Louis Prima honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The centennial of Louis Prima's birth was celebrated Sunday (7/25) with the unveiling of a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, about halfway between Hollywood and Vine and the Capitol Records tower that was Prima's label home in the 1950s.

Prima was praised for his success in a multitude of genres, from big band to small group swing to the birth of rock 'n' roll, and the enduring quality of his music from "Sing, Sing, Sing" to "Jump, Jive and Wail" to "A Sunday Kind of Love." Prima's children Louis Jr. and Lena were on hand to accept the proclamation of Louis Prima Day in Hollywood.

Noting his father's music has been used in a multitude of TV shows, commercials and films, Louis Jr. told the crowd assembled on Vine Street, "If you think you don't know a Prima song, just watch 'Casino.' ... (This honor) has been 20 years in the making. This is for my mother Gia who has protected my father's legacy for 30 years."

The Prima star ceremony was the first to be held on a Sunday, primarily to kick off the Walk of Fame's 50th anniversary. It is the 2,413th star awarded. After the ceremony, Louis Jr. and his band the Witnesses performed his father's music in the entry of the Ricardo Montalban Theater; the star is in front of the theater.