He was an extraordinary musician and he impacted jazz music immensely. 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). The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. WebLouis Armstrong was the protean genius that made African American classical music mislabeled as jazz the most important music event of the 20th century. Its definitely worth checking out. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. He also learned to sing. According to Armstrong, that nights biggest laugh came right before his group started playing You Rascal, You. Without warning, he looked straight up at the monarch and hollered, This ones for you, Rex!, Fresh off the wild success of his Hello, Dolly! cover, Armstrong made a trip to communist East Berlin in 1965, where he gave a two-hour concert that earned a standing ovation. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. he is important because he was the first black singer. 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 adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. Turns out, he was 13 months off. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). 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. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. 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. 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. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. He was arrested for firing a pistol in His influence, both as an artist and cultural icon, is universal and is still relevant today. 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. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. Why is Louis Armstrong important in the 20's? When Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1935, he had no band, no engagements and no recording contract. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). 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. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. 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. It's also worth noting that even though he brought it into popularity, Armstrong in no way invented the technique, which dates back to at least 1906. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. In the 1980s and '90s, younger African American jazz musicians like Wynton Marsalis, Jon Faddis and Nicholas Payton began speaking about Armstrong's importance, both as a musician and a human being. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. 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 book was titled Swing That Music. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. By the mid-'40s, the Swing Era was winding down and the era of big bands was almost over. Perhaps most importantly, the letters also detail Armstrong's fatherly love for Sharon. His mother, Mayann, was 15 years old when he was born and his father, Willie, abandoned them soon after. Satchmo didn't let the criticism stop him, however, and he returned an even bigger star when he began a longer tour throughout Europe in 1933. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. 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. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. 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. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. 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. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. Released from the Waifs Home in 1914, Armstrong set his sights on becoming a professional musician. 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. They were always kind to me, Armstrong once reflected, [I] was just a little kid who could use a little word of kindness. Apart from monetary compensation, Armstrong was given a hot meal every evening and regular invitations to Karnofsky Shabbat dinners. 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. "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. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. 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. Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! He showed an early interest in music, and a junk dealer for whom he worked as a grade-school student helped him buy a cornet, which he taught himself to play. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. Louis was able to get hired as a junk collecter and coal deliverer. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. Nobody did what Louis could do. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. 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 By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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. Sources: Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. 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. 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 In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. 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. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Read Full Biography. 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. He was employed by a Jewish family who encouraged him to sing. 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." 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. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. 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. 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.. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. 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 also a talented singer, and his recordings of songs like What a He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. 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. 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. 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 brought. When Armstrong saw this as well as white protesters hurling invective at the students he blew his top to the press, telling a reporter that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had "no guts" for letting Faubus run the country, and stating, "The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell.". Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. His career rose in New Orleans. Armstrong played the trumpet so powerfully that he often split his lip. Love, baby - love. His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. 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). Armstrong spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didnt receive any formal musical training until age 11. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. During this period, Armstrong set a number of African American "firsts." One of the most important figures in 20th century music, Armstrong's innovations as a trumpeter and vocalist are widely recognized today, and will continue to be for decades to come. We contributed Louis Armstrong. A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. His influence, both as an artist and The jazz magazine Down Beat agreed. In 1964, he scored a surprise hit with his recording of the title song from the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!, which reached number one in May, followed by a gold-selling album of the same name. Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. 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. After trying it, he said that defecation sounded like Applause. Enamored, the musician began handing out packets to admirers, loved ones, and band members. 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. The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? 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.. 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. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. Duke Ellingtons sense of musical drama was the one that made him stand out from all of the rest., Armstrong became the best jazz soloist on Broadway (Louis Armstrong 1). Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. While he still had to work odd jobs selling newspapers and hauling coal to the city's famed red-light district, Armstrong began earning a reputation as a fine blues player. 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. Doctors advised him not to play but Armstrong continued to practice every day in his Corona, Queens home, where he had lived with his fourth wife, Lucille, since 1943. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. He was also a gifted singer, and his If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. 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. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. 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. All music is folk music. 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. Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. 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. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. Armstrong made his first trip abroad, to Europe, and received the nickname Satchmo from his original nickname Satchelmouth, because of his big lips. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Instead of doing strictly jazz numbers, OKeh began allowing Armstrong to record popular songs of the day, including "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Star Dust" and "Body and Soul.". Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. 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. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. I play the good kind (Armstrong). 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. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. 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. 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 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. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues.". He was raised by his mother Mayann in a neighborhood so dangerous it was called The Battlefield. He only had a fifth-grade education, dropping out of school early to go to work. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Louis Armstrong is one of the first great soloists in the 1920s musicians. (Hakim, 58) Although Jazz was very popular itself, a majority of the fans and listeners were younger people. (Armstrong did not function as a bandleader in the usual sense, but instead typically lent his name to established groups.) 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. Louis Armstrong used to give away laxatives as gifts. 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 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. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. Being in many bands before he was not new to this. In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. He is a husky singer, often with a trumpet in his hand. 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.. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. He 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..