Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. Armstrong sang his heart out on the number, thinking of his home in Queens as he did so, but "What a Wonderful World" received little promotion in the United States. Turns out, he was 13 months off. 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. It did not gain as much notice in the U.S. until 1987, when it was used in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, after which it became a Top 40 hit. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. 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. When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. Armstrong played the trumpet so powerfully that he often split his lip. He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play, Little Louis sung in a vocal quartet in his early teens. There, under the tutelage of Peter Davis, he learned how to properly play the cornet, eventually becoming the leader of the Waifs Home Brass Band. These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. .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. He influenced countless other musicians and helped to shape the course of jazz. 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. 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. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. Armstrong was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working. WebLouis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. William Armstrong, his father, was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after the boy's birth. 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). Eldridge is the obvious link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. 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 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). 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. Louis Armstrong recorded many popular songs like La Vie en Rose, and his theme song When its Sleepy Time Down South. He began following him and eventually Oliver became Armstrongs mentor. In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. Study now. Featuring young geniuses such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, the younger generation of musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. 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. 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. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. He also learned to sing. 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. That's the secret. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Eventually tour ended and Louis went back home to continue his. 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. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. The book was titled Swing That Music. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Between 1952 and 1955, Armstrong shed 100 pounds. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? Nobody did what Louis could do. Armstrong put his career in Glaser's hands and asked him to make his troubles disappear. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. 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. (Hakim, 58) Although Jazz was very popular itself, a majority of the fans and listeners were younger people. 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. His notoriety for being the best jazz player of his time was secured as Armstrong's arrangement of swing and melodic development opened out and changed Henderson's band and in addition jazz overall. 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. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Flappers were commonly known during this time. 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.. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues.". Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. 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. There were many jazz musicians. 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. 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. 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. Armstrong used to say that hed been born on July 4, 1900. 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. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. .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. 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. 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. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. The movie he appeared in was Pennies from Heaven (1936). His influence, both as an artist and Its popularity brought many people together, even through the years of racial discrimination and the Great Depression. That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. In 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography, Swing That Music. 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. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. 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. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. 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. 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). He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. 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. It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. He was then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. 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. He spent the next several years in Europe, his American career maintained by a series of archival recordings, including the Top Ten hits "Sweethearts on Parade" (August 1932; recorded December 1930) and "Body and Soul" (October 1932; recorded October 1930). He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). In 1937, Louis Armstrong became the first African American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. He spread jazz throughout the world. 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. With his amazing voice trumpet he created a band and made some records. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. According to this document, the performers actual birth date was August 4, 1901. Dancers loved Hendersons music making Louis Armstrong a celebrity so when he left his old band, this would be a step up. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of At the mention jazz music, that person will first think of is likely to be a great figure with a clown image, nicknamed Satchmo. He found that the only way to reap the benefits of success and be protected was if there was a white captain to back you in the old days (Armstrong). Louis did his first performance on stage in 1930 to spread his Jazz style. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? 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 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. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. 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. In 1922, his mentor, King Oliver, invited him to work his Creole Jazz Band in Chicago.