Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. Changing jazz into what was once known as a ensemble music to soloist art. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. 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). 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.". While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. 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 attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. 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. 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. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? (Jazz From New Orleans, Jazz music was one of the most popular music genres in the 1920s and 1930s. 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. He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. 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.". Wiki User. A year later, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. In 1922, his mentor, King Oliver, invited him to work his Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. See answer (1) Best Answer. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Tad Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleanss Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. 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. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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. Wiki User. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. One of the first many New Orleans style jazz artists is Jelly Roll Morton. He has many nicknames in which some are Satchmo and Pops. Nobody did what Louis could do. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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.. Louis Armstrong: History & Major Accomplishments Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. .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. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. That's the secret. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong had a difficult childhood. 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. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. 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. Louis Armstrong in The Civil Rights Movement When Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1935, he had no band, no engagements and no recording contract. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. The Hot Five and Hot Seven were strictly recording groups; Armstrong performed nightly during this period with Erskine Tate's orchestra at the Vendome Theater, often playing music for silent movies. Members of the group, at one time or another, included Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle and Tyree Glenn, among other jazz legends. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. Sources: Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. 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). Is Louis Revisiting Louis Armstrong in the Context After a quick trip with a group of people to Venice, Mozart and his daddy returned back to his hometown Salzburg. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. The new style that he created gave a voice-like quality to his horn. 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. 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 had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. Armstrong brought. Louis Armstrong is one of the first great soloists in the 1920s musicians. 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. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues.". 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. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. 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. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. 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. 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. Armstrong's charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. 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. To grasp how much the man adored this entre, consider that he often signed his personal letters with Red Beans and Ricely Yours.. The book was titled Swing That Music. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. 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. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Why Is Charlie Parker Important 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. He is also the first African American celebrity to appear in a major Hollywood movie. Is Louis 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. 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. 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. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. By 1968, Armstrong's grueling lifestyle had finally caught up with him. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. His music was a happiness to individuals and they said he was a gift sent from heaven. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. At the school he learned to play cornet. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. Louis Armstrong Related. Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. those works included Cotton Tail and Ko-Ko. Some of his most popular songs included "It Don 't Mean a Thing if It Ain 't Got That Swing," "Sophisticated Lady," "Prelude to a Kiss," "Solitude," and "Satin Doll (Duke Ellington Biography). Louis Armstrong Musician Facts | Mental Floss 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. (Biography.com), Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the first real genius of jazz(Shipton 26). ", Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a neighborhood so poor that it was nicknamed "The Battlefield.". 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 Armstrong and Duke Ellington "Jazz He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. He also began appearing in the orchestra of Hot Chocolates, a Broadway revue, and was given a featured spot singing "Ain't Misbehavin'." In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. 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.. Armstrong felt that being subservient to white people, was an unfortunately necessary evil in order for him to live successfully and happily. 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 Armstrong: Genius and Drugs 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 pop success was repeated internationally four years later with "What a Wonderful World," which hit number one in the U.K. in April 1968. Released from the Waifs Home in 1914, Armstrong set his sights on becoming a professional musician. The movie he appeared in was Pennies from Heaven (1936). 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. 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. 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. Louis Armstrong The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. He influenced other jazz musicians by his fearless trumpet styles and distinctive vocals. 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.. Louis Armstrong Facts | Britannica Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. 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.". Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. WebDid You Know? He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. Mentored by the citys top cornetist, Joe King Oliver, Armstrong soon became one of the most in-demand cornetists in town, eventually working steadily on Mississippi riverboats. 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.". 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. 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. The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? His resurgence in the '60s with hit recordings like 1965's Grammy-winning "Hello Dolly" and 1968's classic "What a Wonderful World" solidified his legacy as a musical and cultural icon. 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. 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. 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. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. 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 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). 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. Perhaps most importantly, the letters also detail Armstrong's fatherly love for Sharon. Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong As A Wonderful World A local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a job collecting junk and delivering coal. 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. Different from most of his recordings of the era, the song features no trumpet and places Armstrong's gravelly voice in the middle of a bed of strings and angelic voices. For this, he is revered by jazz fans. Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." His influence, both as an artist and cultural icon, is universal and is still relevant today. 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. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important - 1689 Words | Cram WebLouis Armstrong. Why In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. Louis Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz figures. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 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 You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. Louis Armstrong Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Armstrong put his career in Glaser's hands and asked him to make his troubles disappear. Louis Armstrong was successful in jazz because he learned on his own with daily practice while influencing others with his music by making smiles appear on their face. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. 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. 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. Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. After his time in Colored Waifs Home, he wanted to become a musician. The records by Louis Armstrong and His Fiveand later, Hot Sevenare the most influential in jazz. 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.