Keely Smith
Keely Smith ( Dorothy Jacqueline actually ( "Dot" ) Keely, March 9, 1932 in Norfolk ) is an American jazz and pop singer. Keely is part of Indian heritage ( Cherokee ). It reached its greatest popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly through its collaboration with Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.
Biography
Keely Smith's singing career began at age 14 when she reached for the band of naval aviators in their hometown for the micro. At 15, she got her first paid job from Earl Bennett band.
With Louis Prima Smith joined for the first time in 1949 before the microphone. They then took lot of songs up together and also went on stage together. . The two married in 1953, " That Old Black Magic" (written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen ) in 1958 a top 20 hit in the U.S.; the couple was honored for his recording of the song at the first Grammy Awards 1959 in the category " Best Performance of a singing group". Smaller hits with " I've Got You Under My Skin " and " When I Have Schoen ", a cover of the hits of the Andrews Sisters in 1937, followed.
The couple was with his show (with the sax player Sam Butera, the conductor was ) one of the main attractions of the lounge scene in Las Vegas in the 1950s; five times a week, she appeared in the Casbar lounge of the Sahara Casino. They moved with the sophisticated musical arrangement and the humorous show not only the players and tourists - in the audience found themselves regularly the biggest stars of the time: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Howard Hughes or the young Senator John F. Kennedy ( in his inauguration as President Keely then also sang ) - all you could find on many evenings in the audience. Some were - for the pleasure of the other spectators - from the square from his comments, many was not enough and he joined even to the pair on stage.
The shows were partially recorded and released on LPs that regularly achieved high rankings in the charts. Keely brought out through the joint work with Prima, also the solo single " I Wish You Love ," which earned her a Grammy nomination and in the United States sold more than one million times.
1958 Keely celebrated her film debut alongside Robert Mitchum in " Thunder Road " (German title: " kilometer marker 375 " or " The last trip to Memphis "); a year later she starred in the film " Hey Boy! Hey Girl! "On which no other purpose than had the music of Louis Prima ( who played himself) to feature.
Keely divorced in 1961 by Prima - reason: his affairs; and he had become her against physical. A little later she refused a marriage proposal from Frank Sinatra, because he cursed her too much - that would be no use for her two young daughters had been, she said in an interview in 2001.
You signed a contract with Reprise Records, where she recorded more plates under the direction of Nelson Riddle. In 1965 she made it to the UK in the charts with an album of Beatles cover versions ( The Lennon - McCartney songbook, highest position: # 12).
She married again, and retired from the music business to raise their children.
Their music but remained known and survived all the trends for the coming years. Your most famous fans are sure actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese, who Keely's music used in many films, so " The Deer Hunter " in " Casino" and "His name is Mad Dog ". In addition, she was heard among others in the hit films " Analyze This ," " Big Night ".
In 1985, she celebrated with " I'm in Love Again" making a comeback; She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their albums " Keely Sings Sinatra " (2001), for which she received a Grammy nomination again, and " Swing, Swing, Swing " (2002) and " Keely Swings Basie Style with Strings " (2002) are well received by critics and fans been included. Published in 2005, Smith " Vegas '58 - Today", a compilation of live recordings of her most famous songs. It was produced in the last years of her longtime husband Bobby Milano.
Even today, they are in the U.S. once again always concerts; at New York's Café Carlyle, she stood in April 2007 the entire month on the stage. The end of 2007 she was seen in John Landis ' documentary " Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project " about the career of the actor and comedian Don Rickles.
At the 50th Grammy Awards 10 February 2008 Keely Smith wore together with Kid Rock before the song " That Old Black Magic", for her and had been awarded at the first Grammy Awards in 1959 this music Price Louis Prima.
Disco Graphical Notes
- I Wish You Love ( Capitol, 1957)
- Swingin ' Pretty ( Capitol, 1959)
- Cheerokeely Swings ( Jasmine, 1962)
- Swing, Swing, Swing ( Concord, 2000)
- Keely Sings Sinatra ( Concord, 2001)
- Keely Swings Basie Style ... with strings ( Concord, 2002)