Throughout his long career, Louis Prima was a New Orleans-based trumpeter, a good-humored singer, and a lovable personality. While his wide-ranging career can easily be divided into three periods, Prima’s image was always consistent. He both celebrated and made fun of his Italian heritage, displayed the influence of Louis Armstrong in both his singing and playing, and carved out his own musical niche.

Louis Prima was born on December 7, 1910 in New Orleans. His older brother, Leon Prima (born in 1907), was a trumpeter and cornetist who recorded with Tony Parenti during 1925-28, worked with his sibling’s big band in the mid-1940s, and had a record date of his own in 1954 but never became that well known outside of New Orleans.