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. 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. 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. Show More. 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 performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. Wiki User. 1. Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. He was an extraordinary musician and he impacted jazz music immensely. WebHe overcame poverty to become one of the most important people in the history of music. As an artist, Armstrong was embraced by two distinctly different audiences: jazz fans who revered him for his early innovations as an instrumentalist but were occasionally embarrassed by his lack of interest in later developments in jazz, especially his willingness to serve as a light entertainer; and pop fans, who delighted in his joyous performances, particularly as a vocalist, but were largely unaware of his significance as a jazz musician. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. While growing up, Armstrong did assorted jobs for the Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. What made jazz continuously popular was the way it progressed. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). Born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong had a difficult childhood. 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. 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. WebA 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 was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). 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. Armstrong decided to take some time off soon after the incident, and spent much of 1934 relaxing in Europe and resting his lip. 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. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues.". 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). 2012-02-22 18:06:07. He was also a frequent presence on radio, and often broke box-office records at the height of what is now known as the "Swing Era. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. 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. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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. 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. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. He was also a talented singer, and his recordings of songs like What a 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. WebToday, Louis Armstrong holds the title as the worlds greatest jazz player. The movie he appeared in was Pennies from Heaven (1936). WebLouis Armstrong was the protean genius that made African American classical music mislabeled as jazz the most important music event of the 20th century. 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. For live dates, he appeared with the orchestras led by Erskine Tate and Carroll Dickerson. Nobody did what Louis could do. The year is 1954. 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 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. After trying it, he said that defecation sounded like Applause. Enamored, the musician began handing out packets to admirers, loved ones, and band members. 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. The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. But Armstrong also became an enduring figure in popular music due to his distinctively phrased baritone singing and engaging personality, which were on display in a series of vocal recordings and film roles. However, controversy regarding Armstrong's fatherhood struck in 1954, when a girlfriend that the musician had dated on the side, Lucille "Sweets" Preston, claimed she was pregnant with his child. To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. He is a husky singer, often with a trumpet in his hand. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). In 1922, King Oliver sent for Armstrong to join his band in Chicago. (She was the second of his four wives.) Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. In 1967, Armstrong recorded a new ballad, "What a Wonderful World." We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Louis Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. Armstrong brought. At the start of Armstrongs career, he married Daisy Parker. Read Full Biography. Why was Louis Armstrong important to New Orleans? Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. Though his popularity was hitting new highs in the 1950s, and despite breaking down so many barriers for his race and being a hero to the African American community for so many years, Armstrong began losing his standing with two segments of his audience: Modern jazz fans and young African Americans. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. His mother, who often turned to prostitution, frequently left him with his maternal grandmother. He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. 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. The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. By that point, Armstrong began dating the pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. 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. His style was unique and his talent was undeniable. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. 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. WebLouis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. 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. Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. "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 performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. WebWhy Is Louis Armstrong Important. 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 was arrested for firing a pistol in ", 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. Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Handy and Satch Plays Fats. Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. Its definitely worth checking out. Bebop, a new form of jazz, had blossomed in the 1940s. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. Armstrong was featured in the 1969 film of Hello, Dolly!, performing the title song as a duet with Barbra Streisand. he is important because he was the first black singer. Coupled with his astonishing performing skills and charismatic stage presence, Armstrong took the world by storm and popularized jazz as we know it today. Armstrong and Oliver became the talk of the town with their intricate two-cornet breaks and started making records together in 1923. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. Given that Armstrong was only 11, it was (one of) his stepfathers who was responsible for the whole series of events. 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. 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. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. The family treated Armstrong like a member, bought him his first trumpet, and encouraged his musical aspirations. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. He interprets and contributes to the genre of jazz, creates great form through his performance in the Hot Chocolates, and his work represents a whole for equality and the civil rights movement. 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 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 began playing at a young age when he was growing up in New Orleans. In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. He sang much as he played, but with a playfulness and a rasp, that would forever be part of American culture (Winfield 167). 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). The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. He was employed by a Jewish family who encouraged him to sing. 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. Why was Louis Armstrong so important? Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. 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). Why Louis Armstrong was important? "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. 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. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. Also in 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American to get featured billing in a major Hollywood movie with his turn in. The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. 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. 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. However, Armstrong's southern background didn't mesh well with the more urban, Northern mentality of Henderson's other musicians, who sometimes gave Armstrong a hard time over his wardrobe and the way he talked. 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). Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. 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. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. The letters, dated as far back as 1968, prove that Armstrong had indeed always believed Sharon to be his daughter, and that he even paid for her education and home, among several other things, throughout his life. He was a master of the trumpet and cornet, and his style of playing was unique and instantly recognizable. There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. 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. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. Instead he used his talent as a ticket to improve his lot and create a meaningful life. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). One of the first many New Orleans style jazz artists is Jelly Roll Morton. 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. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. 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. WebImportance of Louis Armstrong. But, as a Bayou State native, Armstrongs favorite dish was always rice and beans. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. 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. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. 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. The jazz magazine Down Beat agreed. Armstrong spent the last decade of his life similarly that he had spent the four past enthralling groups of onlookers all through the world., Louis Blues, Overall Armstrong wrote and performed some of the most popular and well known jazz songs of all time. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). We contributed Louis Armstrong. 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. 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. Armstrong joined Henderson in the fall of 1924 and immediately made his presence felt with a series of solos that introduced the concept of swing music to the band. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. 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. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. He also began appearing in the orchestra of Hot Chocolates, a Broadway revue, and was given a featured spot singing "Ain't Misbehavin'." Louis Armstrong. Armstrong's charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. 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. 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. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. 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. Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." Louis was able to get hired as a junk collecter and coal deliverer. Additionally, he became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show in 1937, when he took over Rudy Vallee's Fleischmann's Yeast Show for 12 weeks. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. 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). Being in many bands before he was not new to this. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. 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 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.. 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. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. 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.