Louis Prima - Early Life

Early Life

Prima was from a musical family in New Orleans. His father, Anthony Prima, was the son of Leonardo Di Prima (the original family name was Di Prima), a Sicilian immigrant from Salaparuta, while his mother, Angelina Caravella, had immigrated from Ustica as a baby.

Louis Prima was the second child of Angelina Caravella and Anthony Prima. His older brother, Leon, was born in 1907. He had two younger sisters Elizabeth and Marguerite. Marguerite died when she was only three years old. Leon, Louis, and Elizabeth were all baptized at St. Ann's Parish. They lived in a house at 1812 St. Peter Street in New Orleans, which was mainly populated by Italians, Arabs, Jews and African Americans.

Louis's mother, Angelina, was a second-generation Italian American in New Orleans. She cared much about her children's futures and made sure that each of them played an instrument. Louis was assigned the violin and started out playing at St. Ann's Parish. He became interested in jazz when he heard it streaming out of clubs from black musicians, including Louis Armstrong. At the time, segregation between blacks and whites was extremely prevalent. However, Italians and African Americans got along famously. Each shared the same economic, social, and political values. They also embodied similar entertainment rituals. Clubs such as Matranga's, Joe Segrettas, Tonti's Social Club, and Lala's Big 25 were all owned and operated by Italians but allowed Blacks and Italians to play.

Young Louis Prima paid attention to the music streaming out of clubs and watched his older brother Leon play the cornet. Once Leon caught a break in Texas for a summer, Louis practiced continuously on his worn-down cornet. It was also beneficial that his mother was with Leon, so he could play as he wished. He ambitiously formed a band in 1924 with his childhood friends Irving Fazola (clarinet) and Johnny Viviano (drums). When his mother and Leon returned, they were shocked. His mother was quite upset that he had moved on from the violin, while Leon applauded his performances with his "band" on the street corners.

Louis Prima attended Jesuit High School but transferred to Warren Easton High in the fall of 1926. At Warren Easton, he played with the "Eastonites", the school band. In 1927, he started up a gig with Frank Federico and played in "The Whip", which was a run down French Quarter Club. The two were enthusiastic musicians and played every chance they got. By the spring of 1928, Prima decided he would drop out at Warren Easton and become a professional musician.