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But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. All Rights Reserved. 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.". Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. 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. WebImportance of Louis Armstrong. Louis gave jazz music a purpose. Armstrong brought. In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. With the decline of swing music in the post-World War II years, Armstrong broke up his big band and put together a small group dubbed His All-Stars, which made its debut in Los Angeles on August 13, 1947. His career rose in New Orleans. He subsequently passed, so the duo contacted Armstrong in August 1967. 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. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. 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. Sources: Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. It started in New Orleans and over the years, stretched out throughout the whole United States. During this period, Armstrong set a number of African American "firsts." His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. 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. One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. 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. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. This newfound popularity introduced Armstrong to a new, younger audience, and he continued making both successful records and concert appearances for the rest of the decade, even cracking the "Iron Curtain" with a tour of Communist countries such as East Berlin and Czechoslovakia in 1965. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. 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 began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. Copy. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! 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. ", During the mid-'50s, Armstrong's popularity overseas skyrocketed. 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 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. He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. 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). Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? He played dramatic works of simple structure in Orleans jazz style and with the accompaniment of Dick jazz music. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. Some even theorize that it was Armstrongs difficult upbringing that made his music so wise, so unique, and so revolutionary. 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. 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.". 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. 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. 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. Armstrong was featured nightly on Ain't Misbehavin', breaking up the crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly. Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. 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. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. At the mention jazz music, that person will first think of is likely to be a great figure with a clown image, nicknamed Satchmo. 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. He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. This led some to alter his long-time nickname, Satchmo, to "Ambassador Satch.". Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. 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. 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. 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. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. (Hakim, 58) Although Jazz was very popular itself, a majority of the fans and listeners were younger people. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. In 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreaming of a life making music. 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. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. He began to grow artistically and perfected his improvisational method (Jazz Stars 2). 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 year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. 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). 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. Given his popularity, his long career, and the extensive label-jumping he did in his later years, as well as the differing jazz and pop sides of his work, his recordings are extensive and diverse, with parts of his catalog owned by numerous companies. He was a master of the trumpet and a skilled improviser, and his style of playing influenced many other jazz musicians. 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. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. 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. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. 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). 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. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? In the 1950s, he was sometimes criticized for his onstage persona and called an Uncle Tom but he silenced critics by speaking out against the governments handling of the Little Rock Nine high school integration crisis in 1957. During this period, he switched from cornet to trumpet. He dropped out of school at 11 to join an informal group, but on December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration, and was sent to reform school. (Armstrong did not function as a bandleader in the usual sense, but instead typically lent his name to established groups.) If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. Bebop, a new form of jazz, had blossomed in the 1940s. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. An all-star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals. A series of new biographies on Armstrong made his role as a civil rights pioneer abundantly clear and, subsequently, argued for an embrace of his entire career's output, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s. 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. When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. 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. It is said that during a session, Armstrong dropped his sheet music and started mimicking the sounds of the horn with his voice. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. 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. He was an extraordinary musician and he impacted jazz music immensely. By February 1927, Armstrong was well-enough known to front his own group, Louis Armstrong & His Stompers, at the Sunset Caf in Chicago. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. (She was the second of his four wives.) Aristotle did not consider children as morally responsible as adults because they have not had sufficient time to move beyond their backgrounds and upbringing. After his time in Colored Waifs Home, he wanted to become a musician. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. 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. He began touring the country in the 1940s. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. 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. It was also for Columbia that Armstrong scored one of the biggest hits of his career: His jazz transformation of Kurt Weill's "Mack the Knife. Show More. The year is 1954. 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). The letters, dated as far back as 1968, prove that Armstrong had indeed always believed Sharon to be his daughter, and that he even paid for her education and home, among several other things, throughout his life. the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms is known as,