Louis Armstrong: Genius and Drugs He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. Louis Armstrong. Born, August 4, 1901 he started off in a harder life than most people usually do. He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Tad Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleanss Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. He took up work in Joe (King) Olivers house, doing chores in exchange for musical lessons, developing into a. Louis Armstrong is a man of many talents and skills known for creating a new environment, especially in his home town of New Orleans. When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. 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. Turns out, he was 13 months off. 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. WebLouis Armstrong. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG FACT CARD. 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. .State Department and earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." Louis Armstrong In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 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. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Louis Armstrong With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrongs Iconic Ballad Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Why Louis Armstrong was important? Stwnews.org 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. It is said that during a session, Armstrong dropped his sheet music and started mimicking the sounds of the horn with his voice. 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. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. He sang much as he played, but with a playfulness and a rasp, that would forever be part of American culture (Winfield 167). Flappers were commonly known during this time. 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. In 1922, his mentor, King Oliver, invited him to work his Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. Why was Louis Armstrong important to New Orleans? 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). For live dates, he appeared with the orchestras led by Erskine Tate and Carroll Dickerson. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) - BlackPast.org His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. See answer (1) Best Answer. 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. Jazz Giant Louis Armstrong Was Born - America's Library Armstrong was still a popular attraction around the world in 1963, but hadn't made a record in two years. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. Louis Armstrong is famous for his stunning jazz performance, unique vocals, and amazing styles with the trumpet/cornet. 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. Music historians recognize this as the first popular, mass-market scat ever recorded. 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. 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. Louis Armstrong He made his film debut in Ex-Flame, released at the end of 1931. He was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Famous for his innovative methods of playing the trumpet and cornet, he was also a highly talented singer, blessed with a powerful gravelly voice. Known for his improvisation, Armstrong could induce dramatic effects with his music. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. He took a position as star soloist in Carroll Dickerson's band at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago in March 1928, later taking over as the band's frontman. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. 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. 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. 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. A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. Clarence, who had become mentally disabled from a head injury he had suffered at an early age, was taken care of by Armstrong his entire life. 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. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. 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. 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. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? 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. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). 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 The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). At the start of Armstrongs career, he married Daisy Parker. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded this technique known as scat singing. An all-star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals. 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. Louis Armstrong The tune did, however, become a No. During this period, he switched from cornet to trumpet. WebThrough the internet and books we find out why Louis Armstrong is such a great person to learn about. Sources: The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people going by. Study now. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. He influenced other jazz musicians by his fearless trumpet styles and distinctive vocals. See answer (1) Best Answer. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. His music was a happiness to individuals and they said he was a gift sent from heaven. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. 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. Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. 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. The movie he appeared in was Pennies from Heaven (1936). In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. 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. 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. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. The solos Armstrong performed along with his popular scat singing helped make jazz musicians more popular along with making the fans take notice of Armstrong and jazz itself (Rennert 8). Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. Louis Armstrong used to give away laxatives as gifts. He was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. 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. 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. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. Why was Louis Armstrong always smiling Mozart had written over 600 pieces of works, many acknowledged his pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? 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. 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. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. That's the secret. His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. Life & Legacy Louis Armstrong Society Jazz Band Copy. In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. Here are 10 facts about the life of one of the 20th century's most important jazz musicians. His influence, both as an artist and cultural icon, is universal and is still relevant today. 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. He began to grow artistically and perfected his improvisational method (Jazz Stars 2). Why is Louis Armstrong important 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. 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. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. He returned to Chicago in the spring of 1932 to front a band led by Zilner Randolph; the group toured around the country. Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz figures. After his time in Colored Waifs Home, he wanted to become a musician. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. 2012-02-22 18:06:07. Related. Why Is Charlie Parker Important 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.". His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. Armstrong brought. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. 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. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." He was often left with his grandmother, and left school in fifth grade to start working. 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. Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy | National Portrait Gallery 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. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? Read Full Biography. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. Louis Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. His career rose in New Orleans. But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. The passion for his music made him become famous because he was following his dreams while finding his, How Is Louis Daniel Armstrong Morally Responsible, Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) grew up in a poor neighborhood nicknamed The Battlefield in New Orleans, Louisiana. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Coupled with his astonishing performing skills and charismatic stage presence, Armstrong took the world by storm and popularized jazz as we know it today. He played dramatic works of simple structure in Orleans jazz style and with the accompaniment of Dick jazz music. 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. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. Louis Armstrong: History & Major Accomplishments Wiki User. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? Louis Armstrong Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. Louis Armstrong After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. Louis Armstrong - Black History Month - LibGuides at He performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Career highlights, compiled by the Louis Armstrong House Museum: In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. 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. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. (Cayton, 462) Armstrong was the king of jazz trumpet players. Louis Armstrong He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. 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. No ones quite sure why Armstrong lied about his age, but the most popular theories maintain he wanted to join a military band or that he figured he'd have a better shot at landing gigs if he was over 18 years old. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Burt Bacharachs Legacy: 5 Notable Collaborations, 2023 Grammy Awards: Six Winners Who Made History. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). The record was released in 1964 and quickly climbed to the top of the pop music charts, hitting the No. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. He spread jazz throughout the world. By 1932, Armstrong, who was now known as Satchmo, had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England.