a night and finishing at 6 a.m. Their efforts were rewarded with a resurgence in their popularity, and they were at least partly responsible for making the lounge at The Sahara a hotspot. On stage, Prima insisted on Smith adopting a humorless, poker-faced character that would play straight to Prima's zany ad libs. Smith actually had a fine sense of comedy that is often audible on the team's recordings; no matter how much the incorrigible Prima tried to disrupt her vocals, Smith would often come back with a funny remark of her own.
Louis Prima and Keely Smith were very much the model for Sonny & Cher: the exuberant Italian musician and the serious, exotic female singer, Smith and Cher both being of Cherokee descent (although Cher's heritage is primarily Armenian). Similarly, echoes of the stage banter between Prima and Butera would be heard years later in the early performances of the E Street Band and the interplay between Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons.
In 1959, Prima and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus for "That Old Black Magic."
In 1956 the Prima ensemble performed at the Sahara Hotel and Casino to record tracks for the album The Wildest!. It was an attempt by Capitol Records to capture the essence of the Vegas act. Over the next nine years, Prima and Smith raised two children, while he made scores of records, owned racehorses, appeared on television, and even opened a golf course. They outgrew the lounge and were promoted to the big room. They appeared in a few quickie musical films, including Senior Prom and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Prima co-produced the feature Twist All Night, in which his band also appeared.
During this whirlwind of activity, according to Smith, the couple drifted farther and farther apart. One night, he refused to conduct for one of Smith's performances, delegating to Butera instead. A few days later they were in court, petitioning for divorce.
Later years
Following the divorce, he began dating Gia Maione. Maione was a long-time fan of Prima's, was already familiar with all the arrangements to his songs, and even kept a signed photo of him in her purse. She eventually became Prima's fifth and final wife, and was with the band right up until 1975. By this point, the band was putting out a markedly different and more contemporary sound, with electric organs and synthesizers, even dabbling in progressive rock.
In 1967 Prima's distinctive voice and jazzy delivery landed him a role in Walt Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book, as the raucous orangutan King Louie. He performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack, leading to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris: The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book, on Disneyland Records. He can also be heard on the soundtrack of another cartoon feature, The Man Called Flintstone.
He suffered a mild heart attack in 1973. In 1975, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, Louis Prima sought medical attention, and found out he had a stem brain tumor. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma following surgery to remove the tumor. He never recovered, and died three years later, having been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans; his gray marble crypt is topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel. The inscription on the crypt's door quote the lyrics from one of his hits: "When the end comes, I know, they'll all say 'just a gigolo' as life goes on without me. Lovingly, your little family..."
Lazy River
Louis Prima Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
Linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
Oh, oh river with me
Up a lazy river where the old mill run
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
Linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
Up a lazy river, how happy we can be
Yeah, river
Lazy river, lazy river, lazy river
Up a lazy river where the old mill run
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
And linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
Up a lazy river, umm, crazy
River, lazy river, lazy river, lazy river
And up a lazy river where the old mill run
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
And you linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
River, it's crazy, lazy river
Lazy river, crazy river, lazy river
Up a lazy river where the old mill run
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
And you linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
The river, crazy, lazy river
River, crazy, lazy river, boy
Up a lazy river
River, river, ooh boy
River, river, river, river
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
Lazy, the river, crazy, lazy
River, it's crazy
Crazy the river
Up a lazy river with me
Louis Prima's "Lazy River" is a song about enjoying the simple moments in life and finding peace and joy in nature. The lyrics describe a lazy river, where one can relax under the shade of an old tree, listen to the robin's song, and forget about their troubles. The river is a symbol of a carefree life, where one can take their time, enjoy nature, and be happy. The song's upbeat melody reflects this light-hearted and carefree message.
The song's chorus "Up a lazy river where the old mill run, meets a lazy river in the noon day sun," sets the scene for the song. The singer wants his listeners to imagine themselves by a lazy river, with the sun shining down, and the sound of a mill run in the background. The song's second verse talks about the robin's song awakening a new morning, and the blue skies above suggesting a day full of possibilities. The song ends with the repeated chorus "Up a lazy river with me," inviting the listener to join the singer in enjoying the relaxing and carefree lifestyle that the lazy river offers.
Line by Line Meaning
Up a lazy river where the old mill run
Let's go up a river where the old mill flows
Meets a lazy river in the noon day sun
Where it merges with another river under the sun's bright rays
Linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
Pause under a gentle tree's shadow
And you throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
Leave behind all worries and dream with me
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Travel further up the river where birds sing
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
Being there will gift you a fresh morning to drift by
Blue skies up above and everyone's in love
With gorgeous blue skies overhead and love around
Up a lazy river, how happy we can be
Together, we can be immensely happy on this river
Oh, oh river with me
Come on and join me on this river
And up a lazy river where the old mill run
Again, let's go up this river with an old mill's flow
Up a lazy river where the Robin's song
Further up, where the feathered creatures sing
Awakes a bright new morning you can loaf along
And you can enjoy a new day while lounging around
River, it's crazy, lazy river
This river's so lazy, almost insane
Lazy river, crazy river, lazy river
It's so lazy, it's gone crazy; a lazy river for sure
And you linger in the shade of a kind ole tree
Sit back, relax and stay a while under that friendly tree's shade
The river, crazy, lazy river
Yep, it's true, that river is pretty crazy and impossibly lazy
Boy, up a lazy river
Friend, let's go up that lazy river
River, river, ooh boy
River, river, oh my friend
River, river, river, river
River, river, river, river
Lazy, the river, crazy, lazy
This river's a lazy, crazy one
River, it's crazy, crazy the river
This river is wild, wild, and crazy!
Up a lazy river with me
Join me and let's go up that lazy river together!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Sidney Arodin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Featureman
@UKLewis94 I agree he was sensational. I lived in Las Vegas for many years and I regret I never saw his show in person. I did record some songs at the same recording studio he used, called Dynamic Sound Studios with Roy Ward engineering. Louis had a label called PR1MA the middle letter was the number 1. Another great recording of this song by a Vegas entertainer was Si Zentner who had a big band version instrumental.
Hayden
Is this the real Featureman?
Joe Stunner Music
Timeless music, great performer. Superb!
Mr Loboto
i'd be smiling for days if i were to witness that live
trombonistpete
If I could go back in time to view any of my favourite artists, among whom are number count basie, Frank Sinatra, Louis armstrong, Traffic, The Beatles, Benny Goodman, I would go and see this cat. Possibly the greatest showman ever, I learn so much from his stage presence, I'm 17 and just wish there was more like him now a days.
Joe Carbery
What an arrangement! Great bass playing when it speeds up.
Jennifer Brooks
I agree 👍listening now
Andrew Burbank
I used to listen to him all the time when I was little! Still to this day, his songs never get old, especially Lazy River. I LOVE IT!!
dearmalika
I love Louis Prima! Fantastic performance and song!
mamabunny10
simply beautiful, can't get over his voice, love it