Biography

Keely Smith

Jump to

Keely Smith was born March 9, 1928 in Norfolk, VA. After her parents divorced and her mother remarried Jesse Smith when she was nine years old, she changed her name to Keely Smith after she joined Louis Prima and his band. Her family had a tough time and her three brothers and her took in laundry to make ends meet. In 1947, she was on a vacation trip to New York City where the heat became oppressive. The family decided to go to Atlantic City, N.J. instead. Keely went to the Steel Pier where Louis Prima was appearing. In 1948, Prima appeared at the surf club in Virginia looking for a singer. Keely auditioned and was selected and hit the road at 18-years-old. They were subsequently married on July 13, 1953 and issued two daughters, Toni Prima and Luanne Prima. Keely was Prima's fourth wife. For many years, they appeared together in Las Vegas with bandleader Sam Butera and made "that old black magic" a standard. In 1961, Keely filed for divorce citing extreme mental cruelty. In 1965, she married Jimmy Bowen, a record producer and they were later divorced. She currently lives in Nevada and makes appearances in the Las Vegas area. Prima died in a nursing home in New Orleans on August 24, 1978 after being in a coma for several years. Her film credits include: Sing Sing Sing (2002), Thunder Road (1958) and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (1959).
- IMDb mini biography by: Mike McKinley

She and husband Louis Prima were the toast of Las Vegas in the 1950s. She was the sultry, sexy singer who played "straight man" to her husband's wild antics--years before Sonny & Cher did the same thing in their concerts and television shows.
Her affair with Clint Eastwood lasted more than 12 years.
At age 14, she started singing with a naval air station band led by Saxie Dowell and at age 15 received her first paying job with the Earl Bennett Band. She hooked up with Louis Prima's outfit at age 17 and later married him.
Recorded many successful duets with Louis Prima, their best-known hit being "That Ol' Black Magic", which was a top-20 hit (1958). They also had hits with "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", which was also a hit for The Andrews Sisters (1937).
Keely's album "I Wish You Love", a solo debut that confirmed her own star power, received a Grammy Award nomination and sold over a million copies.

Suggest an edit or add missing content