Louis Prima, Gia Maione, Sam Butera & Witnesses 2/12/65

Louis Prima, Gia Maione and Sam Butera & The Witnesses perform on the Bob Hope Comedy Special on NBC. 2/12/65. Bob Hope requests the "Dog".

[@gerryporter1041]

No laser lights, no overproduction, no autotune,no lip sync just pure and perfect talent at its most entertaining. Sometimes simpler times and lack of technology actually captures what we can’t capture now!

[@leslieeckhardt504]

Gia Maione has a pleasant voice, but Keely Smith was something special. She and Louis Prima were ELECTRIC together.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Voice "Like an Angel"

[@dougobrien4877]

Gia Maione was no Keely Smith by any stretch. The thing is that Louis chose Gia as a replacement and he knew talent.

[@picklesthewise]

These guys were magic, their music was pure joy. Louie was a perfect MC and knew how to pick his leading ladies (I do miss Keely here, but that's how it is, and Gia is still good), and Sam's smile and his sax could make flowers grow.

[@philgranito4043]

Jimmy Vincent on drums...killin' it !!

[@eljusto7021]

extraodynario

[@rhythmfield]

Terrific drummer - thanks for acknowledging the drummer by name - usually they are forgotten and only the star / singers are remembered by most fans.

[@BaldwinBay]

Please don't underestimate Gia. Very talented entertainer In her own way.

[@kaycox5555]

LOUIS PRIMA IS JUST PLAIN WONDERFUL!!! Gia and band are also terrific!!

[@bernm5874]

No one replaces Keely Smith!

[@luishumbertovega3900]

To her credit, Gia did not try to imitate Keely but brought her own style and Louis rearrenged vocals to fit it. Stop comparing and enjoy her musicality.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Black Magic just was a Keely Classic. Had to be hard to do that one. Such energy!

[@gaetanopellitteri950]

Un grand plaisir de l l'écoute

[@BaldwinBay]

Gia Maione is wonderful. Hard to replace Keely Smith. Have to give Gia credit.

[@HeidiMondon]

Gia is good but KEELY WAS THE BOMB!!! So sad this music does not exist anymore.... I love this music even though I was born in the mid 60s.... and I love Sam Butera!!!

[@paulmerollo6084]

Sam butera was a good friend of my dad's went to see him alot when I was a kid did not know how good he was

[@MLStanleyK]

I got to know him later in his life - LOVED to listen to him tell stories......spurred on my be of course!!

[@hilltopviewer8204]

Wow,37 year old here, listening to this is very enjoyable and upbeat.What a solo from Sam Butera and love the Louis Prima dances and shuffle.They are playing at great tempo!

[@lynharrod5087]

He's great...But Keely is the icing on his cake for sure!! 8.2020.New Zealand..

[@RainDog0680]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@rhythmfield]

TIGHT band driven by joy and swing - no wonder they were hugely popular

[@AlexUrsuBukowina]

Minunat! Splendid!

[@peteafcradon3046]

No electricity without Keely

[@soulbluesman]

Thank you!!!

[@mimmoleonardi8643]

Louis prima, Gia Maione, Sam Butera, King of the swing 💪❤️ wonderful Forever,from Italy with love ❤️🤣👌

[@johnnytenjobs]

Ooh the dog segment was funny then menacing.

[@eddievalentino8558]

Amazing!!!

[@BostonCleaningCo]

Awesomeness

[@mikecoz3d]

Greatest show band ever!

[@DougMcDave]

I need to confirm this on another device, but there seems to be technical issues around 2:50

[@Marathonracer]

Douglas Macgregor Yep ! Technical issues around 2:50 ! I've tried downloading it several times and it's always EXACTLY the same in that spot ! It's a shame , because that was such a terrific bit and I couldn't find another version of it .

[@hesterjones4541]

Pure Magic.

[@josephalvaro5244]

Now that's entertainment folks!

[@mikefruge8589]

These guys were just so damn good! The Rat Pack was formed to challenge Prima's dominance over Las Vegas.

[@snicky58]

OMG, I never heard anyone but Dr. John sing that dog song before!

[@bluenote824jones7]

Super

[@rogeralsop3479]

I miss Keeley.

[@scottabelli3406]

She is talented but cannot replace Keely

[@whoreshoe]

Keely was nothing without Louie

[@bluenote824jones7]

So cool

[@gaetanopellitteri950]

Magnifique luis prima sam butera.

[@michaeltarantino925]

Louis energy coming back in at 1:03 is simply perfect

[@lynharrod5087]

'The DOG'!!! Ha Ha Classic!!

[@mistergamba80]

love louis

[@benediktmorak4409]

Perfect,because back then they still could sing and play by themselves with not to much help of any technician. Except the mikes.

[@chenzenzo]

Ju sugnu sicilianu Americano. These cats swing harder than anynoby!

[@danielteran8067]

4:46 amazing!

[@richard526]

Sorry I can’t help comparing her with Keely and she comes up a little short.

[@bubbaschwartz]

2:42 ghost of Louie Prima

[@recordguy4321]

jimmy vincent on drums

[@Marathonracer]

roughtake Nobody could play the shuffle beat the way Jimmy Vincent could. Buddy Rich loved him.

[@joewelnack3283]

Gia Maione was Prima's last wife and a nice lady but she never could quite replace Keely.

[@Marathonracer]

joe welnack Gia did her own thing and was great at it. That's why Louie picked her up so fast., when she was a nobody 21 year old. Upon graduation in June 1959 from Toms River High in New Jersey, she received the National Arion Society Award in Music. She planned to attend the Julliard School of Music in New York City, and worked at the local Howard Johnsons Restaurant to save money for the tuition and to continue her vocal and piano instruction. Gia Maione was extremely talented - she deserves more respect than to simply call her " a nice lady" which is insulting her great talent. She's not your high school lunch lady. Louie knew great talent when he saw it. If you're looking for a clone of Keely, it ain't happenin'. Gia was a wonderful singer, had a fine sense of rhythm, and great stage presence, facial expressions and comedy. You can't compare the two. Each was great in their own way. Doesn't mean you can't have your own preference, though, but give her proper credit - she deserves it. The only thing that Keely was admittedly better at, was some of their great comedy routines.

[@Gabe7Gal]

@@Marathonracer you can talk about Gia's merits all you want, but it makes perfect sense to compare her with Keely. No one is saying she has no talent, but at the end of the day Keely had better chemistry with Prima and fit better in the band as a whole.

[@Marathonracer]

@@Gabe7GalTry READING what I said and what it was in response to, because you obviously don't understand it . I said what I meant and backed it up with a much more profoundly accurate and in depth analysis than your superficial "opinion" such as it is. Just follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City in the Land of Oz and you can ask the Wizard for a brain. No matches now, everybody, ya hear ? Don't bother replying because I have no intention of reading any more of your inane drivel and already MUTED you, so I won't be bothered by any more notices about it and you can't go talk to yourself if it makes you happy to feebly try to save face. Bye Bye

[@brianlamar9255]

@@Marathonracer Keely have the spark and flavor to the shows she is something when they perform together

[@peroldaeus3664]

Looks like Ronnie Barron, piano, from New Orleans.

[@bluenote824jones7]

Sam and Jimmy Vincent also great

[@pauldavis22]

Not the same without Keely.

[@cuentochino4399]

What is the first song name? It´s wonderful

[@mvinge]

Old Man River. You’re not going to find another version like this one that’s for sure haha

[@juanmonge7418]

The way Jerome Kern should be sung.

[@snicky58]

Does my heart good to see white folks besides me clapping on 2 and 4.for once. ☺

[@rusky2655]

snicky58 are you Gia mione or something

[@jimcapone2593]

Gia Maone was ok.Just OK ... did not have that something...special that Keeley Smith had..voice..show man ship and other wise.. Also Gia prevented Sam Butera using the name The Witnesses when he performed.. He had to change the name of the Band to Sam Butera and The Wildest!

[@Marathonracer]

Jim Capone BULLSHIT ! Not even worthy of the respect of a serious answer. Gia Maione, whose name you can't even spell, nor can you spell " showmanship", but "think" you know what it is, was a great replacement for Keely, but who did her own thing, to her credit. She absolutely was "magic" on the stage, with a great and well trained singing voice, great stage presence, showmanship "and otherwise", all of which she demonstrates beautifully in this video, to ANYBODY who knows show business and music. Maybe buy a new pair of eyes and ears. You sound just like a junior high school kid who got rejected by a cheer leader who wouldn't give you the time of day. Your musical illiteracy, and profoundly ignorant comment , is laughable and shows a complete lack of understanding of what constitutes great talent. Louie knew it instantly, which is why he grabbed her immediately, as a complete unknown and which is why he was Louis Prima and you're not. The REASON Gia, very understandably, wouldn't allow Sam Butera to use the name "The Witnesses", was that the name had become synonymous with Louis Prima, and she wanted that respected but, of course, you just ignore that little historical fact. She stayed with Louie ( that's phonetically how everybody pronounced it), for the last years of his life , while he died a very slow, very painful death after his terrible stroke from the brain tumor surgery. She had every right to want his name and anything associated with it, like "The Witnesses", respected as part of his legacy. You don't have to agree with her about that, but at least tell the whole truth about it. Personal preference for Keely is one thing, but your condescending, inane, pretentious , amateurish, immature bullshit is another.

[@markusr7421]

@@Marathonracer Why not writing a book instead of offending people who's got a different point of that like your's? Keely was simply better - that's all.

[@jiveaces]

@@Marathonracer If you are going to diss somebody's spelling, at least get the very subject of the argument right. It is "Louis", not "Louie".

[@Marathonracer]

@@jiveaces Take a lesson, genius. With all I said, with very good reason, backed up with historical facts and professional opinions based on a lifetime of acquired musical knowledge, both playing and studying jazz history, as well as having grown up with Louis' music live, it's interesting that the only thing you can reply to me about is supposedly "dissing" someone for a misspelling of Gia's name, and trying to correct me for a "misspelling " of Louis Prima's name, completely ignoring WHY I said it and its context, which should have been obvious to anyone who can read. I'll spell it out for ya. I said that parenthetically, throwing HIS diss of Gia Maione back in his face, only to show his complete ignorance of her - NOT just to "diss" his spelling, which I never do. Her name is a tricky spelling and I couldn't care less about a simple mistake, but it's right there in the video title, and he couldn't even copy it, yet he's all about diminishing her wonderful talents, which Louis obviously loved, instead of just saying he likes Keely better and why, but without trashing Gia and making up nonsensical, unfair, hurtful accusations about her. There was no need for that. If you seriously think, with all that I obviously know about Louis Prima's history, that I don't know how to spell his damn name, maybe buy a brain transplant. Of course I know it's spelled " Louis"! I intentionally spelled it phonetically, because he was known to everybody in the business as "Louie". That's how I write... colloquially, like I speak. I suppose I should have clarified that spelling but I just edited a couple of them and explained the "Louie" spelling. The same was true of Louis Armstrong. Some called him " Louis", but drummer Louie Bellson ( correct spelling), said that Louis Armstrong preferred it to be said as "Louie". His name was actually registered as "Lewie" for the 1920 U.S Census. Here's a partial list of people who referred to Louis Prima as "Louie".... Sam Butera, the great Jimmy Vincent, radio show host Ron Canatelle, Bruce Raeburn (curator/Hogan Jazz Archive/Tulane University), Joe Segretto, family friend and Business Mgr., Keely Smith and Gia Maione. But hey.....thanks for taking such a heart felt interest in my spelling and dissing.

[@jiveaces]

@@Marathonracer Aside from the fact that you're picking the wrong person to enter a Louis Prima pissing contest into with, the tone of your reply to the commenter was very antagonistic and you made a big point of pointing out how they misspelled the name in order to discredit their opinion. I was merely pointing out the hypocrisy considering you did exactly the same thing. Your reply to me is also extremely antagonistic. It's music dude, everyone has opinions, try not to confuse them with actual facts or get too worked up about them.

[@saxmankid]

thats just plain old talent

[@jmhproductions7335]

Get ‘em Sam

[@internetexplorer7097]

what's the song name?

[@johnorlow7067]

What's the story with his tie? Is it just tucked in?

[@gaetanopellitteri950]

Ce la luna mazzu u mare

[@valdassteponaitis6133]

Anybody?! First song title? :)

[@ernestinehemingway7799]

Ole Man River (from Showboat)

[@markmed9091]

Keely was so much better !

[@markusr7421]

Louis's still great, but poor Gia Mainone ain't no replacement for the gorgious Keely Smith...

[@crayfishinbruhzil9871]

What the dog doin?

[@hudentdw2]

I don't think Maione was even a good singer She hardly replaced Keely Smith!

[@raidersrobert]

Is she pregnant??

[@MosaicRose99]

@@raidersrobert In this video, yes...

[@mariasuzi9490]

Louis looked South American, also light skin some black genes definitely a voice like a black man

[@jameshepburn4631]

Sicilian ancestry, born in New Orleans though.

[@bethbartlett5692]

No Keely...

[@mariasuzi9490]

Mr prima kissed that lady so hard I heard it !!!! 😂😂😂😂😂his voice is nice I thought all along he was a black man

[@williamg2552]

She's OK but KEELY is IRREPLACEABLE.

[@adoreslaurel]

Amen to that.

[@user-xu4ow3bu6f]

I should know the history better, but why was she at that point not playing with Louis? Where they divorced or something. She lived quite a long life and I saw a video here in 2005 of her very lovingly talking about her husband and singing his songs in Italian.

[@MosaicRose99]

@@user-xu4ow3bu6f You probably already found out this information, but if someone else reads this and doesn't know, they had a bitter divorce.

[@joancorr838]

I think Gia is much warmer than Keely.

[@wink853]

Black Magic...not even close to Louis and Keely

[@theblueriverjazzbandmusic2540]

I like Gia and “Old Black Magic” here is good, but just not near as good as with Keely. Keely owned that tune. I guess Louis had to leave it in the act though.

[@mtp4430]

Nothing against Gia. But there was no better combo than Louis and Keely Smith.

[@rustydog1236]

just seems like he was,cheating on Keely, somehow

[@recordguy4321]

they were already splitsville by 65

[@F0nkyNinja]

Gia Maione was younger and hotter.

[@thomasbrown3325]

Too bad the girl singer is so lame.

[@bobbiestricklin8021]

No

[@cashew515]

Gia shouldn’t have worn her housecoat.

[@MosaicRose99]

Someone said she was pregnant at the time...