“Forgotten Hollywood”- That Old Keely Magic…

Posted on December 17, 2017 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`Keely Smith was a pop singer best known for her solo recordings of jazz standards, as well as her musical collaboration with Louis Prima. Smith and Prima’s act was a mainstay of the Las Vegas lounge scene for much of the 1950s.

“`Smith got her first job singing with the Earl Bennett Band when she was just 15. She later auditioned to sing with Louis Prima’s band, and began touring with them. Keely and Prima married in 1953,  and they won a Grammy for their rendition of That Old Black Magic in 1959.

“`Every so often, Keely took on a role in cinema, appearing in  Thunder Road, Ocean’s 11, Raging Bull, and Casino. On television, Smith guest-starred on The Sopranos and House. With each appearance, she would perform with her signature deadpan voice.

“`Smith focused on taking control of her own career, setting up her own record label —  Keely Records — in conjunction with friend Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records. She divorced Prima in 1961, and wed Jimmy Bowen in 1965. Her third marriage was to Bobby Milano in the 1970s.

“`During her seven-decade career,  Smith was lauded by critics for her unique vocal style. She received several awards, including a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In 2001, Smith was nominated for a Grammy for her album Keely Sings Sinatra. On the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, she performed That Old Black Magic as a duet with Kid Rock.

“`The ubiquitous Keely Smith was 89.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 17th, 2017 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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