Keely Smith
1928–2017 (age 89)
Singer
Biography
Keely Smith rose from New Orleans to become a defining voice of mid-century jazz, dazzling audiences with a cool, luminous tone alongside Louis Prima and earning a Grammy for her spirited delivery.
Her elegant phrasing and playful charisma kept her in demand for decades, whether she was headlining cabaret rooms, recording on her own, or sharing the stage with fellow keepsakes of the American songbook.