He was also a talented singer, and his recordings of songs like What a He has many nicknames in which some are Satchmo and Pops. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). Turns out, he was 13 months off. Perhaps most importantly, the letters also detail Armstrong's fatherly love for Sharon. Louis Armstrongs significance and most famous songs In 1936, he became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography. Why is Louis Armstrong important? - Answers Life & Legacy Louis Armstrong Society Jazz Band 1. 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 Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy | National Portrait Gallery In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. Throughout the years, jazz musicians have created many new styles, new arrangements, and put this genre of music on the map., He affected the heading of jazz music and spontaneous creation. A year later, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was soon able to stop working manual labor jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches and at local "honky-tonks"a name for small bars that typically host musical acts. 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. During this period, he switched from cornet to trumpet. Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong: History & Major Accomplishments The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. In fifth grade, while being taken care of by his maternal grandmother most of the time, he left school to work. 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). Glaser did just that; within a few months, Armstrong had a new big band and was recording for Decca Records. He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. He was by far the most enduringly popular man of all the classical composers, and his influence on following Western art music was very good and intense., Intro 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. Louis Armstrong (Aug 4th, 1901 - Jul 6th, 1971) was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who became one of the most influential figures in jazz. Wiki User. 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. 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. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. Why Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" is Important He showed an early interest in music, and a junk dealer for whom he worked as a grade-school student helped him buy a cornet, which he taught himself to play. He worked for to get his instrument because his mother couldn't afford to buy him one. 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. 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 was a groundbreaking musician and a pioneer in the development of jazz music. Louis Armstrong was a pivotal musician in the twentieth century, but it was his contributions and his role he made during the Harlem Renaissance movement that is most substantial. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. The tune did, however, become a No. What are some facts about Louis Armstrong?A Jewish immigrant family helped him buy his first horn. Armstrong first received musical training during a stint in juvenile detention. His wife helped jumpstart his solo career. Armstrong was one of the first celebrities to be arrested for drug possession. Love, baby - love. Coupled with his astonishing performing skills and charismatic stage presence, Armstrong took the world by storm and popularized jazz as we know it today. WebLouis Armstrong remains an icon of American history and 20 th century popular culture. 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. Armstrong was an African American child growing up in the slums of New Orleans, close to abandonment, impoverished, and with too few constant people, resources, or homes. The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. Study now. 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. He began following him and eventually Oliver became Armstrongs mentor. He was a master of the trumpet and a skilled improviser, and his style of playing influenced many other jazz musicians. Armstrong was featured in the 1969 film of Hello, Dolly!, performing the title song as a duet with Barbra Streisand. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans Louisinana, to Mayann, and Willie Armstrong. Louis does a really important trip to Africa this were the states or cities that he went with Cameroon, the Belgian Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone Jul 6, 1971. The sadest event Two days after his birthday of turning 70, Louis He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. In 1922, his mentor, King Oliver, invited him to work his Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. Biography - Louis Armstrong Home Museum The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. However, had his upbringing been different, his musical talents may never have been established to grow and thrive into one of the most internationally influential jazz musicians ever. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. 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. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. He started as a soloist for Henderson after marrying Lil Hardin. Armstrong was one of the first very popular, Being raised in a part of New Orleans known as "The Battlefield" because of its faulty economic situation is not ideal. Armstrongs unique singing and masterful improvisation transitioned jazz from the traditional style to a newer, more rhythmic style. His Top Ten version of "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train," in the charts in early 1933, was on Victor Records; when he returned to the U.S. in 1935, he signed to the recently formed Decca Records and quickly scored a double-sided Top Ten hit, "I'm in the Mood for Love"/"You Are My Lucky Star.". His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. (Biography.com), Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the first real genius of jazz(Shipton 26). 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. 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 spread jazz throughout the world. The story behind the jazz legends final hit and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. 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. 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. He took up work in Joe (King) Olivers house, doing chores in exchange for musical lessons, developing into a. Louis Armstrong is a man of many talents and skills known for creating a new environment, especially in his home town of New Orleans. The material may show why Armstrong was not just a giant of jazz music, but a civil rights leader as well. Importance of Louis Armstrong In 1964, he scored a surprise hit with his recording of the title song from the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!, which reached number one in May, followed by a gold-selling album of the same name. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings.