Sam Butera, a saxophonist who helped usher in lounge entertainment in Las Vegas and shared the stage with Louis Prima and Keely Smith, has died. He was 81.
Butera died Wednesday morning of pneumonia at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, his daughter Cheryl Butera said.
Butera played onstage more than 50 years, most famously as the sidekick of singer and trumpet player Prima and Prima's wife, singer Smith.
Butera joined Prima at a lounge gig at the Sahara hotel-casino in 1954, assembling a band called The Witnesses and moving to Las Vegas from his hometown New Orleans with his wife, Vera.
Cheryl Butera said her father and Prima were successful …
No comments:
Post a Comment