Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy Louis Armstrong is considered a hero for many reasons. 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. WebLouis Armstrong. The way they are treating my people in the South, declared Armstrong, the government can go to hell.. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. Why Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. 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. Louis Armstrong: History & Major Accomplishments BenFred: Cardinals are cranking volume up on star prospect Jordan What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrongs Iconic Ballad .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. They treat me better all over the world than they do in my hometown, he said. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). 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 His career rose in New Orleans. 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. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. 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. 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. 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. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. For the first time, Armstrong was really able to demonstrate his unique voice during those recording sessions. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. 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. He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. At the school he learned to play cornet. 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. He played dramatic works of simple structure in Orleans jazz style and with the accompaniment of Dick 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 is important because he was the first black singer. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. The book was titled Swing That Music. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. 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. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. ", 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. 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. Why is Louis Armstrong important in the 20's? With the decline of swing music in the post-World War II years, Armstrong broke up his big band and put together a small group dubbed His All-Stars, which made its debut in Los Angeles on August 13, 1947. Louis Armstrong 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. St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker tracks down a flyball during fielding practice at the Cardinals spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Armstrongs first brass instrument and initial training was on the cornet, which is generally easier for younger or beginning players to learn and slightly smaller in size. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. Turns out, he was 13 months off. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. Louis Armstrong was called "the single most important figure in the history of jazz" by Billboard magazine, a publication that tracks the recording industry. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. Millions of people, starting in the 1930s until today, have agreed with Louis Armstrongs famous words and have been huge fans of the famous musician. 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. Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson in 1925 to return to Chicago, where he began playing with his wife's band at the Dreamland Caf. 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.. 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. WebThe point is that Armstrong created and codified an entire vocabulary of jazz, setting the standard for vocalists and instrumentalists. 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. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. Why Louis Armstrong was important? It's also worth noting that even though he brought it into popularity, Armstrong in no way invented the technique, which dates back to at least 1906. He attended school until he was in the 5th grade, he stopped going to help support his family. WebCourtesy of the Louis Armstrong Archive Queens College, CUNY. As swing and jazz was dominant as the pop music of the early 20th century, his influence is also evident in the transition from swing and jump blues into rock and roll. He was employed by a Jewish family who encouraged him to sing. During this period, Armstrong set a number of African American "firsts." .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. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. Armstrong spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didnt receive any formal musical training until age 11. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. He has many nicknames in which some are Satchmo and Pops. Louis Armstrong While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. Is Louis Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. 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. 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). He dropped out of school at 11 to join an informal group, but on December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration, and was sent to reform school. 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 In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. 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 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.