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He sang much as he played, but with a playfulness and a rasp, that would forever be part of American culture (Winfield 167). Some even theorize that it was Armstrongs difficult upbringing that made his music so wise, so unique, and so revolutionary. Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? Hes a professional jazz performer who played with Oliver and Henderson. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. Armstrong continued a grueling touring schedule into the late '50s, and it caught up with him in 1959, when he had a heart attack while traveling in Spoleto, Italy. 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. 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 was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. 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 WebDid You Know? Armstrongs mentor, King Oliver, had Armstrong move to Chicago to be in his band; in Olivers, Aside from the typical cultural, social, and political factors influencing any musicians style, an early life filled with poverty and hardship also shaped Louis Armstrongs musical development. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. 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. The single's B-side, and also a chart entry, was "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," sung by Armstrong in the film The Strip. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. In April, he reached the charts with his first vocal recording, "Big Butter and Egg Man," a duet with May Alix. 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. 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. He was also a talented singer, and his recordings of songs like What a 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 Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. I play the good kind (Armstrong). 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. Armstrong decided to take some time off soon after the incident, and spent much of 1934 relaxing in Europe and resting his lip. Born, August 4, 1901 he started off in a harder life than most people usually do. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. Mozart had written over 600 pieces of works, many acknowledged his pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. he is important because he was the first black singer. 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. In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. (Hakim, 58) Although Jazz was very popular itself, a majority of the fans and listeners were younger people. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. 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. 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. 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. A year later, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. 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. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. 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.". If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. At His Majestys command, several of the biggest names in jazz took their talents to Buckingham Palace, and in 1932, Armstrong was requested for a royal performance. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. 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. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Tad Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleanss Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. 2012-02-22 18:06:07. He also began appearing in the orchestra of Hot Chocolates, a Broadway revue, and was given a featured spot singing "Ain't Misbehavin'." The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. 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). A few weeks later after his birth his father leaves his mother alone with a family. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. With his amazing voice trumpet he created a band and made some records. Armstrong used to say that hed been born on July 4, 1900. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. 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. 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.. 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. It started in New Orleans and over the years, stretched out throughout the whole United States. (Armstrong did not function as a bandleader in the usual sense, but instead typically lent his name to established groups.) 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. That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). 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. 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. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. It has given me something to live for. Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. 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. But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. You have arrived to one of the most grand occasions of the year, dressed in your fanciest attire with a hundred watt smile gracing your lips. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. Many great performers have come out of the jazz industry, but the most widely known is Louis Satchmo Armstrong. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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. 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. Show More. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. Nobody did what Louis could do. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. See answer (1) Best Answer. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. 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. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. 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! His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. 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. During this time, Armstrong adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence. WebLouis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. (She was the second of his four wives.) WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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. Legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow followed Armstrong with a camera crew on some of his worldwide excursions, turning the resulting footage into a theatrical documentary, Satchmo the Great, released in 1957. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of (Biography.com), Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the first real genius of jazz(Shipton 26). 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. Study now. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. 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. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. 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. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. 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. 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. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. 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. 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 Armstrongs unique singing and masterful improvisation transitioned jazz from the traditional style to a newer, more rhythmic style. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. 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. Louis Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo," "Pops" and, later, "Ambassador Satch," was a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. 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 spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didnt receive any formal musical training until age 11. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. For the first time, Armstrong was really able to demonstrate his unique voice during those recording sessions. 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. His charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people going by. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. 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. Why Louis Armstrong was important? 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. 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. Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. By the mid-'40s, the Swing Era was winding down and the era of big bands was almost over. He performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. Aint that stupid? 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. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. He was one of America's most significant artists by the late 1930s, and had created a sensation in Europe with live performances and records. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. 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. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. At the school he learned to play cornet. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. After a quick trip with a group of people to Venice, Mozart and his daddy returned back to his hometown Salzburg. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. 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. 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. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. He was also a gifted singer, and his 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. Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. 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. See answer (1) Best Answer. The family treated Armstrong like a member, bought him his first trumpet, and encouraged his musical aspirations. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. 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). "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. Although he is often thought of by the general public as a lovable, clowning personality, a gravel-voiced singer who played simple but dramatic trumpet in a New Orleans-styled Dixieland setting, Armstrong himself was so much more. Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. In a 1951 interview with Esquire, Armstrong claimed to have come prepared with printed lyrics that day. 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. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. 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. Turns out, he was 13 months off. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans Louisinana, to Mayann, and Willie Armstrong. Louis does a really important trip to Africa this were the states or cities that he went with Cameroon, the Belgian Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone Jul 6, 1971. The sadest event Two days after his birthday of turning 70, Louis He influenced other jazz musicians by his fearless trumpet styles and distinctive vocals. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Armstrong brought. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. 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. He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. https://www.britannica.com/facts/Louis-Armstrong, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1990), jazz: The cornetist breaks away: Louis Armstrong and the invention of swing. Seeing "the writing on the wall," Armstrong scaled down to a smaller six-piece combo, the All Stars; personnel would frequently change, but this would be the group Armstrong would perform live with until the end of his career. Dancers loved Hendersons music making Louis Armstrong a celebrity so when he left his old band, this would be a step up. 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.