Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. 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.. 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). 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. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. 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. 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. 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. WebLouis Armstrong. .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. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. He was also a frequent presence on radio, and often broke box-office records at the height of what is now known as the "Swing Era. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. Dancers loved Hendersons music making Louis Armstrong a celebrity so when he left his old band, this would be a step up. Armstrong used to say that hed been born on July 4, 1900. Louis Armstrong. 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. With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. 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. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. Turns out, he was 13 months off. 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. 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. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. Louis Armstrong (Aug 4th, 1901 - Jul 6th, 1971) was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who became one of the most influential figures in jazz. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. Copy. Aint that stupid? By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. We contributed Louis Armstrong. 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. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. WebThe point is that Armstrong created and codified an entire vocabulary of jazz, setting the standard for vocalists and instrumentalists. Armstrong continued to appear in major films with the likes of Mae West, Martha Raye and Dick Powell. Eventually tour ended and Louis went back home to continue his. WebThrough the internet and books we find out why Louis Armstrong is such a great person to learn about. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. 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. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. The year is 1954. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. 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. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. 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. A local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a job collecting junk and delivering coal. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. In 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreaming of a life making music. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. 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. 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 is also the first African American celebrity to appear in a major Hollywood movie. The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. WebToday, Louis Armstrong holds the title as the worlds greatest jazz player. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. Changing jazz into what was once known as a ensemble music to soloist art. Armstrong was an African American child growing up in the slums of New Orleans, close to abandonment, impoverished, and with too few constant people, resources, or homes. That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. 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. Released from the Waifs Home in 1914, Armstrong set his sights on becoming a professional musician. Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." After a quick trip with a group of people to Venice, Mozart and his daddy returned back to his hometown Salzburg. 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. ", 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. As a trumpet virtuoso, his playing, beginning with the 1920s studio recordings he made with his Hot Five and Hot Seven ensembles, charted a future for jazz in highly imaginative, emotionally charged improvisation. 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). Armstrong made his first trip abroad, to Europe, and received the nickname Satchmo from his original nickname Satchelmouth, because of his big lips. Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. WebLouis Armstrongas a musician, as a man, as an icon. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. 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. He was a master of the trumpet and cornet, and his style of playing was unique and instantly recognizable. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. Henderson also forbade Armstrong from singing, fearing that his rough way of vocalizing would be too coarse for the sophisticated audiences at the Roseland Ballroom. He returned to Broadway in the short-lived musical Swingin' the Dream in November 1939. He also learned to sing. 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. For live dates, he appeared with the orchestras led by Erskine Tate and Carroll Dickerson. In April, he reached the charts with his first vocal recording, "Big Butter and Egg Man," a duet with May Alix. 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. The Hot Fives' recording of "Muskrat Ramble" gave Armstrong a Top Ten hit in July 1926, the band for the track featuring Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lillian Harden Armstrong on piano, and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo. 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). Armstrong sang his heart out on the number, thinking of his home in Queens as he did so, but "What a Wonderful World" received little promotion in the United States. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. 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. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. Study now. 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 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 Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. 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 boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. He dropped out of school at 11 to join an informal group, but on December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration, and was sent to reform school. I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. He performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. Jelly Roll Morton was a great pianist and arranger from New Orleans., He not only produce one impressive improvised solo after another, but he also raised the bar for jazz vocals. At the start of Armstrongs career, he married Daisy Parker. Why was Louis Armstrong important to New Orleans? WebImportance of Louis Armstrong. In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). In a 1951 interview with Esquire, Armstrong claimed to have come prepared with printed lyrics that day. 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. An all-star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. Here are 10 facts about the life of one of the 20th century's most important jazz musicians. Given that Armstrong was only 11, it was (one of) his stepfathers who was responsible for the whole series of events. Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. 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. 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. 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. In the 1950s, he was sometimes criticized for his onstage persona and called an Uncle Tom but he silenced critics by speaking out against the governments handling of the Little Rock Nine high school integration crisis in 1957. He subsequently passed, so the duo contacted Armstrong in August 1967. Related. Armstrong fought back, but for many young jazz fans, he was regarded as an out-of-date performer with his best days behind him. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. 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. Armstrong brought. Meanwhile, Armstrong's reputation as a musician continued to grow: In 1918, he replaced Oliver in Kid Ory's band, then the most popular band in New Orleans. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. By the end of the decade, the popularity of the Hot Fives and Sevens was enough to send Armstrong back to New York, where he appeared in the popular Broadway revue, Hot Chocolates. He soon began touring and never really stopped until his death in 1971. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. Louis Armstrong was successful in jazz because he learned on his own with daily practice while influencing others with his music by making smiles appear on their face. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). He is a husky singer, often with a trumpet in his hand. He played dramatic works of simple structure in Orleans jazz style and with the accompaniment of Dick jazz music. It is said that during a session, Armstrong dropped his sheet music and started mimicking the sounds of the horn with his voice. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). Handy and Satch Plays Fats. In fifth grade, while being taken care of by his maternal grandmother most of the time, he left school to work. He was arrested for firing a pistol in Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. 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. 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. Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. Related. 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. Armstrong was still a popular attraction around the world in 1963, but hadn't made a record in two years. Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. Armstrong's words made front-page news around the world. All Rights Reserved. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. 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. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. Show More. Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson in 1925 to return to Chicago, where he began playing with his wife's band at the Dreamland Caf. Career highlights, compiled by the Louis Armstrong House Museum: Evidently, the show went well. 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. 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 Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. A 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. 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. Nobody did what Louis could do. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. 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. 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. 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. After trying it, he said that defecation sounded like Applause. Enamored, the musician began handing out packets to admirers, loved ones, and band members. He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). Louis gave jazz music a purpose. Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. 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 he is important because he was the first black singer. 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. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Heebie Jeebies and Hotter Than That, was some of the earliest recordings of Armstrongs scat singing., He was a major piece in the history of jazz music and his career lasted for more than 50 years. He sang much as he played, but with a playfulness and a rasp, that would forever be part of American culture (Winfield 167). 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. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. WebLouis Armstrong was a key asset to the Harlem Renaissance due to his inspiring music and playing his instruments for African Americans people during this period. Its definitely worth checking out. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. Being in many bands before he was not new to this. However, a heart attack two days after the Waldorf gig sidelined him for two 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 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. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? 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. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. Additionally, he became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show in 1937, when he took over Rudy Vallee's Fleischmann's Yeast Show for 12 weeks. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Why is Louis Armstrong important in the 20's? In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. 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. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. 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. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. Louis Armstrong is famous for his stunning jazz performance, unique vocals, and amazing styles with the trumpet/cornet. By the end of his teens, Armstrong had grown up fast. Jazz is a genre of music that brought a whole community of people together.
Net Worth Wedding Trey Gowdy Wife, Property For Sale East Lothian, Funeral Notices Brigg, Articles W