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Sam Butera

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Musician

The Resume

    (August 17, 1927-June 3, 2009)
    Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
    Tenor saxophonist
    Known for his collaborations with Louis Prima and Keely Smith
    Recorded the albums 'The Rat Race' (1960), 'When the Feeling Hits You!' (1965) and 'The Whole World Loves Italians' (1996)
    Recorded 'Pennies From Heaven,' 'That Old Black Magic,', 'I Wanna Be Like You,' 'Jump, Jive an’ Wail' and 'When You’re Smiling'
    Acted in 'The Rat Race' (1960)

Why he might be annoying:

    He had fair-to-middling success as a musician before hitting it big as part of a trio with Prima/Keely.
    He told interviewers he lived hard much of his life, with a typical day starting with two beers and ending with a bottle of Courvoisier.
    He explained his choice of the saxophone as coming from when his dad took him to see a big band at age seven and asked which of the instruments the boy liked best ('The saxophones were closest, so I pointed to the saxophones. The next day I had a horn').

Why he might not be annoying:

    He toured with Tommy Dorsey and fellow New Orleans musician Al Hirt after graduating High School.
    His rendition of 'That Old Black Magic' reached #18 on the Billboard chart and won a Grammy.
    His recording of 'Just a Gigolo/ I Ain't Got Nobody' was the basis for numerous covers, including a hit rendition by David Lee Roth.
    He was featured in an episode of 'Space Ghost Coast to Coast.'
    He was a crossover artist who could perform both R&B and the post-big band jazz of the Vegas scene.
    He continued to perform in venues after the untimely death of Louis Prima to a brain tumor disrupted the partnership.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying