Jazzman, songwriter, entertainer, pop culture icon, symbol of Italian American pride. Louis Prima was one of the most popular artists of his generation, whose music influenced artists ranging from Elvis Presley and Stevie Wonder to David Lee Roth, Kanye West, Los Lobos, and Michael Bublè, yet he is also among the most forgottenstars of American popular music.

Forty-five years after his death, Prima’s music is heard in films, commercials, and viral TikTok videos. Artists continue to cover his work and he even inspires fashion and dance styles. Yet, the name Louis Prima is unknown to most. How can we explain this disconnect, this simultaneous remembrance and amnesia?