Louis Leo Prima (/ˈluːi ˈpriːmə/; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978)[1] was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader.

While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he formed a seven-piece New Orleans–style jazz band in the late 1920s, fronted a swing combo in the 1930s and a big band group in the 1940s, helped to popularize jump blues in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s, and performed frequently as a Vegas lounge act beginning in the 1950s.

Prima is also known for providing the voice for the orangutan King Louie in the 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book.

[3] Prima was the second child of four; his older brother, Leon, was born in 1907, while his sisters Elizabeth and Marguerite were younger.

[4] When Leon left the house to spend one summer in Texas, Prima practiced continuously on his worn-down cornet.

He formed a band in 1924 with his childhood friends "Candy" Candido (bass), Irving Fazola (clarinet) and Johnny Viviano (drums).

In 1927, he partnered with fellow musician Frank Federico and the pair played at "The Whip", a run-down French Quarter nightclub.

[4] After finishing high school in New Orleans, Prima had a few unsuccessful gigs, including when he joined the Ellis Stratako Orchestra in 1929.

Guy Lombardo met Prima while he was performing at club Shim Sham during the Mardi Gras season of 1934.

[4] Prima and his New Orleans Gang featured Frank Pinero playing piano, Jack Ryan on bass, Garrett McAdams on guitar, and Pee Wee Russell on clarinet.

[4] In 1937, Prima and his smaller gang (Federico, Masinter, Pinero, and Meyer Weinberg on clarinet) returned to the Famous Door in New York to perform.

He was booked by William Morris Agency in late 1938,[4] which sent him to Boston, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami Beach, New Orleans, and St.

Deemed unfit for military service in World War II because of a knee injury, Prima continued performing.

Despite the anti-Italian sentiment during the war, Prima continued to record Italian songs, the most famous being "Angelina", named after his mother.

[4] Fans knew Prima as a genial and patient celebrity: he always signed autographs or posed for pictures with a smile.

[4] To the record companies and big corporations, however, Prima showed little deference, and he was uncompromising in seeking maximum compensation for his work.

[4] He had protracted disputes with the Strand Theatre in New York City and Majestic Records, and he flatly refused to allow a former songwriter to advertise herself as "formerly featured with Louis Prima's orchestra".

[4] Prima had expensive tastes: he shopped at luxury clothing stores and always wore top-brand suits.

Throughout his sixteen-month contract, his top hits consisted of "Chop Suey, Chow Mein", "Ooh-Dahdily-Dah", and "Chili Sauce".

[4] To support his horses and manage his expenses, he chose to drop his big band and play in lesser clubs.

[4] In January 1961, Prima was invited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the inaugural gala for President John F. Kennedy; the two played "Old Black Magic" together.

After finishing up their contract at the Desert Inn, she filed for divorce at the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Prima said, "I have no desire whatsoever to have any dealings with Keely Smith under any conditions…There is nothing in the world or no one that could ever make me accept this woman in our act.

[citation needed] He was also in the middle of making appearances in Las Vegas and promoting the film Twist All Night.

[4] In 1967, Prima landed a role in Walt Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book, as the raucous orangutan King Louie.

He performed the hit song "I Wan'na Be like You" on the soundtrack, leading to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris: The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book, and covering MC duties and singing the theme song "Winnie the Pooh", for the 1967 album entitled Happy Birthday Winnie the Pooh, all of these on Disneyland Records.

[9] Prima was married to Louise Polizzi from 1929 to 1936; Alma Ross from 1936 to 1945; Tracelene Barrett from 1945 to 1952; Keely Smith from 1953 to 1961; and Gia Maione in 1963.

Two years later, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, he sought medical attention, and was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor.

He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in a gray marble crypt topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel, sculpted by Russian-born sculptor Alexei Kazantsev.

[1][10] Prima's expected visit to a small Italian restaurant drives the plot of the critically acclaimed 1996 film Big Night.