Editing Louis Prima (section)

===Keely Smith===
[[Keely Smith]] was twenty when she met Prima in August 1948. Born in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], she made a point to stop by the Surf Club in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] to visit him. To her surprise, Prima was looking for a new female vocalist to replace [[Lily Ann Carol]]. Smith was wearing a bathing suit and was not allowed into the club until she put on proper attire. Luckily, someone was able to lend her some acceptable clothing and she auditioned. She landed the part and was soon traveling with his band.<ref name="Prima"/>

Prima signed with [[Columbia Records]] in the fall of 1951 to keep up with the rapid changes in the marketing industry. Throughout his sixteen-month contract, his top hits consisted of "Chop Suey, Chow Mein", "Ooh-Dahdily-Dah", and "Chili Sauce".<ref name="Prima"/> To support his horses and manage his expenses, he chose to drop his big band and play in lesser clubs. On top of it all, he divorced his third wife Tracelene on June 18, 1953.<ref name="Prima"/> Less than a month later he married Keely. She was open to criticism, and he wanted to make her a star.<ref name="Prima"/> He tried to find the style that fit her correctly, especially since [[rock and roll]] was emerging. Prima was not against rock 'n' roll like some other artists, such as [[Frank Sinatra]] and [[Jackie Gleason]]. He accepted that "the kids had an instinct for the kind of music that's fun to listen to and dance to."<ref name="Prima"/>