His mother, Mayann, was 15 years old when he was born and his father, Willie, abandoned them soon after. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. 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. ", 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. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. On New Years Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. Outraged, Armstrong refused to stage another concert within the state's borders. A year later, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. Evidently, the show went well. The single's B-side, and also a chart entry, was "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," sung by Armstrong in the film The Strip. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. 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). This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. He 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.. 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 especially known for his spectacular trumpet playing, unmistakable voice, and exceptionally recognizable, broad smile., In three years they recorded over 60 records, which now are considered the most influential recordings in jazz history. In June 1951 he reached the Top Ten of the LP charts with Satchmo at Symphony Hall ("Satchmo" being his nickname), and he scored his first Top Ten single in five years with "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" later in the year. Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. 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. Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. 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. 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. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. It was on the riverboat that Armstrong honed his music reading skills and eventually had his first encounters with other jazz legends, including Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. He was also a gifted singer, and his Nobody did what Louis could do. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. 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. That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. His influence, both as an artist and 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. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. 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.". In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. The new style that he created gave a voice-like quality to his horn. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Some even theorize that it was Armstrongs difficult upbringing that made his music so wise, so unique, and so revolutionary. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). 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. 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. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. He was often left with his grandmother, and left school in fifth grade to start working. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. 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. 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. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. Louis Armstrong was to jazz music what Bach is to classical music, Presley is to rock music (Berrett 230). When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. Louis Armstrong. 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. 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. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 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. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. Pops had a special place in his heart for both Chinese and Italian food. 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. 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). 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. 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. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. Why was Louis Armstrong important to the Harlem Renaissance? Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. Jazz is a genre of music that brought a whole community of people together. Armstrong brought. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 149 Copy quote. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. He has many nicknames in which some are Satchmo and Pops. He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. But many of his recorded performances are masterpieces, and none are less than entertaining. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. 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. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. 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 put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He is also the first African American celebrity to appear in a major Hollywood movie. 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.. During this period, Armstrong set a number of African American "firsts." 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. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. (She was the second of his four wives.) 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. 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. 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. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. 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. His influence, both as an artist and cultural icon, is universal and is still relevant today. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. Being in many bands before he was not new to this. When Wilson tired of living out of a suitcase during endless strings of one-nighters, she convinced Armstrong to purchase a house at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Queens, New York. 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. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. 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. What was Louis Armstrongs childhood like? Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? Why is Louis Armstrong important in the 20's? To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. .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. Copy. All music is folk music. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. With his amazing voice trumpet he created a band and made some records. 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 faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. 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. 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. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. Dancers loved Hendersons music making Louis Armstrong a celebrity so when he left his old band, this would be a step up. In 1964, he scored a surprise hit with his recording of the title song from the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!, which reached number one in May, followed by a gold-selling album of the same name. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. WebLouis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history.