That Old Black Magic: Louis Prima, Keely Smith, and the Golden Age of Las Vegas by Tom Clavin Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tom Clavin
as his career progressed for choosing musical comedy over straight jazz. (They would also share the dubious distinction of having twelve spouses between them.) They were believed to be an item offstage, but what made the newspapers were the reports of their impromptu pairings on the Famous Door stage. When Louis spotted her at a table he introduced her to the audience, who demanded that she join the band.
While the Depression still held a grip on the United States, in New York City it was nonetheless a great time to be a musician, or at least a popular one. In 1919, when Prohibition began and many musicians had yet to emigrate north, there were four jazz clubs in New York. By the time Prima headlined at the Famous Door, there were thirty-five such clubs.
Yet, for the restless Prima, it was already time to go.
9
Prima and his band continued to record for the Brunswick label during their Famous Door engagement. In May 1935, when they cut a new version of “The Lady in Red,” a highlight in addition to the dueling between Louis’s trumpet and Pee Wee’s clarinet was Prima’s Armstrong-inspired scat singing. Also recorded at the time were “Chinatown” and “Chasing Shadows.” All three became hits that summer across the country, which, along with an appearance he and Raye made on Rudy Vallee’s national radio show, brought Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang to the attention of people on the West Coast.
It might have seemed like too much of a career risk for Prima to leave New York. Jack Colt had given him raises to keep him at the Famous Door. The Brunswick sessions allowed him to record his own compositions as well as standards, and the records were selling. Walter Winchell and other newspaper columnists continued to write about him regularly. He was only twenty-four, and there was plenty of time to become an even bigger success in New York. But apparently, other than of mobsters, Prima had no fear. When he was approached about having a piece of a Famous Door nightclub in Los Angeles, he and his band packed their bags.
First there was a trip that had to be especially sweet for Prima—to New Orleans. When the train arrived that September, it signaled a triumphant return. In less than a year he had gone from local stardom to national recognition and being one of the biggest names in the Big Apple. With the now-named New Orleans Five, he performed for cheering crowds for five nights at the Shim Sham Club, at 229 Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, owned by his brother, Leon, who had also achieved success in New Orleans but apparently did not share his brother’s grander ambitions. Prima’s return was a jolt of good news for the city, which was in mourning over the assassination of Governor Huey Long only a few days earlier.
Jack Colt never had the same success at the Famous Door with another act. Billie Holiday, in her first show outside of Harlem clubs, was one of the performers who replaced Prima on that stage, and even she, with Teddy Wilson on piano, could not generate similar excitement. No doubt even worse for Holiday was the fact that she was not permitted to sit at a table or the bar, and so between sets she had to sit upstairs just outside the toilets. After four nights, she was fired.
Colt contacted Prima and offered another raise if he would come back to New York, but the bandleader was too intrigued by what Los Angeles had to offer. After filling up on Angelina’s cooking and visiting with the family (spending very little time with Louise and Joyce), Louis got back on a train, this time heading west.
In Los Angeles, the Hollywood Famous Door opened on Vine Street. The nightclub swells had never seen an act like Louis Prima and the New Orleans Five, and they ate it up. Leon had tagged along to manage the band, and he was able to see the impact the boisterous show had on audiences. Also soon returning on guitar was Frank Federico, who became a Prima sideman for the
While the Depression still held a grip on the United States, in New York City it was nonetheless a great time to be a musician, or at least a popular one. In 1919, when Prohibition began and many musicians had yet to emigrate north, there were four jazz clubs in New York. By the time Prima headlined at the Famous Door, there were thirty-five such clubs.
Yet, for the restless Prima, it was already time to go.
9
Prima and his band continued to record for the Brunswick label during their Famous Door engagement. In May 1935, when they cut a new version of “The Lady in Red,” a highlight in addition to the dueling between Louis’s trumpet and Pee Wee’s clarinet was Prima’s Armstrong-inspired scat singing. Also recorded at the time were “Chinatown” and “Chasing Shadows.” All three became hits that summer across the country, which, along with an appearance he and Raye made on Rudy Vallee’s national radio show, brought Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang to the attention of people on the West Coast.
It might have seemed like too much of a career risk for Prima to leave New York. Jack Colt had given him raises to keep him at the Famous Door. The Brunswick sessions allowed him to record his own compositions as well as standards, and the records were selling. Walter Winchell and other newspaper columnists continued to write about him regularly. He was only twenty-four, and there was plenty of time to become an even bigger success in New York. But apparently, other than of mobsters, Prima had no fear. When he was approached about having a piece of a Famous Door nightclub in Los Angeles, he and his band packed their bags.
First there was a trip that had to be especially sweet for Prima—to New Orleans. When the train arrived that September, it signaled a triumphant return. In less than a year he had gone from local stardom to national recognition and being one of the biggest names in the Big Apple. With the now-named New Orleans Five, he performed for cheering crowds for five nights at the Shim Sham Club, at 229 Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, owned by his brother, Leon, who had also achieved success in New Orleans but apparently did not share his brother’s grander ambitions. Prima’s return was a jolt of good news for the city, which was in mourning over the assassination of Governor Huey Long only a few days earlier.
Jack Colt never had the same success at the Famous Door with another act. Billie Holiday, in her first show outside of Harlem clubs, was one of the performers who replaced Prima on that stage, and even she, with Teddy Wilson on piano, could not generate similar excitement. No doubt even worse for Holiday was the fact that she was not permitted to sit at a table or the bar, and so between sets she had to sit upstairs just outside the toilets. After four nights, she was fired.
Colt contacted Prima and offered another raise if he would come back to New York, but the bandleader was too intrigued by what Los Angeles had to offer. After filling up on Angelina’s cooking and visiting with the family (spending very little time with Louise and Joyce), Louis got back on a train, this time heading west.
In Los Angeles, the Hollywood Famous Door opened on Vine Street. The nightclub swells had never seen an act like Louis Prima and the New Orleans Five, and they ate it up. Leon had tagged along to manage the band, and he was able to see the impact the boisterous show had on audiences. Also soon returning on guitar was Frank Federico, who became a Prima sideman for the
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