Louis Prima: Will Play For [Italian] Food
By Samantha Ferrara
Growing up in an Italian-American family from South Philly, there are some meaningful traditions and cultural components that have remained in my family for generations.
While our family gravy recipe and our family values are amongst the most treasured elements of my heritage, the love of music that has been passed down from my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents is what I cherish the most.
When I think of the artists that my great-grandparents introduced to my grandparents and so-on, there are a few standouts - Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavoratti, and, most importantly, Louis Prima.
Louis Prima, born in New Orleans, LA in 1910 to Italian immigrant parents, developed a unique love of jazz that allowed him to expand the genre into one inclusive of blues and rock elements as well as aspects of Italian music, language, and culture.
In the late 1940s, as the war was coming to an end, Prima signed a contract with Victor Records and recorded songs such as “The Bee Song,” “Tutti Tutti Pizzicato,” and “You Can’t Tell The Depth of The Well” on the label.
As Prima grew as a songwriter and arranger, Italian culture unavoidably penetrated his style. Like my family, he too was treated to traditional Sunday dinners and grew to love the Italian food of his heritage - so much so that he incorporated the names of Italian meals into many of his songs.
Check out these five Louis Prima songs that will make you hungry for more - literally and figuratively.
“Angelina/Zooma Zooma” | Antipasta, Minestrone, Spumoni, and Baccala
Banana Split For My Baby | Spumoni, Pizza, and lots of other non-Italian treats
Embraceable You/I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good | Lasagna
Felicia No Capicia | Chicken Cacciatore
Pennies From Heaven | Ravioli and Macaroni
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About The Author
Samantha Ferrara is a recent graduate of Rowan University’s Music Business Program and a digital content contributor at the Victor Talking Machine Company. Sam can usually be found listening to classic rock or making homemade Italian cello.