Double Bass Rolando “Rolly-Dee” Dilorio?

[Keith Rawlings]

I find barely any mention online about Rolly-Dee Dilorio, who played double bass for Louis Prima and Sam Butera and the Witnesses. He was amazing! I love his playing in songs like Pennies From Heaven, Jump Jive ‘An Wail and Just a Gigolo.

Do any fellow TB’ers know of a resource that might have more information about him? I found some links to a book about the history of the mafia in Las Vegas that has many stories from him of the Strip during the 50’s and 60’s. As a history buff I’ll probably get the rest of the book on my Kindle; but I cannot find any discussion of his bass lines or a biography for him anywhere. He doesn’t even have a Wikipedia listing.

 

[LTM]

He was great, wasn't he?

Funnily enough, the songs you mentioned were from before he joined the Witnesses. The bassist on those tracks (and on Louis' first two Capitol albums) was Amado Rodriguez, another bassist about whom there is scant online information, but "that guy" talks about Louis here:

From what I can muster, Rolly Dee joined them between August and October 1958 (according to louisprima.com/discography) in time for the Hey Boy! Hey Girl! album and film. He was the bassist who played with Louis and Sam on the Ed Sullivan Show between '59 and '62:


Later on, he would sometimes take a vocal solo, such as on this track from 1963:


By the end of the 1960s, he had swapped his double bass for a Fender Precision (as seen on the back cover of this: Louis Prima With Sam Butera And The Witnesses - The Prima Generation '72). He seems to have played with the Witnesses until 1975, when Seth Kimball replaced him on bass for Louis' final album, The Wildest '75. One source claims he died in April 1997 (Cult Vegas), but I can't confirm this or his age at his death.

It's dry information, sure, but it's all I've got. I'm not even 100% sure if his surname was DiIorio or DiLorio (although I suspect it's the former).

 

[Keith Rawlings]

He was great, wasn't he?

Funnily enough, the songs you mentioned were from before he joined the Witnesses. The bassist on those tracks (and on Louis' first two Capitol albums) was Amado Rodriguez, another bassist about whom there is scant online information, but "that guy" talks about Louis here:

From what I can muster, Rolly Dee joined them between August and October 1958 (according to louisprima.com/discography) in time for the Hey Boy! Hey Girl! album and film. He was the bassist who played with Louis and Sam on the Ed Sullivan Show between '59 and '62:


Later on, he would sometimes take a vocal solo, such as on this track from 1963:


By the end of the 1960s, he had swapped his double bass for a Fender Precision (as seen on the back cover of this: Louis Prima With Sam Butera And The Witnesses - The Prima Generation '72). He seems to have played with the Witnesses until 1975, when Seth Kimball replaced him on bass for Louis' final album, The Wildest '75. One source claims he died in April 1997 (Cult Vegas), but I can't confirm this or his age at his death.

It's dry information, sure, but it's all I've got. I'm not even 100% sure if his surname was DiIorio or DiLorio (although I suspect it's the former).

Very cool! I had no idea he wasn’t on those great Prima recordings. There is so little about him or anyone except for Louis, Sam or Keely when you search them online.

 

[RainDog80]

I know this is an older topic, but I can confirm a few things for you:

Rolly played in the Witnesses from 1958 to 1974. He was known as “The Italian Troubadour” and was featured as a vocalist on several records. He also did a Louis Armstrong impersonation as part of his act. After he and several others left the Witnesses, they formed their own band called The Goofers, including Jimmy Vincent on drums, Bruce Zarka on organ and vocals, and Morgan Thomas on horns and vocals. This is essentially why the Witnesses is made up of all new personnel on Prima’s last album.

After Prima died and there was a lawsuit between Gia Maione and Sam Butera for the use of the name The Witnesses, The Goofers became “Louis Prima’s Witnesses” supporting Maione in performances in the early ‘80s.

He did die in Spring of 1997, from lung cancer.

Aside from being in The Witnesses, The Goofers were a local Las Vegas act. Most of these guys are unknowns, which is insane because they’re all very talented musicians.

Rolly is featured on the following albums with The Witnesses:

Louis and Keely! (Dot Records)
Together (Dot Records)
His Greatest Hits (Dot records)
Return of the Wildest (Dot Records)
On Stage (Dot)
Doin’ The Twist (Dot)
The Wildest Clan (Dot)
Apache (Dot)
The Rat Race (Dot)
The Continental Twist (Capitol)
The Wildest Comes Home (Capitol)
Lake Tahoe Prima Style (Capitol)
All Prima One Records recordings, except “The Wildest ‘75”.

There are two records I have found by The Goofers. “Appearing at the Frontier Hotel” and “Live at the Nifty Nook Lounge.”

I’ve attached the images for you.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I know this is an older topic, but I can confirm a few things for you:

Rolly played in the Witnesses from 1958 to 1974. He was known as “The Italian Troubadour” and was featured as a vocalist on several records. He also did a Louis Armstrong impersonation as part of his act. After he and several others left the Witnesses, they formed their own band called The Goofers, including Jimmy Vincent on drums, Bruce Zarka on organ and vocals, and Morgan Thomas on horns and vocals. This is essentially why the Witnesses is made up of all new personnel on Prima’s last album.

After Prima died and there was a lawsuit between Gia Maione and Sam Butera for the use of the name The Witnesses, The Goofers became “Louis Prima’s Witnesses” supporting Maione in performances in the early ‘80s.

He did die in Spring of 1997, from lung cancer.

Aside from being in The Witnesses, The Goofers were a local Las Vegas act. Most of these guys are unknowns, which is insane because they’re all very talented musicians.

Rolly is featured on the following albums with The Witnesses:

Louis and Keely! (Dot Records)
Together (Dot Records)
His Greatest Hits (Dot records)
Return of the Wildest (Dot Records)
On Stage (Dot)
Doin’ The Twist (Dot)
The Wildest Clan (Dot)
Apache (Dot)
The Rat Race (Dot)
The Continental Twist (Capitol)
The Wildest Comes Home (Capitol)
Lake Tahoe Prima Style (Capitol)
All Prima One Records recordings, except “The Wildest ‘75”.

There are two records I have found by The Goofers. “Appearing at the Frontier Hotel” and “Live at the Nifty Nook Lounge.”

I’ve attached the images for you.

View attachment 4006160
View attachment 4006161

Thank you very much for the background on Rolly. I played a lot of Louis Prima covers in the mid-90s and I always wondered why there was so little known about Rolly and the other bassists who played with Louis and Sam. They literally drove the band with that infectious groove; and the two documentaries about Prima and Butera that I’ve seen say very little about the band themselves. I had no idea he went on to form another band with the rest of the remaining Witnesses. Someone should write a book about the guys who made Louis Prima, Sam Butera and Keely Smith sound so good! That rhythm section was unbelievable!

If only I could go back in time and see their Las Vegas revue in the late 50’s - what a show that would be!

 

[RainDog80]

Thank you very much for the background on Rolly. I played a lot of Louis Prima covers in the mid-90s and I always wondered why there was so little known about Rolly and the other bassists who played with Louis and Sam. They literally drove the band with that infectious groove; and the two documentaries about Prima and Butera that I’ve seen say very little about the band themselves. I had no idea he went on to form another band with the rest of the remaining Witnesses. Someone should write a book about the guys who made Louis Prima, Sam Butera and Keely Smith sound so good! That rhythm section was unbelievable!

If only I could go back in time and see their Las Vegas revue in the late 50’s - what a show that would be!

I was actually in the process of writing a book about Sam and Witnesses from 2006-2009, but it fell apart with the passing of some key participants. My vision was to be part biography, part documentary. I wanted to highlight each member’s biography and contributions to music, interspersed with essays and stories as told by their family, friends, and in some cases, the members themselves. I had interviews with some band members and had some great stories, but Jimmy Vincent, Jimmy Blount, and Sam passed within close time of each other, and there was not much cooperation from the Prima camp particularly after Sam died. His wife was hit by a car the same day of his passing, so she had her own complications afterward and despite the support of a lot of family of the band members, (including Lou Scioneaux’s family), we came to an impasse.

Then Floyd Dakil passed away, and that was kind of the nail in the coffin.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I was actually in the process of writing a book about Sam and Witnesses from 2006-2009, but it fell apart with the passing of some key participants. My vision was to be part biography, part documentary. I wanted to highlight each member’s biography and contributions to music, interspersed with essays and stories as told by their family, friends, and in some cases, the members themselves. I had interviews with some band members and had some great stories, but Jimmy Vincent, Jimmy Blount, and Sam passed within close time of each other, and there was not much cooperation from the Prima camp particularly after Sam died. His wife was hit by a car the same day of his passing, so she had her own complications afterward and despite the support of a lot of family of the band members, (including Lou Scioneaux’s family), we came to an impasse.

Then Floyd Dakil passed away, and that was kind of the nail in the coffin.

Thats terrible that all of those events happened so close together and ended the project. I feel like theirs is a story of American music that hasn’t been heard. Prima and Butera were so influential with that sound and so little is known about the band. Maybe you’ll be able to get it back on track someday with other family members and others who can provide some additional background on the Witnesses. I know it won’t be the same as getting the stories from the players themselves but at least it’s something.

 

[LTM]

I'm sorry to hear that the project didn't go anywhere, RainDog. If you ever finish the book, or even if you were to publish a rougher version, I'd love to read it. I believe that Bobby Morris, the Witnesses' drummer, is still alive today at 93; he must have some stories. The Witnesses certainly did cook, with or without Louis! IMO they eclipsed the "easy listening" artists of the day by far, and even gave some of the rock 'n' rollers a run for their money. Just take a listen to tracks like Equator, Bim Bam, and Perdido, to name a few.

One more thing I've found since my last post is a picture of Rolly's gravestone. He appears to have had a sister or another close relative called Mary A.

 

[David Barbieri]

When I was a kid in the early 80's I met Rolly Dee at the Sacramento Jazz Festival, where he played with The Witnesses. He was a friend of a very close friend of my dad's. My dad drove Rolly around Sacramento during the jazz fest, and I got to tag along. While riding in the car I told Rolly I played bass (I'd only been playing about a year). He insisted that I sit in with The Witnesses for a song. I tried to get out of it because I hadn't yet developed any confidence, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. What an incredibly cool guy! Such a great personality. I just played a 12 bar blues walking bassline along with the band, but what an incredible, and unforgettable experience. I got to play on stage with Sam Butera and The Witnesses! I'm glad he didn't let me wuss out. Unfortunately, that was the last time I saw Rolly, so I don't have any information on him. I'm looking myself, that's how I happened on this thread. Sorry I couldn't be of any help.

 

[LTM]

When I was a kid in the early 80's I met Rolly Dee at the Sacramento Jazz Festival, where he played with The Witnesses. He was a friend of a very close friend of my dad's. My dad drove Rolly around Sacramento during the jazz fest, and I got to tag along. While riding in the car I told Rolly I played bass (I'd only been playing about a year). He insisted that I sit in with The Witnesses for a song. I tried to get out of it because I hadn't yet developed any confidence, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. What an incredibly cool guy! Such a great personality. I just played a 12 bar blues walking bassline along with the band, but what an incredible, and unforgettable experience. I got to play on stage with Sam Butera and The Witnesses! I'm glad he didn't let me wuss out. Unfortunately, that was the last time I saw Rolly, so I don't have any information on him. I'm looking myself, that's how I happened on this thread. Sorry I couldn't be of any help.

That's an amazing story, David! It paints a nice picture of the man behind the basslines, at least.

 

[Dyvuxh]

So i was triying to do some research about Rolly because im a huge fan of Louis Prima Sam Butera & the witnesses (i have a fan account about Louis Prima on Instagram “the_w1ldest”) and i found some tracks on spotify singed by Rolly Dee:

1. I left my heart in san francisco. From the album “The prima generation ‘72”

2. Rose Garden. From the same album

3. C’est si bon. From the album “Sam Butera, Wild Cat” and in this song is the mentioned impression of Louis Armstrong.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

So i was triying to do some research about Rolly because im a huge fan of Louis Prima Sam Butera & the witnesses (i have a fan account about Louis Prima on Instagram “the_w1ldest”) and i found some tracks on spotify singed by Rolly Dee:

1. I left my heart in san francisco. From the album “The prima generation ‘72”

2. Rose Garden. From the same album

3. C’est si bon. From the album “Sam Butera, Wild Cat” and in this song is the mentioned impression of Louis Armstrong.

He and most of the Witnesses outside of Sam Butera are such a mystery when you try and search for anything about them online. It’s so perplexing that nobody ever did a comprehensive book or documentary about them. They were the most raucous show in Vegas, not to mention being the first real drawing act in Sin City when Vegas started. People from all over the country came to Las Vegas to see them perform with Louis.