On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Music

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely Norfolk Virginia March 9 1928 - December 16 2017 Was A Grammy Award-Winning American Jazz And Popular Music Singer Who Performed And Recorded Extensively In The 1950s With Then-Husband Louis Prima And Throughout The 1960s As A Solo-Artist. Smith Showed A Natural Aptitude For Singing At A Young Age. At 14 She Sang With A Naval Air Station Band Led By Saxie Dowell. At 15 She Got Her First Paying Job With The Earl Bennett Band. She Saw Louis Prima Perform In New York City In 1949. When He Came Through Norfolk Virginia She Auditioned. She Became The Calm Balance To Prima's Wild Antics As He Made His Way Through A Repertoire Of Jump Blues Jazz And Italian Pop Songs. They Recorded Together In 1949 And Married In 1953. Their Songs Included Johnny Mercer's And Harold Arlen's "That Ol' Black Magic" Which Was A Top 20 Hit In The US In 1958. At The 1st Annual Grammy Awards In 1959 Smith And Prima Won The First Grammy For Best Performance By A Vocal Group For "That Ol' Black Magic". Her Deadpan Act Was Popular With Fans. The Duo Followed Up With The Minor Successes "I've Got You Under My Skin" And "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" A Revival Of The 1937 Andrews Sisters Hit. Smith And Prima's Act Was A Mainstay Of The Las Vegas Lounge Scene For Much Of The 1950s. Though Her Actual Voice Was Not Used She Was Caricatured As "Squealy Smith" In Bob Clampett's 1960 Beany And Cecil Episode "So What And The Seven Whatnots " A Snow White Spoof In A Vegas Setting. Smith Appeared With Prima In The 1959 Film Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Singing "Fever" And Also Appeared In And Sang On The Soundtrack Of The Previous Year's Thunder Road. Her Song In Thunder Road Was "Whippoorwill". Her First Big Solo Hit Was "I Wish You Love" In 1957. In 1961 Smith Divorced Prima. She Then Signed With Reprise Records Where Her Musical Director Was Nelson Riddle. In 1965 She Had Top 20 Hits In The United Kingdom With An Album Of Beatles Compositions And A Single "You're Breaking My Heart" Which Reached No. 14 In April. She Returned To Singing In 1985 Recording The Album I'm In Love Again With Bud Shank And Bill Perkins. Her Albums Swing Swing Swing 2002 Keely Sings Sinatra 2001 For Which She Received A Grammy Nomination And Keely Swings Count Basie Style With Strings 2002 Won Critical And Popular Acclaim. In 1998 A Golden Palm Star On The Palm Springs Walk Of Stars Was Dedicated To Her. Smith Was Of Irish And Native American Ancestry. Married Louis Leo Prima July 13 1953 In Virginia Beach The Couple Divorced In 1961. They Had Two Children Toni Elizabeth And Luanne Francis.
Married Jimmy Bowen In 1965. The Couple Divorced In 1969.
Married Singer Bobby Milano Real Name Charles Caci In 1975 In Palm Springs. Frank Sinatra Gave The Bride Away. Smith Died Of Apparent Heart Failure In Palm Springs California On December 16t 2017 At The Age Of 89. Discography
1957 I Wish You Love Capitol 1958 Politely! Capitol 1959 Swingin' Pretty Capitol 1959 Be My Love Dot 1960 Swing You Lovers Dot 1960 A Keely Christmas Dot 1961 Twist With Keely Smith Dot 1961 Dearly Beloved Dot 1962 Because You're Mine Dot 1962 What Kind Of Fool Am I? Dot 1962 Cherokeely Swings Dot 1963 Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New Reprise 1964 The Intimate Keely Smith Reprise 1965 Keely Smith Sings The John Lennon—Paul McCartney Songbook Reprise 1965 That Old Black Magic Reprise 1985 I'm In Love Again Fantasy 2000 Swing Swing Swing Concord Jazz 2001 Keely Sings Sinatra Concord Jazz 2002 Keely Swings Basie-Style With Strings Concord Jazz 2005 Vegas '58 – Today Concord With Louis Prima 1958 Breaking It Up! Columbia 1958 Louis Prima & Keely Smith On Broadway Coronet 1959 Louis And Keely! Dot 1958 Together Dot 1961 Return Of The Wildest! Dot With Louis Prima And Sam Butera And The Witnesses 1957 The Call Of The Wildest Capitol 1957 The Wildest Show At Tahoe Capitol 1958 Las Vegas Prima Style Capitol 1959 Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Capitol 1960 On Stage Dot read less