R.I.P. - Sam Butera Dies At 81

Sam Butera

1927 - 2009

On Wednesday, June 3rd, the legendary sax man, Sam Butera passed away in Las Vegas.

Anyone who considers Butera "just a sideman" knows nothing about music and showmanship. Sam Butera was an act in himself. He was the "ying" to Louis Prima's "yang". An accomplished saxophone player in his own right, Butera played in bands fronted by Tommy Dorsey and Paul Gayten, just to name a few. As the big bands faded, jump blues became all the rage. Louis Prima was transitioning to a smaller, jumpier combo when he asked fellow New Orleanian Butera to join. Sam dubbed the new band, The Witnesses in 1956 and they played to sold out crowds in Las Vegas for 20 years.

Sam Butera is heard alongside Louis Prima and Keely Smith on most of their great Capitol releases during the 1950s, including "Just A Gigolo - I Ain't Got Nobody", "Oh, Marie", "That Old Black Magic" and "Sing, Sing, Sing" (which Prima wrote). In 1958, Butera put out a solo single with The Witnesses on Capitol called "Bim Bam", which is a song I used to play all the time on the radio. What a jumpin' little record that was.

Here is a clip of Sam Butera playing up to Louis Prima on stage during the classic, "Oh, Marie".

And so as we lose another talented musician, the best we can do is remember them and honor their work and with Sam Butera, we've got plenty to remember him by.

-MTC