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. 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. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. Instead of doing strictly jazz numbers, OKeh began allowing Armstrong to record popular songs of the day, including "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Star Dust" and "Body and Soul.". The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. During this period, Armstrong set a number of African American "firsts." Satch Plays Fats, a tribute to Fats Waller, became a Top Ten LP for Columbia in October 1955, and Verve Records contracted Armstrong for a series of recordings with Ella Fitzgerald, beginning with the chart LP Ella and Louis in 1956. Armstrong brought. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. 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. His influence, both as an artist and There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). 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. Aristotle did not consider children as morally responsible as adults because they have not had sufficient time to move beyond their backgrounds and upbringing. Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. Show More. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. The year is 1954. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Jazz is a genre of music that brought a whole community of people together. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. 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. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Louis Armstrong, also known as Ambassador Satch, was unofficially adopted by a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania who had a junk hauling business in Louisiana. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. 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. The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? That didnt stop him from living his life like a regular boy. 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. His mother, who often turned to prostitution, frequently left him with his maternal grandmother. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. Related. He is also the first African American celebrity to appear in a major Hollywood movie. Armstrong continued touring the world and making records with songs like Blueberry Hill (1949), Mack the Knife (1955) and Hello, Dolly! Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." 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. If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. The new style that he created gave a voice-like quality to his horn. He was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. 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 put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. 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. Related. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. 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 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). 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. Although the ballad topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were abysmal. The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. 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. Armstrong was a busy man, he always had more than one thing going on, if he wasnt recording with Hot Five/Seven, he was performing in the Vendome theatre, playing music for silent movies.. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. 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. Armstrong was an African American child growing up in the slums of New Orleans, close to abandonment, impoverished, and with too few constant people, resources, or homes. 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. 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. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. He was employed by a Jewish family who encouraged him to sing. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It started in New Orleans and over the years, stretched out throughout the whole United States. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. 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. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. The tune did, however, become a No. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Read Full Biography. 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 He also learned to sing. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. 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. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). 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). Armstrong had a difficult childhood: His father was a factory worker and abandoned the family soon after Louis's birth. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. WebLouis Armstrong. The jazz magazine Down Beat agreed. I play the good kind (Armstrong). From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. He began touring the country in the 1940s. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. William Armstrong, his father, was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after the boy's birth. 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. He was often left with his grandmother, and left school in fifth grade to start working. This led some to alter his long-time nickname, Satchmo, to "Ambassador Satch.". 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 Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? Study now. He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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. Why Louis Armstrong was important? ", During the mid-'50s, Armstrong's popularity overseas skyrocketed. 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. Encyclopdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. His rise to fame peaked in the 1920s, where he stunned the world with his bold trumpet style and idiosyncratic vocals. He spread jazz throughout the world. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. (Biography.com), Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the first real genius of jazz(Shipton 26). 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. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. Armstrong had a great influence on Henderson and his arranger, Don Redman, both of whom began integrating Armstrong's swinging vocabulary into their arrangementstransforming Henderson's band into what is generally regarded as the first jazz big band. In a strange turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong's career fell apart: Years of blowing high notes had taken a toll on Armstrong's lips, and, following a fight with his manager Johnny Collins who already managed to get Armstrong into trouble with the Mafia he was left stranded overseas by Collins. 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. Armstrong's daring vocal transformations of these songs completely changed the concept of popular singing in American popular music, and had lasting effects on all singers who came after him, including Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. 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. At the school he learned to play cornet. 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. 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. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). He began to grow artistically and perfected his improvisational method (Jazz Stars 2). Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). 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 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. 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. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. 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. One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. "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. He also began singing on these recordings, popularizing wordless "scat singing" with his hugely popular vocal on 1926's "Heebie Jeebies.". 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). WebLouis Armstrong was a key asset to the Harlem Renaissance due to his inspiring music and playing his instruments for African Americans people during this period. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. The movie he appeared in was Pennies from Heaven (1936). 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). 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. 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. Sources: He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. he is important because he was the first black singer. 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. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. 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. Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. 2012-02-22 18:06:07. 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. 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. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. The latter performance is one of Armstrong's best known works, opening with a stunning cadenza that features equal helpings of opera and the blues; with its release, "West End Blues" proved to the world that the genre of fun, danceable jazz music was also capable of producing high art. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. That's the secret. 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. Louis was arrested by Police When he was eleven. By February 1927, Armstrong was well-enough known to front his own group, Louis Armstrong & His Stompers, at the Sunset Caf in Chicago. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. 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. Armstrong's new manager, Joe Glaser, organized a big band for him that had its premiere in Indianapolis on July 1, 1935; for the next several years, he toured regularly. 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. During this time, Armstrong adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence. With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. Here is one paragraph from the post: From the very first note of West End Blues, a tune composed by Joe King Oliver, one can immediately sense the shift that They saw Armstrong's stage persona and music as old-fashioned and criticized him in the press. In a 1951 interview with Esquire, Armstrong claimed to have come prepared with printed lyrics that day. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). 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. Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz figures. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography: Swing That Music. 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. He returned to Chicago in the spring of 1932 to front a band led by Zilner Randolph; the group toured around the country.
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