Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Short Biography


Date of Birth: Born on August 4, 1901

Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Parents: Father - William Armstrong
Mother: Mary Albert Armstrong
Background Facts, Information & Ancestry : Louis Armstrong was the grandson of slaves

Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance.

With his instantly recognizable deep and distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics.

Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general.

Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over," whose skin-color was secondary to his amazing talent in an America that was severely racially divided. It allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a person of color. While he rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, he was privately a strong supporter of the Civil Rights movement in America.

Major works of Louis Armstrong

Stylistic range

Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from blues to the arrangements of Guy Lombardo, to Latin American folksongs, to classical symphonies and opera. Armstrong incorporated influences from all these sources into his performances, sometimes to the bewilderment of fans who wanted Armstrong to stay in convenient narrow categories. Armstrong was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. Some of his solos from the 1950s, such as the hard rocking version of "St. Louis Blues" from the WC Handy album, show that the influence went in both directions.

Horn playing and early jazz

In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. The greatest trumpet playing of his early years can be heard on his Hot Five and Hot Seven records, as well as the Red Onion Jazz Babies. The improvisations he made on these records of New Orleans jazz standards and popular songs of the day are unsurpassed by later jazz performers. The older generation of New Orleans jazz musicians often referred to their improvisations as "variating the melody." Armstrong's improvisations were daring and sophisticated for the time, while often subtle and melodic.

He often essentially re-composed pop-tunes he played, making them more interesting. Armstrong's playing is filled with joyous, inspired original melodies, creative leaps, and subtle relaxed or driving rhythms. The genius of these creative passages is matched by Armstrong's playing technique, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In these records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what was essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.

Armstrong's work in the 1920s shows him playing at the outer limits of his abilities. The Hot Five records, especially, often have minor flubs and missed notes, which do little to detract from listening enjoyment since the energy of the spontaneous performance comes through. By the mid-1930s, Armstrong achieved a smooth assurance, knowing exactly what he could do and carrying out his ideas to perfection.

He was one of the first artists to use recordings of his performances to improve him. Armstrong was an avid audiophile. He had a large collection of recordings, including reel-to-reel tapes, which he took on the road with him in a trunk during his later career. He enjoyed listening to his own recordings, and comparing his performances musically. In the den of his home, he had the latest audio equipment and would sometimes rehearse and record along with his older recordings or the radio.

Major songs:

What a wonderful world nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen

When the saint go marching in basin street blues

Hello dolly go down Moses

Dream a little dream Moon river

All of me you’ll never walk alone

When you smiling that lucky old sun

West end blues we shall over come

Personal response

Louis Armstrong was the most successful and talented jazz musician in history. His influence and expansive career continues to make waves in the jazz world. That is what made him become what he is too many today – a legend.The Jazz Band cut it’s first record in the spring of 1923 and toured throughout Illinois, Ohio, and IndianaArmstrong formed a studio band in 1925 called the Hot Five. The band included Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory, John St. Cyr, Lil Armstrong, and himself. These recordings were some of the most famous made by Armstrong, including “Mandy Make Up Your Mind” and “Money Blues” (Bergreen 96). A year later the Hot Five made their only public appearance at the Chicago Coliseum. The Chicago Defender spoke of “Louis Armstrong, the miracle with steel lips,” (Boujut 27). For the next few years Armstrong recorded with the Hot Five and played with other musicians in New York and Chicago. He then traveled to California, in July of 1930, where he starred in his first film, Flame. Only after he had been in California for a few weeks he was arrested at a nightclub for the possession of marijuana. The incident obviously caused a lot of controversy across the world. The sentence, six months in prison, was suspended after only three days. Mainly due to Armstrong’s addiction to marijuana, Lil separated from him and they no longer worked together (Boujut 33). In 1932 the Hot Five split up. Armstrong remained in California and starred in Rhapsody in Black and Blue and You Rascal You. Later that year, he sailed to England where he played for the King (Crouch 171). An experience that ranked as “one of the best times of my life,” he stated (Bergreen 107). Something interesting happened to Armstrong in 1933. In London’s Daily Express the death of the “trumpet player with lips of steel,” was reported (Boujut 36). Five days later Melody Maker issued a correction but the news had already spread around the globe. In April of 1934 Armstrong began touring Europe. He visited various countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands where he was welcomed with open arms. The tour was scheduled to carry on to North Africa and Egypt, but the state of Armstrong’s’ lips forced him to cancel his remaining shows and not play for over eight months (Brown 154). In 1935 Armstrong formed a commercial style big band with fifteen other musicians (Brown 76). For the next twelve years he starred in various films and played with his new band. It was in 1947 that he abandoned the big band and returned to small band format. He joined the All-Star’s, made up of Jack Teagarden, George Wettling, Big Sid Catlett, Dick Cary, Peanuts Hucko, Bob Hagart. That turned out to be the group he worked with until his death. In the heat of the Civil Rights Movement, Louis Armstrong was called an “Uncle Tom” by blacks, referring to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. African-Americans blamed Armstrong for not using his fame to speak out against the unjust treatment of his race in the United States (Brown 92). They also said he was holding his race back because he didn’t demand respect from whites and he smiled too much when he was in public (Crouch 171). In Armstrong’s opinion he didn’t understand what he was doing wrong. He had ignored prejudice because he had been taught to respect people unless they had personally disrespected him (Brown 92). It was in 1955 that Louis Armstrong was made America’s musical ambassador. He traveled throughout the world on the United States behalf and even made an album titled, Ambassador Satch. All over the world he was respected and welcomed to perform nearly anywhere he chose. Hello Dolly, Armstrong’s most well known song was recorded in 1964. It hit number one on the Billboard charts on April 8th. It was accompanied by one of movies he starred in which shared the same title. For the next seven years of his life he was in and out of the hospital due to heart and kidney problems. On July 6th, 1971, Louis Armstrong died of a lung infection and heart complications. His last wish, that his trumpet be buried with him, was granted. Louis Armstrong influenced almost all aspects of jazz technique and style. He was the first to improvise and elaborate on a given melody. This technique has since been attempted and copied time and time again. Armstrong introduced a freedom to music that continues to impact popular music (Sadie 601). Without this American genius music would not be what it is today.