Louis Armstrong Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. He has many nicknames in which some are Satchmo and Pops. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. It has given me something to live for. Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. WebLouis Armstrong. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. Louis's Father left him around childbirth, and his mother often used prostitution for money. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. (Hakim, 58) Although Jazz was very popular itself, a majority of the fans and listeners were younger people. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. Show More. He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. 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. Armstrong had access to guns and decided to borrow a .38 that one of his stepfathers stored in a trunk in the Armstrong home (67). Love, baby - love. 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. 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. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. What made jazz continuously popular was the way it progressed. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. 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.". He took up work in Joe (King) Olivers house, doing chores in exchange for musical lessons, developing into a. Louis Armstrong is a man of many talents and skills known for creating a new environment, especially in his home town of New Orleans. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Louis Armstrong in The Civil Rights Movement Louis Armstrong Eventually tour ended and Louis went back home to continue his. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. .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. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. 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. Changing jazz into what was once known as a ensemble music to soloist art. Why does Louis Armstrong sound like that Show More. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). He recorded several songs throughout his career, including he is known for songs like "Star Dust," "La Vie En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. 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. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. However, Armstrong's southern background didn't mesh well with the more urban, Northern mentality of Henderson's other musicians, who sometimes gave Armstrong a hard time over his wardrobe and the way he talked. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. 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. 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. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? He was by far the most enduringly popular man of all the classical composers, and his influence on following Western art music was very good and intense., Intro Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). 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.". He spread jazz throughout the world. By 1968, Armstrong's grueling lifestyle had finally caught up with him. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. Willies habit of devoting all his attention to his second, Because firing guns to welcome in the New Year was a New Orleans custom, he thought (even at 11 years old) that it would be morally acceptable to fire the gun. The joyous tune perfectly and ironically clashed with the wartime horrors depicted in one montage, so director Barry Levinson added it to his films soundtrack. He first came to prominence in the 1920s as a trumpeter and cornet player with no technique as well as being very skilled in scat singing, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, influencing many later jazz artists as well as shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.With his very well-known and recognizable gravelly voice, a technique that was later named crooning, Armstrong was an incredibly influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser by bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes on demand. He returned to Broadway in the short-lived musical Swingin' the Dream in November 1939. Coupled with his astonishing performing skills and charismatic stage presence, Armstrong took the world by storm and popularized jazz as we know it today. A local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a job collecting junk and delivering coal. There, under the tutelage of Peter Davis, he learned how to properly play the cornet, eventually becoming the leader of the Waifs Home Brass Band. This pop success was repeated internationally four years later with "What a Wonderful World," which hit number one in the U.K. in April 1968. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. 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. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. He fused the jazz style of the place where he grew up with well known jazz of Broadway to coordinate a better than ever kind of jazz. The man was Louis Armstrong. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG FACT CARD. Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy | National Portrait Gallery Why Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. 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. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. Study now. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. 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. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. 1 hit around the world, including in England and South Africa, and eventually became one of Armstrong's most-beloved songs after it was used in the 1986 Robin Williams film Good Morning, Vietnam. When Wilson tired of living out of a suitcase during endless strings of one-nighters, she convinced Armstrong to purchase a house at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Queens, New York. The book was titled Swing That Music. He also learned to sing. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. (She was the second of his four wives.) Released from the Waifs Home in 1914, Armstrong set his sights on becoming a professional musician. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. Career highlights, compiled by the Louis Armstrong House Museum: Louis Armstrong 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. 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 pistol should have been stored in a locked, Armstrong did not define himself by his background and could have grown up to be just another poor child from a broken home. 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. The record was released in 1964 and quickly climbed to the top of the pop music charts, hitting the No. 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. those works included Cotton Tail and Ko-Ko. Some of his most popular songs included "It Don 't Mean a Thing if It Ain 't Got That Swing," "Sophisticated Lady," "Prelude to a Kiss," "Solitude," and "Satin Doll (Duke Ellington Biography). 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. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. WebA jazz pioneer, Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist to emerge in jazz, and he became the most influential musician in the music's history. Biography - Louis Armstrong Home Museum With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. 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. Why is Louis Armstrong WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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 Renowned for his charming and incredibly charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet and/or cornet playing, Armstrong 's influence extends far beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the early 1970s at his death, he was widely regarded as a deep and profound influence on popular music in general. Is Louis These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. 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. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. After his time in Colored Waifs Home, he wanted to become a musician. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. 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. Death Year: 1971, Death date: July 6, 1971, Death State: New York, Death City: Corona, Queens, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Louis Armstrong Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/louis-armstrong, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: January 29, 2021, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014. 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. 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. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? Not a single jazz musician who had previously criticized him took his side but today, this is seen as one of the bravest, most definitive moments of Armstrong's life. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. 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. As swing and jazz was dominant as the pop music of the early 20th century, his influence is also evident in the transition from swing and jump blues into rock and roll. The new style that he created gave a voice-like quality to his horn. The Armstrongs moved into the home, where they would live for the rest of their lives, in 1943. 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 was born in New Orleans in 1901. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. Evidently, the show went well. Louis Armstrong, also known as Ambassador Satch, was unofficially adopted by a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania who had a junk hauling business in Louisiana. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. (Cayton, 462) Armstrong was the king of jazz trumpet players. Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? 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. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). He was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. Millions of people, starting in the 1930s until today, have agreed with Louis Armstrongs famous words and have been huge fans of the famous musician. ", 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. He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. Why Is Charlie Parker Important Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. Louis Armstrong Instead he used his talent as a ticket to improve his lot and create a meaningful life. 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. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. Many great performers have come out of the jazz industry, but the most widely known is Louis Satchmo Armstrong. Its definitely worth checking out. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. 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. Why is Louis Armstrong important Why Louis Armstrong was important? 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. Nobody did what Louis could do. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. Louis Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo," "Pops" and, later, "Ambassador Satch," was a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. His career rose in New Orleans. He is a husky singer, often with a trumpet in his hand. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. "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. Why is Louis Armstrong important? - Answers .State Department and earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. Wiki User. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. 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. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington "Jazz That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. 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. He turned to Joe Glaser for help; Glaser had mob ties of his own, having been close with Al Capone, but he had loved Armstrong from the time he met him at the Sunset Caf (Glaser had owned and managed the club). Armstrong's home in Corona, Queens was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977; today, the house is home to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which annually receives thousands of visitors from all over the world. However, a heart attack two days after the Waldorf gig sidelined him for two months. It did not gain as much notice in the U.S. until 1987, when it was used in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, after which it became a Top 40 hit. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Mentored by the citys top cornetist, Joe King Oliver, Armstrong soon became one of the most in-demand cornetists in town, eventually working steadily on Mississippi riverboats. Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz figures. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. 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. At one point in Heebie Jeebiesa 1926 song released by Armstrong and his "Hot Five bandthe singer vocalizes a series of nonsensical, horn-like sounds. Jazz was born there and I remember when it was no crime for cats of any color to get together and blow. Nine years later, after this ban had finally lifted, he again took the stage in New Orleans on October 31, 1965. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. He worked for to get his instrument because his mother couldn't afford to buy him one. 2012-02-22 18:06:07. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. ", During the mid-'50s, Armstrong's popularity overseas skyrocketed. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. In 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreaming of a life making music. 1. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. 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. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. 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. Today, these are generally regarded as the most important and influential recordings in jazz history; on these records, Armstrong's virtuoso brilliance helped transform jazz from an ensemble music to a soloist's art. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. WebDid You Know? 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. 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). He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Copy. The solos Armstrong performed along with his popular scat singing helped make jazz musicians more popular along with making the fans take notice of Armstrong and jazz itself (Rennert 8). Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. 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. In December of that year, he was called into the studio to record the title number for a Broadway show that hadn't opened yet: Hello, Dolly! Armstrong was featured in the 1969 film of Hello, Dolly!, performing the title song as a duet with Barbra Streisand. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG FACT CARD, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Louis Armstrong, Birth Year: 1901, Birth date: August 4, 1901, Birth State: Louisiana, Birth City: New Orleans, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose., Astrological Sign: Leo.
