Gia Prima and Riker Danzig establish Louis Prima Award

Riker Danzig is pleased to announce that, together with our client Gia Prima, we have established The ASCAP Foundation Louis Prima Award to be presented to a talented vocalist or musician attending the Center for the Creative Arts. The inaugural award will be presented at The ASCAP Foundation Awards ceremony in New York on December 7, 2011.

Riker Danzig has had the great pleasure of representing Gia Prima, the widow of Louis Prima, for many years.

Louis Prima, born in the birthplace of , New Orleans, on December 7, 1910, remains one of the greatest contributors to popular music and a powerful entertainment influence. The early Swing Era was marked by Prima's incredible output of compositions and recordings between 1933-39. 1936 was the landmark year in which Louis composed the words and music to "Sing, Sing, Sing," initially for his friend Bing Crosby. The song would become an immortal standard and signature song for and his Orchestra. It has been covered by a vast array of popular artists and featured in films and shows continuously from 1936 through today. The song holds the distinction of being the most reproduced on sheet music.

Louis scored tremendous chart topping hits throughout the Era with several of his own compositions including "Oh, Marie," "Robin Hood," "Brooklyn Boogie," "Oh Babe," and many others. Louis composed "" in 1946, and the song became a hit over four decades and in six different musical genres including Swing, Doo-Wop, Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, and Country.

One of the founding fathers of the entertainment scene, Louis downsized his big band in 1954 and created a small group that he named The Witnesses. Louis was awarded the first Grammy award in the Vocal Group category for his knockout rendition of "" in 1958. Louis' award winning composition "Sing, Sing, Sing" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982.

Artists as diverse as David Lee Roth and brought Prima's music to the top of the charts in the 80's and 90's. The music was at the center of successful advertising campaigns through the 2000's for The Gap, Nike, Diet Coke, Fiat and as recently as 2011 for General Electric.

Louis Prima passed away on August 24, 1978. His tomb, located in Lakelawn Cemetery in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana contains an inscription of 's lyrics to his immortal signature song "Just a Gigolo": "When the end comes, I know they'll say Just a Gigolo, as life goes on without me".

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