Keely Smith
Encyclopedia
Keely Smith is an American
jazz
and popular music
singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima
and Frank Sinatra
.
. At 15, she got her first paying job with the Earl Bennett band.
Smith made her professional debut with Louis Prima in 1949 (the couple were married in 1953); Smith played the "straight guy
" in the duo to Prima's wild antics and they recorded many duets. These include Johnny Mercer
's and Harold Arlen
's "That Ol' Black Magic
", which was a Top 20 hit in the US in 1958. In 1959, Smith and Prima were awarded the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
for "That Ol' Black Magic". Her "dead-pan" act was a hit 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.
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 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
". Her Reprise recordings have never been made available on CD.
In 1985, she made a comeback with I'm In Love Again (Fantasy Records) . Her albums, Swing, Swing, Swing (2002), Keely Sings Sinatra (2001) for which she was Grammy nominated, and Keely Swings Count Basie Style with Strings (2002) garnered critical and fan acclaim.
of her best known songs, all recorded live. Smith has re-recorded a number of songs from her Prima years, including a modified version of "Oh Marie," which has been renamed "Oh Louis" in tribute. By her own admission, she has never had a singing lesson and cannot read music.
She works a light touring schedule. She was booked at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City in 2007. On February 10, 2008, Smith performed "That Old Black Magic" with Kid Rock
at the 50th Grammy Awards
.
. The couple divorced in 1969.
Smith married musician Bobby Milano in 1975 in Palm Springs. Frank Sinatra gave the bride away.
, including the Franklin R. Levy Award for Musical in an Intimate Theatre, which it won. Smith herself attended a performance, as recounted at the show's official website.
Keely Smith
Keely Smith with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra
Louis Prima and Keely Smith
Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera and the Witnesses
Appears on (various artist compilations)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
.
Career
Smith showed a natural aptitude for singing at a young age. At 14, she started singing with a naval air station band led by Saxie DowellSaxie Dowell
Horace Kirby "Saxie" Dowell was an American jazz and pop music bandleader and singer and songwriter.Dowell was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill where he met Hal Kemp. He joined Kemp's orchestra as a reed player and vocalist in the fall of...
. At 15, she got her first paying job with the Earl Bennett band.
Smith made her professional debut with Louis Prima in 1949 (the couple were married in 1953); Smith played the "straight guy
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
" in the duo to Prima's wild antics and they recorded many duets. These include Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
's and Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
's "That Ol' Black Magic
That Old Black Magic (song)
"That Old Black Magic" is a popular song. The music was written by Harold Arlen, with the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1942 and has become an often-recorded standard with versions by Glenn Miller, the singers Margaret Whiting, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mercer himself,...
", which was a Top 20 hit in the US in 1958. In 1959, Smith and Prima were awarded the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
The Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus was awarded from 1959 to 1960. In 1961 the award was split into two awards for Best Performance by a Vocal Group and Best Performance by a Chorus....
for "That Ol' Black Magic". Her "dead-pan" act was a hit with fans. The duo followed up with the minor successes "I've Got You Under My Skin
I've Got You Under My Skin
"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song by Cole Porter.I've Got You Under My Skin may also refer to:* "I've Got You Under My Skin" , a 1998 episode of the television series Charmed...
" 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
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
lounge scene for much of the 1950s.
Smith appeared with Prima in the 1959 film, Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, singing "Fever
Fever (1956 song)
"Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958....
", and also appeared in and sang on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the previous year's Thunder Road
Thunder Road
Thunder Road is the title of a 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the early 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the...
. Her song in Thunder Road was "Whippoorwill". Her first big solo
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
hit was "I Wish You Love". In 1961, Smith divorced Prima. She then signed with Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, where her musical director was Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
. In 1965, she had Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
of Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
compositions, and a single, "You're Breaking My Heart
You're Breaking My Heart
"You're Breaking My Heart" is a popular song. The song was published in 1948. Though credited to Pat Genaro and Sunny Skylar, the song is just an American version of the famous Italian song 'Mattinata' written by Ruggero Leoncavallo in the beginning of 20th century.Popular versions on the charts...
". Her Reprise recordings have never been made available on CD.
In 1985, she made a comeback with I'm In Love Again (Fantasy Records) . Her albums, Swing, Swing, Swing (2002), Keely Sings Sinatra (2001) for which she was Grammy nominated, and Keely Swings Count Basie Style with Strings (2002) garnered critical and fan acclaim.
Later career
Smith released Vegas '58 – Today a compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of her best known songs, all recorded live. Smith has re-recorded a number of songs from her Prima years, including a modified version of "Oh Marie," which has been renamed "Oh Louis" in tribute. By her own admission, she has never had a singing lesson and cannot read music.
She works a light touring schedule. She was booked at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City in 2007. On February 10, 2008, Smith performed "That Old Black Magic" with Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
.
Personal life
Smith married Louis Prima in 1953 and divorced him in 1961. They had three children. In 1965, she married Jimmy BowenJimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
. The couple divorced in 1969.
Smith married musician Bobby Milano in 1975 in Palm Springs. Frank Sinatra gave the bride away.
Musical
In 2008, Vanessa Claire Smith and Jake Broder wrote and starred in the new musical, Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, which premiered at Los Angeles' Sacred Fools Theatre Company and went on to be nominated for four Ovation AwardsOvation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
, including the Franklin R. Levy Award for Musical in an Intimate Theatre, which it won. Smith herself attended a performance, as recounted at the show's official website.
Discography
Soundtracks- Thunder Road (1958)
- Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (1959) Soundtrack album T-1160 (Capitol) US
- Raging Bull (1980)
- DTV: Golden Oldies (1984)
- Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
- Cobb (1994)
- Destiny Turns on the Radio (1995)
- Casino (1995)
- Big Night (1996) Soundtrack CD TVT 8040-2 (TVT Soundtrax) US
- Blast From the Past (1999)
- The Out-of-Towners (1999)
- Amy's Orgasm (2001)
- Don't Say a Word (2001)
- Deuces Wild (2002)
- Take the Lead (2006)
- The Sopranos-Walk Like a Man (2007)
- We Own the Night (2007) CD (Lakeshore)
- Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007)
- Igor (2008)
- Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me (2009)
- How to Make it in America-Crisp (2010)
Keely Smith
- I Wish You Love (1957) LP Album T-914 (Capitol) US
- Politely! (1958) LP Album T-1073 (Capitol) US
- Swingin’ Pretty (1959) LP Album T1145 (Capitol) UK
- Little Girl Blue, Little Girl New (1961) R-6086 (Reprise)
- That Old Black Magic (1965) R 6165 (Reprise) UK reissue Valiant VS113
- Sings the John Lennon-Paul McCartney Songbook (1965) EP R 30042 (Reprise) UK
- You’re Breaking My Heart/Crazy (1965) single R 20346 (Reprise) UK
- Your Love/The Loving Set (1971) single promo 74-0543 (RCA) US
- I Wish You Love (1982) LP Album APCL 3325 (Applause) US
- The Best of the Capitol Years (1990) CD (EMI)
- What Kind of Fool Am I (1994) CD (Jasmine)
- 1963 Live Guard Sessions (1994) CD (Jazz Band)
- I'm In Love Again (1995) Vinyl F-9639 (Fantasy)
- Spotlight on Keely Smith (1995) CD (Capitol)
- Be My Love (1999) CD (Jasmine)
- Because You're Mine (1999) CD (Jasmine)
- Swing, Swing, Swing (2000) CD (Concord)
- Keely Sings Sinatra (2000) CD (Concord)
- Politely!/ Swinging Pretty (2000) CD (Concord)
- Keely Swings Basie Style with Strings (2002) CD (Concord)
- Absolutely the Best (2002) CD (Varese Sarabande)
- I Wish You Love (2003) CD (Collector's Choice)
- Swing You Lovers (2004) CD (Jasmine)
- Cherokeely Swings (2004) CD (Jasmine)
- Dearly Beloved (2004) CD (Jasmine)
- Vegas '58 -- Today Recorded Live at Feinsteins at the Regency (2005) CD (Concord)
- Essential Capitol Collection (2007) CD (Capitol)
- The Very Best of Keely Smith (2008) CD (EMI)
- A Keely Christmas (2009) CD (Jasmine)
- Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New (unknown date) LP Album R-6086 (Reprise) US
- Somethin’ Wonderful Happened/Have You Ever Been Lonely (unknown date) single R 0374 (Reprise) US
Keely Smith with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra
- It’s Magic (1959) EP EAP 1-20629 (Capitol) UK
- The Surfboard (2006) CD DR 635 (Drive) Italy
Louis Prima and Keely Smith
- Louis Prima -The Wildest! (1957) LP Album T 755 (Capitol) US
- Louis Prima – The Wildest Show at Tahoe (1958) LP Album T 908 (Capitol) US
- Louis and Keely (1959) LP Album DLP 25210 (Dot) US
- When My Baby Smiles at Me/Paradise (1960) single 45-16060 (Dot) US
- Begin the Beguine/Surprise Package (1961) single 45-16192 (Dot) US
- Breaking It Up! (1998) CD CK 65259 (Columbia) US
- Box of Oldies (unknown date) LP Album S-74 (Spin-O-Rama) US
- Greatest Hits (unknown date) CD 66096 CeDe International) Europe
- Louis Prima – Capitol Collectors Series (1991) CD P 7 94072 2 (Capitol) UK, Europe, US
- The Best of Louis Prima-Just a Gigolo (1996) CD 07243 8 52866 2 (EMI) France
- Louis Prima-The Original (1996) CD TO 864682 (Disky) Europe
- Louis Prima-Beepin’ and Boppin’ (1999) CD HIPD-40160 (Hip-O) US
- Louis Prima (2001) CD FG004 (Forever Gold) UK
Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera and the Witnesses
- Las Vegas Prima Style (1958) LP Album T1010 (Capitol) US
- That Old Black Magic/And You Are My Love (1958) single 45-CL 14948 (Capitol) UK
- Bueno Sera-The Best, The Wildest (1999) CD RMB 75076 (Remember) Portugal
- Ultra Lounge-Wild, Cool and Swingin’ (1999) 2xCD 7243 5 20437 2 9 (Capitol) US
Appears on (various artist compilations)
- From the Sound Capitol of the World (1961) Promo LP PRO 1759/1760 (Capitol) US
- Sophisticated Ladies (1987) 2xCD VSOP LP 102 (Connoiseur Collection) UK
- EMI Hot Shots Nr 7 (1991) CD CDP 519 105 (EMI Electrola) Germany
- Memories Are Made of This (1992) CD CDP 7 98670 2 (Capitol) US
- Sweet and Lovely-Capitol’s Great Ladies of Song Vol 1 (1992) CD CDP 7 97802 2 (Capitol) US
- Sentimental Journey-Capitol’s Great Ladies of Song Vol 2 (1992) CD CDP 7 98014 2 (Capitol) US
- Cocktail Mix Vol 3 (1996) CD R2 72239 (Rhino) US
- Mega Jukebox Hits (1996) CD HR 871792 (Disky) UK
- Ultra Lounge Part 1-The Leopard Skin Sampler (1996) CD P 7243 8 38376 2 5 (Capitol) US
- Ultra Lounge Vol 5-Wild, Cool and Swingin’ (1996) CD (Capitol) US
- Ultra Lounge Vol 15-Wild, Cool and Swingin’ Too! (1997) CD 7243 8 53411 2 0 (Capitol) US
- Chart Breaker: Greatest Hits of the 50’s and 60’s CD 3 (1997) CD BX 884532 (Disky) Netherlands
- Jazz Club (1997) CD BX 884532 (Weton-Wesgram) Netherlands
- Greatest Voices of the World (1997) 3xCD SP311 (Weton-Wesgram) Netherlands
- Loud, Fast and Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of 50’s Rock (1999) 4xCD Box Set R2 75704 (Rhino) US
- Girl Watching (2000) 3xCD BX 996812, BX 996822, BX 996832 (Disky, Disky, Disky) Netherlands
- The Greatest Voices and Unforgettable Evergreens (2000) 10xCD Box set DB 998242 (Disky) Europe
- Lounge It – What’s The Trouble (2001) CD 724357635820 (EMI) Netherlands
- Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings-Double Bill (2001) 2xCD 22 200862 (Roadrunner Arcade) Europe
- Fly Right (2005) CD 09463-46776-2-2 (EMI Music Special Markets) US
- Slynne Duety (2006) CD 6024 983 707 0 4 (Universal Music Polska) Poland
- Las Vegas Legends (2007) CD 40430 024286 2 1 (EMI) Germany
- Magic Moments-The Definitive Burt Bacharach Collection (2008) 3xCD 2564 69219 1 (Rhino) UK, Europe
- The Greatest Hits of the 50’s and 60’s (unknown date) 2xLP Album SLB-6718, SLB-6718 (Capitol) US
Film and television appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Self | Episode 2.5 | |
| 1958 | Universal Special: The Wildest | Self | Musical short |
| 1958 | Thunder Road Thunder Road Thunder Road is the title of a 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the early 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the... |
Francie Wymore | |
| 1958 | Senior Prom | Self | |
| 1958 | Self | Episode 2.26 | |
| 1959 | Self | Episode 3.27 | |
| 1959 | Sunday Showcase NBC Sunday Showcase NBC Sunday Showcase was a series of hour-long specials telecast in color on NBC during the 1959-60 season. The flexible anthology format varied weekly from comedies and science fiction to musicals and historical dramas... |
Self | 1st Annual Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s |
| 1959 | Hey Boy! Hey Girl! | Dorothy Spencer | |
| 1959- 1960 |
Self | Episodes: 12.34, 12.35, 13.36 and 13.37 | |
| 1961 | Loretta Young Show | Cathy Sands | Episode: "Not in Our Stars" |
| 1962 | Stump the Stars Stump the Stars Pantomime Quiz is an American television game show produced and hosted by Mike Stokey. Running from 1947-1959, it has the distinction of being one of the few television series—along with The Arthur Murray Party, Down You Go, and The Original Amateur Hour — to air on all four TV networks in the US... |
Self | Episode: "Keely Smith v Barry Sullivan" |
| 1962 | Self | Episode 15.18 | |
| 1962 | Self | Episode 5.1 | |
| 1962 | What's My Line? What's My Line? What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations.... |
Mystery Guest | March 18, 1962 |
| 1962 | Self | Nov 28, 1962 | |
| 1963 | Self | Episodes 5.19 and 5.23 | |
| 1963 | Red Skelton Hour | Daisy June | "A Midsummer Nut's Dream" |
| 1963 | Self | Jan 10, 1963 | |
| 1964 | Self | Episode 17.4 | |
| 1966 | Mister Roberts Mister Roberts (TV series) Mister Roberts is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 17, 1965 to April 8, 1966. Based on the best selling novel, 1948 play, and the 1955 film of the same name, the series starred Roger Smith in the title role.-Synopsis:... |
Kueen Konah | Episode: "Son of Eight in Every Port" |
| 1966 | Self | Mar 17, 1966 | |
| 1966 | Mickie Finn's | Self | Episode 1.6 |
| 1967 | Self | Mar 2, 1967 | |
| 1967 | You Don't Say! You Don't Say! You Don't Say! is an American television game show that had three separate runs on television. The first version aired on NBC daytime from April 1, 1963 to September 26, 1969 with revivals on ABC in 1975 and in syndication from 1978-1979... |
Self | May 1, 1967 |
| 1968 | Self | Feb 22, 1968 | |
| 1974 | Self | May 30, 1974 | |
| 1977 | Self | Nov 18, 1977 | |
| 1983 | Juke Box Saturday Night | Self | |
| 1984 | DTV: Golden Oldies | Self | Archive footage |
| 1996 | Self | Archive footage | |
| 1999 | Self | TV Documentary | |
| 1999 | Louis Prima: The Wildest! | Self | TV Documentary |
| 2000 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am... |
Self | Mar 25, 2000 |
| 2007 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Self | June 26, 2007 |
| 2007 | Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project is a documentary about stand-up comedian Don Rickles.-Structure:The film consists of performance clips from throughout Rickles' career interspersed with recent interviews with him. A show at the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas from 2006 is featured most prominently... |
Self | TV Documentary |
| 2008 | 50th Annual Grammy Awards | Self | |
| 2009 | Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me | Self | Archive Footage-Documentary |
External links
- IMDb entry
- NPR: "Keely Smith: A Swingin' Icon of Early Vegas"
- Interview by KUOW-FM's Amanda Wilde
- [ Keely Smith on allmusic.com]