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In 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreaming of a life making music. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. LOUIS ARMSTRONG He returned to performing in 1970 but it was too much, too soon and he passed away in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a few months after his final engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A series of new biographies on Armstrong made his role as a civil rights pioneer abundantly clear and, subsequently, argued for an embrace of his entire career's output, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Armstrongs first brass instrument and initial training was on the cornet, which is generally easier for younger or beginning players to learn and slightly smaller in size. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. See answer (1) Best Answer. In addition Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes., On the 26th day of December in 1788 there was a very great success. He was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Famous for his innovative methods of playing the trumpet and cornet, he was also a highly talented singer, blessed with a powerful gravelly voice. Known for his improvisation, Armstrong could induce dramatic effects with his music. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. During this period, he switched from cornet to trumpet. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. His influence, both as an artist and There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. He was one of America's most significant artists by the late 1930s, and had created a sensation in Europe with live performances and records. The Hot Five and Hot Seven were strictly recording groups; Armstrong performed nightly during this period with Erskine Tate's orchestra at the Vendome Theater, often playing music for silent movies. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. Legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow followed Armstrong with a camera crew on some of his worldwide excursions, turning the resulting footage into a theatrical documentary, Satchmo the Great, released in 1957. Louis Armstrong - Biography, Jazz Musician, Trumpeter, The family treated Armstrong like a member, bought him his first trumpet, and encouraged his musical aspirations. WebLouis Armstrongs ability to use his career to change the music and jazz industry forever is another great example of why Louis Armstrong exhibits the right. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). Armstrong could make an audience cheer, but Roy Eldridge, made those top and bottom notes feel like a natural part of what the horn should do (Friedwald 21). During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. Armstrong's popularity continued to grow in Chicago throughout the decade, as he began playing other venues, including the Sunset Caf and the Savoy Ballroom. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Armstrongs unique singing and masterful improvisation transitioned jazz from the traditional style to a newer, more rhythmic style. How Did Louis Armstrong Impact Society Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Throughout the years, jazz musicians have created many new styles, new arrangements, and put this genre of music on the map., He affected the heading of jazz music and spontaneous creation. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. To grasp how much the man adored this entre, consider that he often signed his personal letters with Red Beans and Ricely Yours.. Read Full Biography. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. Different from most of his recordings of the era, the song features no trumpet and places Armstrong's gravelly voice in the middle of a bed of strings and angelic voices. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. Armstrong's four marriages never produced any children, and because he and wife Lucille Wilson had actively tried for years to no avail, many believed him to be sterile, incapable of having children. What are some facts about Louis Armstrong?A Jewish immigrant family helped him buy his first horn. Armstrong first received musical training during a stint in juvenile detention. His wife helped jumpstart his solo career. Armstrong was one of the first celebrities to be arrested for drug possession. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. To untold millions, every note that he let loose made the world feel a bit more wonderful, and his music is still being discovered by new generations of fans. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. While only a DNA test could officially prove whether a blood relationship does exist between Armstrong and Sharon and one has never been conducted between the two believers and skeptics can at least agree on one thing: Sharon's uncanny resemblance to the jazz legend. Louis Armstrong is famous for his stunning jazz performance, unique vocals, and amazing styles with the trumpet/cornet. With his amazing voice trumpet he created a band and made some records. Why He spent the next several years in Europe, his American career maintained by a series of archival recordings, including the Top Ten hits "Sweethearts on Parade" (August 1932; recorded December 1930) and "Body and Soul" (October 1932; recorded October 1930). Armstrong moved to Chicago to join Oliver's band in August 1922 and made his first recordings as a member of the group in the spring of 1923. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). That same year, he became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in Pennies from Heaven, starring Bing Crosby. However, had his upbringing been different, his musical talents may never have been established to grow and thrive into one of the most internationally influential jazz musicians ever. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. One of the first soloists on record, Louis was at the forefront of changing jazz from ensemble-oriented folk music into an art form that emphasized inventive solo improvisations. He began following him and eventually Oliver became Armstrongs mentor. Armstrong fought back, but for many young jazz fans, he was regarded as an out-of-date performer with his best days behind him. Armstrong continued a grueling touring schedule into the late '50s, and it caught up with him in 1959, when he had a heart attack while traveling in Spoleto, Italy. Sure enough, he explained, they [published] Heebie Jeebies the same way it was mistakenly recorded. However, most biographers believe that Armstrong made up this anecdote and had planned on scatting all along. WebHe had a string of pop hits beginning in 1949 and started making regular overseas tours, where his popularity was so great, he was dubbed Ambassador Satch. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? Though he had finally spoken out after years of remaining publicly silent, he received criticism at the time from both Black and white public figures. However, controversy regarding Armstrong's fatherhood struck in 1954, when a girlfriend that the musician had dated on the side, Lucille "Sweets" Preston, claimed she was pregnant with his child. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. Here are 10 facts about the life of one of the 20th century's most important jazz musicians. WebLouis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. A year in New York with Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra proved unsatisfying so Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1925 and began making records under his own name for the first time. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrongs Iconic Ballad His notoriety for being the best jazz player of his time was secured as Armstrong's arrangement of swing and melodic development opened out and changed Henderson's band and in addition jazz overall. St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker tracks down a flyball during fielding practice at the Cardinals spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. Its definitely worth checking out. As if it were not enough that Armstrong would rewire instrumental music for the rest of the century, his singing did the same for vocal music. These records later went on to become the most influential in jazz history, as it was the first time Armstrong facilitated the evolution of jazz as a ensemble to a soloist art. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. For this, he is revered by jazz fans. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. Armstrong continued recording for Decca in the late 1940s and early '50s, creating a string of popular hits, including "Blueberry Hill," "That Lucky Old Sun," "La Vie En Rose," "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "I Get Ideas. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. His rise to fame peaked in the 1920s, where he stunned the world with his bold trumpet style and idiosyncratic vocals. He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. He also began appearing in the orchestra of Hot Chocolates, a Broadway revue, and was given a featured spot singing "Ain't Misbehavin'." Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Armstrong's words made front-page news around the world. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. All Rights Reserved. Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. His Top Ten version of "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train," in the charts in early 1933, was on Victor Records; when he returned to the U.S. in 1935, he signed to the recently formed Decca Records and quickly scored a double-sided Top Ten hit, "I'm in the Mood for Love"/"You Are My Lucky Star.". One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. Revisiting Louis Armstrong in the Context If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. Louis did his first performance on stage in 1930 to spread his Jazz style. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. Armstrong could make an audience cheer, but Roy Eldridge, made those top and bottom notes feel like a natural part of what the horn should do (Friedwald 21). The many years of constant touring eventually wore down Armstrong, who had his first heart attack in 1959 and returned to intensive care at Beth Israel Hospital for heart and kidney trouble in 1968. Armstrong fronted the Luis Russell Orchestra for a tour of the South in February 1930, and in May went to Los Angeles, where he led a band at Sebastian's Cotton Club for the next ten months. At His Majestys command, several of the biggest names in jazz took their talents to Buckingham Palace, and in 1932, Armstrong was requested for a royal performance. 1. He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. He took a position as star soloist in Carroll Dickerson's band at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago in March 1928, later taking over as the band's frontman. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. Hes a professional jazz performer who played with Oliver and Henderson. ", Armstrong signed with Columbia Records in the mid-'50s, and soon cut some of the finest albums of his career for producer George Avakian, including Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Satch Plays Fats, a tribute to Fats Waller, became a Top Ten LP for Columbia in October 1955, and Verve Records contracted Armstrong for a series of recordings with Ella Fitzgerald, beginning with the chart LP Ella and Louis in 1956. He was often left with his grandmother, and left school in fifth grade to start working. 149 Copy quote. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. In June 1951 he reached the Top Ten of the LP charts with Satchmo at Symphony Hall ("Satchmo" being his nickname), and he scored his first Top Ten single in five years with "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" later in the year. His charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. (Biography.com), Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the first real genius of jazz(Shipton 26). Armstrong was a busy man, he always had more than one thing going on, if he wasnt recording with Hot Five/Seven, he was performing in the Vendome theatre, playing music for silent movies.. Given that Armstrong was only 11, it was (one of) his stepfathers who was responsible for the whole series of events. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. He interprets and contributes to the genre of jazz, creates great form through his performance in the Hot Chocolates, and his work represents a whole for equality and the civil rights movement. Armstrong made his first trip abroad, to Europe, and received the nickname Satchmo from his original nickname Satchelmouth, because of his big lips. While he was beloved by musicians, he was too wild for most critics, who gave him some of the most racist and harsh reviews of his career. He didn't own an instrument at this time, If one was to go out into the street, walked up to a random stranger and asked them if they knew who Louis Armstrong was, chances are that they would be able to answer you correctly. https://www.britannica.com/facts/Louis-Armstrong, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1990), jazz: The cornetist breaks away: Louis Armstrong and the invention of swing. Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. Louis gave jazz music a purpose. Copy. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). WebLouis Armstrongas a musician, as a man, as an icon. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. With her encouragement, he left Oliver and joined Fletcher Henderson's band in New York, staying for a year and then going back to Chicago in November 1925 to join the Dreamland Syncopators, his wife's group. He was soon able to stop working manual labor jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches and at local "honky-tonks"a name for small bars that typically host musical acts. Louis Armstrong was a pivotal musician in the twentieth century, but it was his contributions and his role he made during the Harlem Renaissance movement that is most substantial. Armstrong's new manager, Joe Glaser, organized a big band for him that had its premiere in Indianapolis on July 1, 1935; for the next several years, he toured regularly. Members of the group, at one time or another, included Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle and Tyree Glenn, among other jazz legends. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. At the mention jazz music, that person will first think of is likely to be a great figure with a clown image, nicknamed Satchmo. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. For live dates, he appeared with the orchestras led by Erskine Tate and Carroll Dickerson. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? Armstrong joined Henderson in the fall of 1924 and immediately made his presence felt with a series of solos that introduced the concept of swing music to the band. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Louis Armstrong Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic The jazz magazine Down Beat agreed. Louis Armstrong Musician Facts | Mental Floss In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. But Armstrong also became an enduring figure in popular music due to his distinctively phrased baritone singing and engaging personality, which were on display in a series of vocal recordings and film roles. Even the scepter of Uncle Tom that shadowed the outsized Satchmo during his career, and that Ellington essentially concurred with in an interview with Carter Harman in 1964, has faded. ", Armstrong's fully healed lip made its presence felt on some of the finest recordings of career, including "Swing That Music," "Jubilee" and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue.". Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. Related. The Armstrongs moved into the home, where they would live for the rest of their lives, in 1943. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. In addition, his mother did not have a stable job and with his father long out of the picture, life was hard for young Armstrong. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). Wiki User. Louis Armstrong He also took a series of small parts in motion pictures, beginning with Pennies from Heaven in December 1936, and he continued to record for Decca, resulting in the Top Ten hits "Public Melody Number One" (August 1937), "When the Saints Go Marching In" (April 1939), and "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)" (April 1946), the last a duet with Ella Fitzgerald. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). WebRather than appealing simply to the crowd of already established jazz lovers, Louis Armstrong was effective at bridging the gap and reaching out to those that may not have been as familiar with the genre and effectively serving as one of the best ambassadors that the jazz world has ever known. Why Louis Armstrong Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson in 1925 to return to Chicago, where he began playing with his wife's band at the Dreamland Caf. (Armstrong did not function as a bandleader in the usual sense, but instead typically lent his name to established groups.) With the assistance of the jazz musicians, the music industry, Making his voice sound like a musical instrument and singing nonsense syllables with no words created Scat singing. Why is Louis Armstrong important? - Answers He also learned to sing. In the summer of 1929, Armstrong headed to New York, where he had a role in a Broadway production of Connie's Hot Chocolates, featuring the music of Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. I think to myself, what a wonderful world. WebDid You Know? The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. After his time in Colored Waifs Home, he wanted to become a musician. In a strange turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong's career fell apart: Years of blowing high notes had taken a toll on Armstrong's lips, and, following a fight with his manager Johnny Collins who already managed to get Armstrong into trouble with the Mafia he was left stranded overseas by Collins. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. Armstrong decided to take some time off soon after the incident, and spent much of 1934 relaxing in Europe and resting his lip. A few weeks later after his birth his father leaves his mother alone with a family. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. The single's B-side, and also a chart entry, was "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," sung by Armstrong in the film The Strip. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Show More. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Turns out, he was 13 months off. The musician didn't let the incident stop him, however, and after taking a few weeks off to recover, he was back on the road, performing 300 nights a year into the 1960s. He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. He began touring the country in the 1940s. Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy Armstrongs mentor, King Oliver, had Armstrong move to Chicago to be in his band; in Olivers, Aside from the typical cultural, social, and political factors influencing any musicians style, an early life filled with poverty and hardship also shaped Louis Armstrongs musical development. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence.