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Louis Prima: The Wildest! Trivia Quiz

Louis Prima was a singer and bandleader who got his start in the 1920s and remained popular into the early 1970s. See what you know about this charismatic performer.

A multiple-choice quiz by BarbaraMcI. Estimated time: 3 mins.

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Author
BarbaraMcI

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
425,687

Updated
Sep 25 26

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
44

Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (7/10), Guest 66 (1/10), Kabdanis (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where was Louis Prima born? Hint

Miami

Brooklyn

New Orleans

Baltimore

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was Louis Prima's primary instrument? Hint

Trumpet

Clarinet

Trombone

Drums

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Question 3 of 10

3. According to Louis Prima, who "discovered" him? Hint

Lawrence Welk

Guy Lombardo

Paul Whiteman

Duke Ellington

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Question 4 of 10

4. What unusual name did Louis Prima give his style of music? Hint

Pansori

Gleeby Rhythm

Fado

Soca

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Question 5 of 10

5. At the 1961 inaugural gala for John F. Kennedy, Prima performed a duet with which famous artist? Hint

Nat King Cole

Ella Fitzgerald

Frank Sinatra

Peggy Lee

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1936, Louis Prima wrote the jazz classic that became a theme song for Benny Goodman. What was it? Hint

Take the "A" Train

Jump, Jive, an' Wail

It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Sing, Sing, Sing

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Question 7 of 10

7. Louis Prima was married five times, but his fourth wife was by far the best known. Which singer was it? Hint

Lainie Kazan

Peggy Lee

Keely Smith

Carmen McRae

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Question 8 of 10

8. Prima was auditioning for a new singer in 1948 and one of the candidates was not allowed to enter the venue. Why not? Hint

She was underage

She had a criminal record

She was a person of color

She was wearing a bathing suit

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Question 9 of 10

9. Louis Prima appeared in ten movies, almost all as himself or a fictional version of himself. What role did he play in the 1967 animated film "The Jungle Book?" Hint

Baloo the bear

Kaa the python

Shere Khan the tiger

King Louie the orangutan

10. In 1956 Louis Prima recorded the best-known version of "Just a Gigolo," a pop song adapted in 1929 from an Austrian song. Prima's version was a medley with another early 20th century song, and it became his signature. What is the other song? Hint

The Sheik of Araby

Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby

Ain't Misbehavin'

I Ain't Got Nobody

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Most Recent Scores

Today : Guest 174: 7/10
Today : Guest 66: 1/10
Today : Kabdanis: 3/10
Today : decks02: 5/10
Today : Guest 98: 10/10
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Today : Guest 50: 10/10
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Today : Guest 216: 3/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where was Louis Prima born?

Answer: New Orleans

Louis Prima was born December 10, 1910, in New Orleans. Some found it hard to believe because he didn't have a "southern" accent but rather "English heavily interlarded with the Neapolitan slang of his roots." He never made an attempt to change his accent.

2. What was Louis Prima's primary instrument?

Answer: Trumpet

Prima studied violin for seven years but by the time he had graduated from high school had switched to trumpet in tribute to his idol Louis Armstrong, who lived about a mile away.

3. According to Louis Prima, who "discovered" him?

Answer: Guy Lombardo

At only 22 years old, newlywed Prima played in Cleveland with bandleader Red Nichols, and in 1933 he recorded two sides for the Bluebird label in Chicago. He was "discovered" by Guy Lombardo, who heard Prima play on Bourbon Street and hired him to play at the Famous Door in New York.

4. What unusual name did Louis Prima give his style of music?

Answer: Gleeby Rhythm

Pansori is a traditional Korean music form. Fado is a Portuguese style, and Soca is a form of calypso.
"Gleeby Rhythm is Born" is a 1940 recording Prima made with his orchestra. It's almost entirely instrumental, heavy on trumpet. Probably only Prima could interpret the meaning of the lyrics.

5. At the 1961 inaugural gala for John F. Kennedy, Prima performed a duet with which famous artist?

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Sinatra and Prima duetted on "That Old Black Magic."

6. In 1936, Louis Prima wrote the jazz classic that became a theme song for Benny Goodman. What was it?

Answer: Sing, Sing, Sing

Prima first recorded "Sing, Sing, Sing" in 1936, but it is the 1937 Benny Goodman recording that was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. "Jump, Jive an' Wail" was also one of Prima's songs. The other two are Duke Ellington standards.

7. Louis Prima was married five times, but his fourth wife was by far the best known. Which singer was it?

Answer: Keely Smith

Prima's fifth and final wife, Gia Maione, was a noted jazz singer, but had nowhere near the prominence of Keely Smith.

8. Prima was auditioning for a new singer in 1948 and one of the candidates was not allowed to enter the venue. Why not?

Answer: She was wearing a bathing suit

The audition was held at a beachfront club in Virginia Beach, Virginia. According to biographer Garry Boulard, Keely Smith, Prima's later wife, tried to enter the audition in a swimsuit. Someone loaned Smith some clothes and she came in to win the audition. She was twenty years old. The Surf Club is, as of September 2026, still in business.

9. Louis Prima appeared in ten movies, almost all as himself or a fictional version of himself. What role did he play in the 1967 animated film "The Jungle Book?"

Answer: King Louie the orangutan

King Louie wants to be more like a human and sings "I Wanna Be Like You" to Mowgli, in a duet with Phil Harris as Baloo.

Answer: I Ain't Got Nobody

Louis Prima had recorded the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley in 1945 and then re-recorded it in 1956 when he began using it in his Las Vegas nightclub show.
Other recorded versions of the medley were by the Village People in 1978 and David Lee Roth in 1980.

Source: Author BarbaraMcI

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