He began following him and eventually Oliver became Armstrongs mentor. Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? 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 Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. 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. Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. 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. Changing jazz into what was once known as a ensemble music to soloist art. It was also for Columbia that Armstrong scored one of the biggest hits of his career: His jazz transformation of Kurt Weill's "Mack the Knife. This gift, coupled with Louis Armstrongs already present affinity for the musical sounds of the local New Orleans street bands and brass players that lingered around, helped to brew the perfect storm that would create one of the most prolific players of the 20th century. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. As an artist, Armstrong was embraced by two distinctly different audiences: jazz fans who revered him for his early innovations as an instrumentalist but were occasionally embarrassed by his lack of interest in later developments in jazz, especially his willingness to serve as a light entertainer; and pop fans, who delighted in his joyous performances, particularly as a vocalist, but were largely unaware of his significance as a jazz musician. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. Love, baby - love. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. 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. 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. In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. Mob bosses from New York City and Chicago threatened Louis Armstrong in attempts to control his management contract. 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. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. With the decline of swing music in the post-World War II years, Armstrong broke up his big band and put together a small group dubbed His All-Stars, which made its debut in Los Angeles on August 13, 1947. While not officially government-sponsored, there are some who believe the concert was arranged by the CIA, which would make this just one of the many taxpayer-funded appearances hed make abroad during the Cold War in an effort to strengthen diplomatic relations overseas. You have arrived to one of the most grand occasions of the year, dressed in your fanciest attire with a hundred watt smile gracing your lips. (She was the second of his four wives.) But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. Flappers were commonly known during this time. The record was released in 1964 and quickly climbed to the top of the pop music charts, hitting the No. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. I think to myself, what a wonderful world. On New Year's Eve in 1912, Armstrong fired his stepfather's gun in the air during a New Year's Eve celebration and was arrested on the spot. 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. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. 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. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. Armstrong was featured nightly on Ain't Misbehavin', breaking up the crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. One of the first many New Orleans style jazz artists is Jelly Roll Morton. Career highlights, compiled by the Louis Armstrong House Museum: To grasp how much the man adored this entre, consider that he often signed his personal letters with Red Beans and Ricely Yours.. Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. 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. 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. Turns out, he was 13 months off. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. He also began singing on these recordings, popularizing wordless "scat singing" with his hugely popular vocal on 1926's "Heebie Jeebies.". Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet. Read Full Biography. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. Losing weight proved difficult at first, but his luck changed once he learned of an herbal laxative called Swiss Kriss. The artist promptly went out, bought a box, and became a lifelong spokesman. Related. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. There were many jazz musicians. Show More. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. Copy. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. During this time, Armstrong adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. Nobody did what Louis could do. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. We contributed Louis Armstrong. While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. Clarence, who had become mentally disabled from a head injury he had suffered at an early age, was taken care of by Armstrong his entire life. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. Together, Armstrong and Hines formed a potent team and made some of the greatest recordings in jazz history in 1928, including their virtuoso duet, "Weather Bird," and "West End Blues.". 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. He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. According to this document, the performers actual birth date was August 4, 1901. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. WebBy the '50s, Armstrong was an established international celebrity--an icon to musicians and lovers of jazz--and a genial, infectiously optimistic presence wherever he appeared. Back in America in 1935, Armstrong hired Joe Glaser as his manager and began fronting a big band, recording pop songs for Decca, and appearing regularly in movies. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. Louis Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson in 1925 to return to Chicago, where he began playing with his wife's band at the Dreamland Caf. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. He found that the only way to reap the benefits of success and be protected was if there was a white captain to back you in the old days (Armstrong). Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. Louis Armstrong, also known as the king of jazz was born on Augest 4th, 1901, in New Orleans Louisiana; he died July 6, 1971 in Corona Queens New York. The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. 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.". Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. In April, he reached the charts with his first vocal recording, "Big Butter and Egg Man," a duet with May Alix. Previously, Armstrong had performed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africathough he famously canceled a planned 1957 Soviet Union tour, citing the recent Little Rock crisis. 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. 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. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Wiki User. 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. He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. 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. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? 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. For the first time, Armstrong was really able to demonstrate his unique voice during those recording sessions. The family treated Armstrong like a member, bought him his first trumpet, and encouraged his musical aspirations. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? Louis Armstrong used to give away laxatives as gifts. This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. While in New York, Armstrong cut dozens of records as a sideman, creating inspirational jazz with other greats such as Sidney Bechet, and backing numerous blues singers including Bessie Smith. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. At the school he learned to play cornet. He was a master of the trumpet and cornet, and his style of playing was unique and instantly recognizable. Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. Louis was arrested by Police When he was eleven. It was on the riverboat that Armstrong honed his music reading skills and eventually had his first encounters with other jazz legends, including Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Though Armstrong was content to remain in New Orleans, in the summer of 1922, he received a call from Oliver to come to Chicago and join his Creole Jazz Band on second cornet. That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. By the start of 1932, he had switched from the "race"-oriented OKeh label to its pop-oriented big sister Columbia, for which he recorded two Top Five hits, "Chinatown, My Chinatown" and "You Can Depend on Me" before scoring a number one hit with "All of Me" in March 1932; another Top Five hit, "Love, You Funny Thing," hit the charts the same month. Though his popularity was hitting new highs in the 1950s, and despite breaking down so many barriers for his race and being a hero to the African American community for so many years, Armstrong began losing his standing with two segments of his audience: Modern jazz fans and young African Americans. Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Tad Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleanss Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. Seems to me it ain't the world that's so bad but what we're doing to it, and all I'm saying is: see what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. Bebop, a new form of jazz, had blossomed in the 1940s. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Burt Bacharachs Legacy: 5 Notable Collaborations, 2023 Grammy Awards: Six Winners Who Made History. One of the greatest cornet players in town, Joe "King" Oliver, began acting as a mentor to the young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn and occasionally using him as a sub. Back in Chicago, OKeh Records decided to let Armstrong make his first records with a band under his own name: Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. His stop-time solos on numbers like "Cornet Chop Suey" and "Potato Head Blues" changed jazz history, featuring daring rhythmic choices, swinging phrasing and incredible high notes. His music was a happiness to individuals and they said he was a gift sent from heaven. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. Armstrongs improvised solos transformed jazz from an ensemble-based music into a soloists art, while his expressive vocals incorporated innovative bursts of scat singing and an underlying swing feel. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. But many of his recorded performances are masterpieces, and none are less than entertaining. In recent years, Armstrong's alleged daughter, who now goes by the name Sharon Preston Folta, has publicized various letters between her and her father. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. He grew up in New Orleans where he introduced to jazz and he went on to spread jazz throughout different cities such as Chicago and New York. The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people going by. Here is one paragraph from the post: From the very first note of West End Blues, a tune composed by Joe King Oliver, one can immediately sense the shift that We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. 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 remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. His distinctive sound and style have had a lasting impact on the genre, and he was a major influence on subsequent generations of jazz musicians. .State Department and earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." He was especially known for his spectacular trumpet playing, unmistakable voice, and exceptionally recognizable, broad smile., In three years they recorded over 60 records, which now are considered the most influential recordings in jazz history. The book was titled Swing That Music. To many young jazz listeners at the time, Armstrong's ever-smiling demeanor seemed like it was from a bygone era, and the trumpeter's refusal to comment on politics for many years only furthered perceptions that he was out of touch. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. No ones quite sure why Armstrong lied about his age, but the most popular theories maintain he wanted to join a military band or that he figured he'd have a better shot at landing gigs if he was over 18 years old. Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. 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. Armstrong returned home in May 1971, and though he soon resumed playing again and promised to perform in public once more, he died in his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home in Queens, New York. He was an extraordinary musician and he impacted jazz music immensely. With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. All Rights Reserved. His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. (Jazz From New Orleans, Jazz music was one of the most popular music genres in the 1920s and 1930s. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. He was an all-star virtuoso, and came to prominence in the 1920s playing cornet and trumpet with an excitingly new and improvisational style. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of Being in many bands before he was not new to this. There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. WebDid You Know? In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. This led some to alter his long-time nickname, Satchmo, to "Ambassador Satch.". His rise to the top, though not overnight, occurred quickly, he played with mostly all the major bands in New Orleans over the next few years (Friedwald 350). I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. "Hotter Than That" was in the Top Ten in May 1928, followed in September by "West End Blues," which later became one of the first recordings named to the Grammy Hall of Fame. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans Louisinana, to Mayann, and Willie Armstrong. Louis does a really important trip to Africa this were the states or cities that he went with Cameroon, the Belgian Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone Jul 6, 1971. The sadest event Two days after his birthday of turning 70, Louis He was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. The passion for his music made him become famous because he was following his dreams while finding his, How Is Louis Daniel Armstrong Morally Responsible, Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) grew up in a poor neighborhood nicknamed The Battlefield in New Orleans, Louisiana. His resurgence in the '60s with hit recordings like 1965's Grammy-winning "Hello Dolly" and 1968's classic "What a Wonderful World" solidified his legacy as a musical and cultural icon. Similarly, many of his most influential recordings, like 1928's "West End Blues" and 1955's "Mack the Knife," have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Jazz is a genre of music that brought a whole community of people together. It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. 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. Instead he used his talent as a ticket to improve his lot and create a meaningful life.