Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. 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. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. He turned to Joe Glaser for help; Glaser had mob ties of his own, having been close with Al Capone, but he had loved Armstrong from the time he met him at the Sunset Caf (Glaser had owned and managed the club). However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. In a 1951 interview with Esquire, Armstrong claimed to have come prepared with printed lyrics that day. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). Dancers loved Hendersons music making Louis Armstrong a celebrity so when he left his old band, this would be a step up. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He grew up in New Orleans where he introduced to jazz and he went on to spread jazz throughout different cities such as Chicago and New York. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. But many of his recorded performances are masterpieces, and none are less than entertaining. While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. he is important because he was the first black singer. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. 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. There were many jazz musicians. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. 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. 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. One of the greatest cornet players in town, Joe "King" Oliver, began acting as a mentor to the young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn and occasionally using him as a sub. In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow followed Armstrong with a camera crew on some of his worldwide excursions, turning the resulting footage into a theatrical documentary, Satchmo the Great, released in 1957. 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.. One of the first many New Orleans style jazz artists is Jelly Roll Morton. Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. An all-star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals. All music is folk music. 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. 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. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. Wiki User. 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. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mob bosses from New York City and Chicago threatened Louis Armstrong in attempts to control his management contract. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. Louis did his first performance on stage in 1930 to spread his Jazz style. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet. He was a master of the trumpet and a pioneer of jazz. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. Armstrong put his career in Glaser's hands and asked him to make his troubles disappear. 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. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. 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. They treat me better all over the world than they do in my hometown, he said. 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). 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). "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. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. WebThrough the internet and books we find out why Louis Armstrong is such a great person to learn about. He was raised by his mother Mayann in a neighborhood so dangerous it was called The Battlefield. He only had a fifth-grade education, dropping out of school early to go to work. 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. ", Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a neighborhood so poor that it was nicknamed "The Battlefield.". By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Tad Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleanss Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. In recent years, Armstrong's alleged daughter, who now goes by the name Sharon Preston Folta, has publicized various letters between her and her father. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. 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. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. The man was Louis Armstrong. 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. 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. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. He began following him and eventually Oliver became Armstrongs mentor. 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. 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. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. 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. You have arrived to one of the most grand occasions of the year, dressed in your fanciest attire with a hundred watt smile gracing your lips. He was a master of the trumpet and cornet, and his style of playing was unique and instantly recognizable. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Louis Armstrong is one of the first great soloists in the 1920s musicians. Released from the Waifs Home in 1914, Armstrong set his sights on becoming a professional musician. ", 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. 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. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. Mozart had written over 600 pieces of works, many acknowledged his pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Being in many bands before he was not new to this. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Louis Armstrong. Related. Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." Aristotle did not consider children as morally responsible as adults because they have not had sufficient time to move beyond their backgrounds and upbringing. Armstrong was still a popular attraction around the world in 1963, but hadn't made a record in two years. After they married in 1924, Hardin made it clear that she felt Oliver was holding Armstrong back. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? WebToday, Louis Armstrong holds the title as the worlds greatest jazz player. 149 Copy quote. He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. Even the scepter of Uncle Tom that shadowed the outsized Satchmo during his career, and that Ellington essentially concurred with in an interview with Carter Harman in 1964, has faded. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. 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. Some even theorize that it was Armstrongs difficult upbringing that made his music so wise, so unique, and so revolutionary. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. 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. Reel 163 Louis Armstrong, n.d. 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. 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. 1. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. Armstrong made his first trip abroad, to Europe, and received the nickname Satchmo from his original nickname Satchelmouth, because of his big lips. 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). He was a master of the trumpet and a skilled improviser, and his style of playing influenced many other jazz musicians. 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. The year is 1954. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. He was arrested for firing a pistol in 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. 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. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. 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. He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. He returned to performing in 1970 but it was too much, too soon and he passed away in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a few months after his final engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. Here are 10 facts about the life of one of the 20th century's most important jazz musicians. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. Copy. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). The bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong bragged about the child to his manager, Joe Glaser, in a letter that would later be published in the book Louis Armstrong In His Own Words (1999). (Cayton, 462) Armstrong was the king of jazz trumpet players. Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. 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. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Louis began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. His career rose in New Orleans. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. He is a husky singer, often with a trumpet in his hand. 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. Many great performers have come out of the jazz industry, but the most widely known is Louis Satchmo Armstrong. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. In America, Armstrong had been a great Civil Rights pioneer, breaking down numerous barriers as a young man. 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). Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. 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. WebLouis Armstrong. 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.. 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.". 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. The book was titled Swing That Music. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. 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. Previously, Armstrong had performed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africathough he famously canceled a planned 1957 Soviet Union tour, citing the recent Little Rock crisis. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. His mother, Mayann, was 15 years old when he was born and his father, Willie, abandoned them soon after. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. 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. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. 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. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? Armstrong continued to appear in major films with the likes of Mae West, Martha Raye and Dick Powell. Bebop, a new form of jazz, had blossomed in the 1940s. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. They danced to the jazz music with a whole new style. The records by Louis Armstrong and His Fiveand later, Hot Sevenare the most influential in jazz. In addition Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes., On the 26th day of December in 1788 there was a very great success. See answer (1) Best Answer. 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. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). WebLouis Armstrong was the protege of King Oliver and one of the best loved musicians of the Twenties. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. 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. WebThe point is that Armstrong created and codified an entire vocabulary of jazz, setting the standard for vocalists and instrumentalists. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. 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. 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. Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. ", During the mid-'50s, Armstrong's popularity overseas skyrocketed. ", Armstrong's fully healed lip made its presence felt on some of the finest recordings of career, including "Swing That Music," "Jubilee" and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue.". This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. Armstrong was featured nightly on Ain't Misbehavin', breaking up the crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. Back in America in 1935, Armstrong hired Joe Glaser as his manager and began fronting a big band, recording pop songs for Decca, and appearing regularly in movies. He was taken under the wing of cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, and when Oliver moved to Chicago in June 1918, Armstrong replaced him in the Kid Ory Band. Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. 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 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. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. 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. A year in New York with Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra proved unsatisfying so Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1925 and began making records under his own name for the first time. 232) Armstrong unlike other black jazz men and women, was one of the first to be welcomed in the upper echelons of white society. Show More. 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. In fifth grade, while being taken care of by his maternal grandmother most of the time, he left school to work. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. 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. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine nine African American students from entering the public school. 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. 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. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. Louis Armstrong was called "the single most important figure in the history of jazz" by Billboard magazine, a publication that tracks the recording industry.
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