We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. 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. 34-56 107th Street, Queens, NY 11368 718-478-8274 2023 Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th Street, Queens, NY 11368 718-478-8274, The Louis Armstrong House Museum is a constituent of the. Louis Armstrong 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. Louis Armstrong: The First Great Jazz Soloist Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. For the first time, Armstrong was really able to demonstrate his unique voice during those recording sessions. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. The year is 1954. He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. With the assistance of the jazz musicians, the music industry, Making his voice sound like a musical instrument and singing nonsense syllables with no words created Scat singing. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of 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. 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. Born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong had a difficult childhood. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. WebLouis Armstrongas a musician, as a man, as an icon. He returned to Broadway in the short-lived musical Swingin' the Dream in November 1939. He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. A year later, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Armstrong's charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. 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. By 1968, Armstrong's grueling lifestyle had finally caught up with him. He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. Armstrong fought back, but for many young jazz fans, he was regarded as an out-of-date performer with his best days behind him. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. 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! Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Why Is Charlie Parker Important In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. ", Armstrong's fully healed lip made its presence felt on some of the finest recordings of career, including "Swing That Music," "Jubilee" and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue.". Why does Louis Armstrong sound like that He also learned to sing. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. They saw Armstrong's stage persona and music as old-fashioned and criticized him in the press. 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. Louis Armstrong His music was a happiness to individuals and they said he was a gift sent from heaven. Louis Armstrong. 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.. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. All Rights Reserved. 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. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. Louis Armstrong is one of the first great soloists in the 1920s musicians. 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 made his first trip abroad, to Europe, and received the nickname Satchmo from his original nickname Satchelmouth, because of his big lips. Study now. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. After a successful engagement in Las Vegas, Armstrong began taking engagements around the world, including in London and Washington, D.C. and New York (he performed for two weeks at New York's Waldorf-Astoria). From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. Mozart had written over 600 pieces of works, many acknowledged his pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. 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 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. Louis Armstrong During this time, Armstrong adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence. Louis Armstrong - Black History Month - LibGuides at 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. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. 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. Jews Who Adopted Louis Armstrong Louis did his first performance on stage in 1930 to spread his Jazz style. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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 Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Read Full Biography. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. See answer (1) Best Answer. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. 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). 2012-02-22 18:06:07. Wiki User. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. In fifth grade, while being taken care of by his maternal grandmother most of the time, he left school to work. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. To grasp how much the man adored this entre, consider that he often signed his personal letters with Red Beans and Ricely Yours.. 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. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrongs Iconic Ballad 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. 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). Revisiting Louis Armstrong in the Context 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. Why Louis Armstrong was important? Stwnews.org 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. Because of Armstrongs brilliance, his records such as Cornet Chop Suey and Potato Head Blues are esteemed because of his risky rhythmic choices and high notes. In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." (She was the second of his four wives.) 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. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. "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. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. 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. 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.". 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. WebDid You Know? He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. 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. In 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography, Swing That Music. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. 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). Biography - Louis Armstrong Home Museum Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. He subsequently passed, so the duo contacted Armstrong in August 1967. 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. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. Coupled with his astonishing performing skills and charismatic stage presence, Armstrong took the world by storm and popularized jazz as we know it today. That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. The book was titled Swing That Music. See answer (1) Best Answer. 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. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. Louis Armstrong was a pivotal musician in the twentieth century, but it was his contributions and his role he made during the Harlem Renaissance movement that is most substantial. 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. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. In a 1951 interview with Esquire, Armstrong claimed to have come prepared with printed lyrics that day. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. 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. 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. 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. 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. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) - BlackPast.org WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. Armstrong accepted, and he was soon taking Chicago by storm with both his remarkably fiery playing and the dazzling two-cornet breaks that he shared with Oliver. 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 most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. 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. West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Eventually tour ended and Louis went back home to continue his. 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. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. 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. 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. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. He was also a talented singer, and his recordings of songs like What a Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. 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. 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. 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. Louis Armstrong is famous for his stunning jazz performance, unique vocals, and amazing styles with the trumpet/cornet. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. Love, baby - love. 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). 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. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Armstrongs first brass instrument and initial training was on the cornet, which is generally easier for younger or beginning players to learn and slightly smaller in size. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. Aint that stupid? In June 1951 he reached the Top Ten of the LP charts with Satchmo at Symphony Hall ("Satchmo" being his nickname), and he scored his first Top Ten single in five years with "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" later in the year. 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. 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.
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