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ent001379-032

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ent001379-032
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University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Libraries

279 E. Warm Springs Rd. Sam jBulera and ike QYiintuet THE MUSICAL TRENDS OF LOUIS PRIMA BROUGHT ABOUT BETWEEN 19 3 5 -19 6 5 Las Vegas Nevada Of all the musical giants of the past three decades, specifically since the days of the big swing bands and dixieland jazz, there is one who stanch out amongst them all as the greatest contributor towards modern music and the course it eventually took. His name is LOUIS PRIMA - and it all started when he took off at the once-famed 52nd Street in New York. As a bold, talented, ambitious youngster, Prima rose from the rank-and-file of musi- cians in the now acknowledged great training ground of New Orleans in 1935, and headed for the big time city of New York. After a few weeks of waiting for the right opening, he finally was given his opportunity to debut in Gotham at the then inconspicuous Famous Door. But overnite it happened. And by virtue of the Louis Prima band becoming a big smash in this small - but jumping - club, the entire 52nd Street, between Broadway and Fifth Avenue was re-named "Swing Street. " Thus it was Prima who solely contributed to the word "swing," with other "hep" expressions like "solid jack" and "crazy man" that followed. Later on it was decided to make Benny Goodman the King of Swing - bat not before the latter recorded one of Prime's great compositions, "Sing, Sing, Sing," which still stands today as one of the all-time great sellers in die record market. The trend continued through die Prima drive - and when he received a contract for his band to record over CBS radio twice a week, swing was brought to everybody all over America. His music(Prima's) started to top the sales of Guy Lombardo, who was Bi)