Louis Prima was born on December 7, 1910 in New Orleans, LA. He was the son of Anthony and Angelina, who were from Sicily and Ustica, respectively. His mother believed that music was incredibly important, and made sure that all of her children played an instrument. Louis at first played the violin, but became interested in jazz after hearing the music at local clubs. He picked up the cornet and started a band with his high school friends.

After a slew of unsuccessful gigs and recordings, Louis released the single "The Lady in Red" in 1935. It was his first hit. Less than a year later he recorded the swing song "Sing, Sing, Sing," which became synonymous with the genre after Benny Goodman recorded a version of the tune.

Read more

Source: https://osia.wordpress.com/