He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. 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. 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. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. ", 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.". Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG FACT CARD, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Louis Armstrong, Birth Year: 1901, Birth date: August 4, 1901, Birth State: Louisiana, Birth City: New Orleans, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose., Astrological Sign: Leo. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? 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.". 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. 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). He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. 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 was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. 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. At the mention jazz music, that person will first think of is likely to be a great figure with a clown image, nicknamed Satchmo. 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. He began touring the country in the 1940s. William Armstrong, his father, was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after the boy's birth. 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. In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). 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). 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. 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. 232) Armstrong unlike other black jazz men and women, was one of the first to be welcomed in the upper echelons of white society. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? 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. 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. 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. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. With his amazing voice trumpet he created a band and made some records. In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). 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. Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. I think to myself, what a wonderful world. We contributed Louis Armstrong. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He also began singing on these recordings, popularizing wordless "scat singing" with his hugely popular vocal on 1926's "Heebie Jeebies.". In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. While in New York, Armstrong cut dozens of records as a sideman, creating inspirational jazz with other greats such as Sidney Bechet, and backing numerous blues singers including Bessie Smith. 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. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. 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. The pistol should have been stored in a locked, Armstrong did not define himself by his background and could have grown up to be just another poor child from a broken home. Armstrongs improvised solos transformed jazz from an ensemble-based music into a soloists art, while his expressive vocals incorporated innovative bursts of scat singing and an underlying swing feel. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. 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. Given that Armstrong was only 11, it was (one of) his stepfathers who was responsible for the whole series of events. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. 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. Not a single jazz musician who had previously criticized him took his side but today, this is seen as one of the bravest, most definitive moments of Armstrong's life. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. The joyous tune perfectly and ironically clashed with the wartime horrors depicted in one montage, so director Barry Levinson added it to his films soundtrack. It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. 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. 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. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. 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. It started in New Orleans and over the years, stretched out throughout the whole United States. He played dramatic works of simple structure in Orleans jazz style and with the accompaniment of Dick jazz music. Armstrong played the trumpet so powerfully that he often split his lip. Flappers were commonly known during this time. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). 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. Louis Armstrong is famous for his stunning jazz performance, unique vocals, and amazing styles with the trumpet/cornet. (She was the second of his four wives.) His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. To many young jazz listeners at the time, Armstrong's ever-smiling demeanor seemed like it was from a bygone era, and the trumpeter's refusal to comment on politics for many years only furthered perceptions that he was out of touch. 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. His lips were still sore, and there were still remnants of his mob troubles and with Lil, who, following the couple's split, was suing Armstrong. 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. Instead he used his talent as a ticket to improve his lot and create a meaningful life. He didn't own an instrument at this time, If one was to go out into the street, walked up to a random stranger and asked them if they knew who Louis Armstrong was, chances are that they would be able to answer you correctly. He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play, Little Louis sung in a vocal quartet in his early teens. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. 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. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. 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. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. 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. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. 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. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. 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. His rise to fame peaked in the 1920s, where he stunned the world with his bold trumpet style and idiosyncratic vocals. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. He also learned to sing. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. By the mid-'40s, the Swing Era was winding down and the era of big bands was almost over. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. 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. Armstrong completed his contract with Decca in 1954, after which his manager made the unusual decision not to sign him to another exclusive contract but instead have him freelance for different labels. Armstrong used to say that hed been born on July 4, 1900. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. A local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a job collecting junk and delivering coal. Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker tracks down a flyball during fielding practice at the Cardinals spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. To untold millions, every note that he let loose made the world feel a bit more wonderful, and his music is still being discovered by new generations of fans. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. He was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. 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 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. A few weeks later after his birth his father leaves his mother alone with a family. Seems to me it ain't the world that's so bad but what we're doing to it, and all I'm saying is: see what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. He was an extraordinary musician and he impacted jazz music immensely. Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. 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. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. 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. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. Perhaps most importantly, the letters also detail Armstrong's fatherly love for Sharon. By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. Wiki User. 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. 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. After trying it, he said that defecation sounded like Applause. Enamored, the musician began handing out packets to admirers, loved ones, and band members. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. He performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Armstrong spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didnt receive any formal musical training until age 11. Copy. Louis was able to get hired as a junk collecter and coal deliverer. For this, he is revered by jazz fans. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. 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. 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. Louis Armstrong used to give away laxatives as gifts. Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. After recording with Oliver for over a year, Armstrong moved into what would become the most important early-jazz big band, Fletcher Hendersons Orchestra (Shipton 201). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 149 Copy quote. 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. 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. 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. But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. Why Louis Armstrong was important? These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. 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). Aint that stupid? Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. He fused the jazz style of the place where he grew up with well known jazz of Broadway to coordinate a better than ever kind of jazz. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. ", 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. When Armstrong was eleven years old, he got in trouble for shooting a gun on New Years Eve to ring in the new year, 1912. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. Armstrong's home in Corona, Queens was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977; today, the house is home to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which annually receives thousands of visitors from all over the world. 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 was born in New Orleans in 1901. 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). 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. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. 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 studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. 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 spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. 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. He returned to performing in 1970 but it was too much, too soon and he passed away in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a few months after his final engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. he is important because he was the first black singer. Armstrong fought back, but for many young jazz fans, he was regarded as an out-of-date performer with his best days behind him. Armstrong was one of the first very popular, Being raised in a part of New Orleans known as "The Battlefield" because of its faulty economic situation is not ideal. 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 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. 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. To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. Show More. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. Jazz is a genre of music that brought a whole community of people together. Why is Louis Armstrong important in the 20's? WebImportance of Louis Armstrong. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing.
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