This Song Has Been Around Since 1915, But It Took Louis Prima to Give It Some Life!

“I Ain’t Got Nobody” has been a perennial hit with crowds since all the way back in 1915 when it was written and published as sheet music. This was long before records and radio meant that folks could hear their favorite tunes on demand, so sheet music and a piano was about as good as it got for most people. Sung by many swing, jazz, and rock bands, there’s just no one who does this song quite like the premier Italian crooner, Louis Prima, who is joined by his wife, Keely Smith, for this wonderful performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1959.

Prima was one of the writers of “A Sunday Kind of Love” and had been performing since childhood, so it’s no surprise that he came up with the innovation that made “I Ain’t Got Nobody” even more of a lovable song. Prima combined it with “I’m Just a Gigolo” in this performance for a unique sound. The playful mashup features his wife singing backup vocals and his bandmates jamming out. This is a wonderful TV clip that takes us back to a simpler era of entertainment.

Hear this fantastic mashup performance in the video below.