[Dixielandjazz] Sam Butera & The Wildest (after the Witnesses)

[Harry Callaghan]

Steve:

I just stated things as to what had been my recollection but it certainly
isn't worth haggling over.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and we'll say that Louis had the
rights to the Witnesses and Sam the Wildest.

The most important thing here is that their legacy is not getting lost in
the shuffle what with Louis' son carrying on.

Incidentally, I understand that the most recent New Orleans Jazz & Heritage
Festival had a poster bearing Louis Prima's likeness from a painting by
Anthony Benedetto, who we know of as Tony Bennett when he sings.

 I acquired a CD by Sam recently entitled "The Whole World Loves Italians"
that has him singing some ballads that really came as a surprise to me.
"Unforgettable" was one, and he also played a lush instrumental version of
"Misty" and naturally, a few Italian standards, in what you might wish to
call Prima style

Last I heard Keely is still belting them out at about 80.

Tides,
HC.


On 7/27/10, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Harry Callaghan <meetmrcallaghan at gmail.com> wrote (polite snip)
>>
>> I was pleased to read here that Louis Prima Jr. is keeping alive the
>> memory
>> of Sam Butera by calling his band the Witnesses.
>>
>> Back in '86 when I saw Sam & the Witnesses here in Houston, one of his
>> sidemen told me that Sam and Keely had a falling out and she had a court
>> order issued restraining him from using "The WIldest": in the title of his
>> show, which he was just doing to carry on the Prima tradition.
>>
>> I understand that Sam & Keely patched things up prior to his death last
>> year
>> although I don't know if they ever performed together.again.
>>
>
> Dear Harry:
>
> Perhaps you saw Sam Butera and The Wildest in Houston. I believe "The
> Witnesses" was the band Sam formed when he joined Prima and Keely Smith in
> the 1950s., and was still the name of the band after Prima divorced Smith
> and married Gia Maione. I think Prima had the rights to the name
> "Witnesses".
>
> As I recall, after Prima's  coma, and death in the 1970s, Gia Maione, his
> wife (5th) after Keely, prevented Sam from calling his band The Witnesses. I
> believe he then renamed his band "The Wildest"  worked with Keely Smith many
> times. I could be wrong, but that's the way I remember it.
>
> There is today, a tribute band to Butera called "The Wildest."
>
> Cheers,
> Steve (lounge lizard Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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