LENA PRIMA
Since The Storm
After years of rocking, rolling and touring casinos and resorts with famous pop artists, Lena Prima at last fully embraced the powerful legacy of her legendary dad,
Louis Prima, along with the timeless musical style he became famous for.
Lena has played casinos, theatres and festivals across the country, showcasing not only her own original jumpin jazz vocals but also tugging the hearts and memories of Louis’ fans while introducing a whole new generation to his trademark songs “Sing Sing Sing,”
“Pennies From Heaven,” “Just A Gigolo,” “Jump Jive
An’Wail,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Che la Luna” and
“Buona Sera”. Recent highlights include celebrating
Louis’ 100 th birthday in New Orleans performing at the prestigious New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Irvin
Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, The Louisiana Music Factory and the historic Blue Room at the Roosevelt Hotel where her father performed when she was a little girl.
While continuing to pay homage to Louis—who died in
1978 at the age of 67--Lena emerges as a diverse song stylist and notable songwriter on Since The Storm , her recently released full studio recording on Eleventh Hour

Records. Beyond its metaphorical application to surviving the great challenges of life, the album title is also a reference to the post-Katrina rejuvenation of New
Orleans, Louis’ hometown where the Las Vegas born
Lena spent much of her childhood. Her original song
“Silly In The Middle” was nominated for the Best Jazz
Song of 2010 at last years Hollywood Music in Media
Awards (HMMAs).
The seeds of Lena’s creative evolution that led her to record Since The Storm were planted, ironically enough, by TV and film personality Bonnie Hunt, who came to see one of Lena’s shows and asked: “Now I know who
Louis’ little girl is, but who is Lena Prima, the woman?”
Asking herself that same question about her true musical identity, Lena decided to begin performing at smaller venues with a quartet, creating unique arrangements of classic songs she had grown up with and other jazz standards. Doing four sets a night with her husband Tim
Fahey (bass), John Torres (drums), Jim Hall (sax) and
Dan Ellis (piano), Lena slowly discovered her own voice.
Lena Prima has received numerous honors while performing Louis’ music these past ten years with up to a seven piece band throughout the U.S. and Europe— including a special award from Nevada’s former
Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt for “Keeping
Tradition Alive in Las Vegas.” She also has been hailed

by the distinguished American Italian Cultural
Roundtable of New York for continuing her father’s legacy and representing women in the field of jazz.
In addition to her musical pursuits, Lena is a talented fine artist, working with charcoal, pencils, acrylics and collage. She began creating jewelry in 2006 using semiprecious stones, sterling silver, various metals, vintage pieces and clay. Each piece is one of a kind with the exception of her limited edition “Pennies From Heaven” bracelet (made with Swarovski crystal). She has also begun a music and arts outreach program called “Pennies
From Heaven” which is designed to enhance the quality of life for people of all ages with the healing power of music and art through volunteering. As part of this program, since July 2008, Lena has been teaching a jewelry making class at The Caring Place in Las Vegas,
For Those Touched By Cancer.
“Everyone knows that one of my dad’s famous songs was
‘Pennies From Heaven,’” Lena says. “In my show, I tell the story of when I was a kid and had a penny bank that my mom gave me on my first birthday. It played the song when I put pennies in. It was a special day for me when my dad took the bank and told me it was a song he sang.
He put a penny in and sang along with the bank. All my life, I have found pennies in strange places when I needed signs of healing, and over the years, people have told me

of similar experiences. It all ties in with the power of music, and the magic of a simple song that can transform hearts and lives. While continuing my dad’s legacy with the songs he loved to sing, I am excited about my own evolution as an artist, singing my favorites and adding a few exciting new songs to the mix on Since The Storm .”