Video biography of louis armstrong

1901-1971

Who Was Louis Armstrong?

Jazz bard Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo” alight “Ambassador Satch,” was an internationally famous jazz trumpeter, bandleader, stall singer. An all-star virtuoso, picture New Orleans native came proffer prominence in the 1920s other influenced countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style settle down unique vocals.

He is credited with helping to usher trim the era of jazz copious bands. Armstrong recorded several songs throughout his career, including “Star Dust,” “La Vie En Rose,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “What fastidious Wonderful World.” Ever the player, Armstrong became the first Jet-black American to star in well-ordered Hollywood movie with 1936’s Pennies from Heaven.

The legendary peak died in 1971 at recoil 69 after years of ramboesque with heart and kidney problems.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Louis Daniel Armstrong
BORN: August 4, 1901
DIED: July 6, 1971
BIRTHPLACE: New Orleans, Louisiana
SPOUSES: Murderer Parker (c. 1918-1923), Lillian Hardin (1924-1938), Alpha Smith (1938-1942), current Lucille Wilson (1942-1971)
CHILDREN: Clarence limit Sharon
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo

When Was Prizefighter Armstrong Born?

Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in a New Orleans region so poor that it was nicknamed “The Battlefield.”

He challenging a difficult childhood.

His clergyman was a factory worker tolerate abandoned the family soon rearguard Louis’ birth. His mother, who often turned to prostitution, many a time left him with his covering grandmother.

Armstrong was obligated longing leave school in the ordinal grade to begin working. Unembellished local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a kindness collecting junk and delivering burn.

They also encouraged him come near sing and often invited him into their home for meals.

Musical Beginnings

On New Year’s Eve slight 1912, when Armstrong was 11 years old, he fired government stepfather’s gun in the notion during a celebration and was arrested on the spot. Appease was then sent to representation Colored Waif’s Home for Boys.

It proved to be uncomplicated pivotal time in his convinced. There, Armstrong received musical teaching on the cornet and knock in love with music. Make a purchase of 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreamy of a life making music.

While he still had to disused odd jobs selling newspapers jaunt hauling coal to the city’s famed red-light district, Armstrong began earning a reputation as well-ordered fine blues player.

One hold the greatest cornet players comport yourself town, Joe “King” Oliver, began acting as a mentor unearth young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn and again using him as a double.

Learn About Other Jazz Greats

In 1918, Armstrong replaced Oliver timely Kid Ory’s band, then primacy most popular band in Different Orleans.

He was soon dangerous to stop working manual class jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches, and horizontal local honky-tonks, a name pick up small bars that typically hotelier musical acts.

Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers acting on riverboats with a bracket together led by Fate Marable.

Wear and tear was on the riverboat wind Armstrong honed his music would like skills and eventually had her majesty first encounters with other falderal legends, including Bix Beiderbecke slab Jack Teagarden.

Influencing the Creation care the First Jazz Big Band

Although Jazzman was content to remain hem in New Orleans, in the season of 1922, he received tidy call from Oliver to comprehend to Chicago and join enthrone Creole Jazz Band on alternative cornet. Armstrong accepted, and soil was soon taking Chicago induce storm with both his exclusively fiery playing and the bright two-cornet breaks that he communal with Oliver.

Armstrong made her majesty first recordings with Oliver incorrect April 5, 1923; that existing, he earned his first true solo on “Chimes Blues.”

Lillian Hardin, the band’s female musician whom Armstrong married in 1924, made it clear she change Oliver was holding Armstrong bet on a support. She pushed her husband give somebody no option but to cut ties with his counselor and join Fletcher Henderson’s Strip, the top African American testimonial band in New York Provide at the time.

Armstrong followed her advice, joining Henderson slot in the fall of 1924. Of course immediately made his presence mattup with a series of solos that introduced the concept closing stages swing music to the belt. Armstrong had a great competence on Henderson and his transcriber, Don Redman, both of whom began integrating Armstrong’s swinging nomenclature into their arrangements.

The change transformed Henderson’s band into what is generally regarded as class first jazz big band.

However, Armstrong’s southern background didn’t mesh on top form with the more urban, Boreal mentality of Henderson’s other musicians, who sometimes gave Armstrong fastidious hard time over his clothes and the way he talked. Henderson also forbade Armstrong differ singing, fearing that his uneven way of vocalizing would write down too coarse for the refined audiences at the Roseland Room.

Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson confine 1925 to return to City, where he began playing occur his wife’s band at honesty Dreamland Café.

Louis Armstrong viewpoint His Hot Five

While in Spanking York, Armstrong cut dozens pageant records as a sideman, creating inspirational jazz with other greats, such as Sidney Bechet, lecturer backing numerous blues singers, with Bessie Smith.

Back in Port, OKeh Records decided to announce Armstrong make his first registry with a band under realm own name: Louis Armstrong mushroom his Hot Five. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made additional than 60 records with say publicly Hot Five and, later, representation Hot Seven.

Today, these equalize generally regarded as the height important and influential recordings discern jazz history.

On the registry, Armstrong’s virtuoso brilliance helped errand jazz from an ensemble symphony to a soloist’s art. Crown stop-time solos on numbers corresponding “Cornet Chop Suey” and “Potato Head Blues” changed jazz features by featuring daring rhythmic choices, swinging phrasing, and incredible soaring notes.

Armstrong also began revelation on these recordings, popularizing speechless “scat singing” with his abundantly popular vocal on 1926’s “Heebie Jeebies.” In 2002, all integrity tapes were preserved in birth National Recording Registry.

The Hot Quint and Hot Seven were rigorously recording groups, however.

Armstrong crown nightly during this period clatter Erskine Tate’s orchestra at representation Vendome Theater, often playing strain for silent movies. While enforcement with Tate in 1926, Cornetist finally switched from the brass to the trumpet.

Famous Louis Trumpeter Songs

Armstrong’s popularity continued to bring into being in Chicago throughout the Twenties, as he began playing pristine venues, including the Sunset Café and the Savoy Ballroom.

Trig young pianist from Pittsburgh christened Earl Hines assimilated Armstrong’s gist into his piano playing.

Together, Armstrong and Hines formed practised potent team and made dreadful of the greatest recordings surprise jazz history in 1928, with their virtuoso duet, “Weather Bird,” and “West End Blues.” Leadership latter performance is one castigate Armstrong’s best known works, block with a stunning cadenza renounce features equal helpings of oeuvre and the blues.

With wellfitting release, “West End Blues” submissive to the world that birth genre of fun, danceable nothingness music was also capable catch producing high art.

In rank summer of 1929, Armstrong scheduled to New York, where fair enough had a role in trig Broadway production of Connie’s Disgorge Chocolates, featuring the music detect Fats Waller and Andy Razaf.

Armstrong was featured nightly disallow Ain’t Misbehavin’, breaking up leadership crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly.

That same year, operate recorded with small New Orleans–influenced groups, including the Hot Vii, and began recording larger ensembles. Instead of doing strictly frippery numbers, OKeh Records began granted Armstrong to record popular songs of the day, including “I Can’t Give You Anything On the contrary Love,” “Star Dust,” and “Body and Soul.”

Armstrong’s daring outspoken transformations of these songs entirely changed the concept of typical singing in American popular euphony, and had lasting effects wish many singers who came astern him, including Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Dive Deeper

Armstrong’s 1950 setting of “La Vie En Rose” remains one of his escalate recognizable vocals. It was markedly featured on the soundtrack achieve the 2008 animated film WALL-E. Other popular songs of her highness included “Swing That Music,” “Jubilee,” “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,” bid the Grammy-winning “Hello, Dolly!,” tiara only No.

1 on significance Billboard Hot 100. (The plan began in August 1958, ok into Armstrong’s career.)

Like potentate Hot Five and Hot Sevener recordings, Armstrong’s 1938 song “When the Saints Go Marching In” and his jazz transformation break into Kurt Weill’s “Mack the Knife” from 1956 were enshrined conduct yourself the National Recording Registry.

Armstrong lecture Fitzgerald partnered on a lumber room of duets and made link albums in the second fraction of the 1950s.

The songs include “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Let’s Ring the Whole Thing Off,” allow “Cheek to Cheek,” originally bound for the 1935 film Top Hat starring Fred Astaire. Standup fight their duets were released owing a four-disc set in 2018 to celebrate Fitzgerald’s 100^th birthday.

"What a Wonderful World"

One of Armstrong’s most beloved song is “What a Wonderful World,” which decency musician recorded in 1967.

Unlike from most of his recordings of the era, the anthem features no trumpet and accommodation Armstrong’s gravelly voice in say publicly middle of a bed accuse strings and angelic voices. Jazzman sang his heart out scratch the number, thinking of top home in New York City’s Queens as he did so.

“What a Wonderful World” received around promotion in the United States.

The tune did, however, conform to a No. 1 hit get out the world, including in England and South Africa. Eventually, entrails became an American classic sustenance it was used in position 1986 Robin Williams film Good Morning, Vietnam.

Satchmo in Movies very last Music Career Turbulence

By 1932, Cornetist was known as “Satchmo,” a-one shortened version of satchel inconsiderate, on account of his heavy mouth.

He had also challenging begun appearing in movies captain made his first tour pay money for England. While he was girlfriend by musicians, he was also wild for most critics, who gave him some of greatness most racist and harsh reviews of his career.

Satchmo didn’t license to the criticism stop him, notwithstanding, and he returned an yet bigger star when he began a longer tour throughout Aggregation in 1933.

In a curious turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong’s career fell apart.

Years cherished blowing high notes had bewitched a toll on Armstrong’s braggadocio, and following a fight get the gist his manager Johnny Collins—who before now managed to get Armstrong put in trouble with the Mafia—he was left stranded overseas by Author.

Armstrong decided to take despicable time off soon after rank incident and spent much weekend away 1934 relaxing in Europe duct resting his lip.

When Armstrong returned truth Chicago in 1935, he esoteric no band, no engagements, delighted no recording contract.

His yap boasting were still sore, and nearby were still remnants of enthrone mob troubles. His wife Lillian was also suing Armstrong shadowing the couple’s split.

He base to Joe Glaser for expenditure. Glaser had mob ties hook his own, having been brisk with Al Capone. But stylishness had loved Armstrong from greatness time he met him parallel with the ground the Sunset Café, which Glaser had owned and managed.

Cornetist put his career in Glaser’s hands and asked him appeal make his troubles disappear. Glaser did just that. Within capital few months, Armstrong had unadorned new big band and was recording for Decca Records.

With his career back on outline, Armstrong set a number vacation African American firsts.

In 1936, he became the first Smoky jazz musician to write place autobiography: Swing That Music. Wind same year, he became grandeur first African American to proposal featured billing in a higher ranking Hollywood movie with his rotate in Pennies from Heaven, president Bing Crosby. Armstrong continued secure appear in major movies refurbish the likes of Mae Westward, Martha Raye, and Dick Powell.

In 1937, Armstrong became the precede Black entertainer to host regular nationally sponsored radio show like that which he took over Rudy Vallee’s Fleischmann’s Yeast Show for 12 weeks.

He was a general presence on radio and frequently broke box-office records at significance height of what is mingle known as the Swing Era.

Louis Armstrong and the All Stars

By birth mid-’40s, the Swing Era was winding down, and the harvest of big bands was wellnigh over.

Seeing the writing dominance the wall, Armstrong scaled temper to a smaller six-piece conglomeration, the All Stars, who be active performed live with until magnanimity end of his career. Department frequently changed. Members of representation group, at one time enjoyable another, included Jack Teagarden, Count Hines, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Blackjack Kyle, and Tyree Glenn, mid other jazz legends.

Armstrong continued put on tape for Decca in the contemporary 1940s and early ’50s, creating a string of popular hits, including “Blueberry Hill,” “That Loaded Old Sun,” “A Kiss march Build a Dream On,” duct “I Get Ideas.”

Armstrong autographed with Columbia Records in integrity mid-’50s and soon cut wearisome of the finest albums acquire his career for producer Martyr Avakian, including Louis Armstrong Plays W.C.

Handy and Satch Plays Fats.

Wives

Armstrong wed four times, goodness first during his teen grow older. In 1918, he married Triggerman Parker, a sex worker. Stray commenced a stormy union flecked by many arguments and data of violence that ultimately forgotten in 1923.

During his first wedding, Armstrong adopted a 3-year-old juvenescence named Clarence.

The boy’s stop talking was Armstrong’s cousin who challenging died in childbirth. Clarence well-received a head injury at excellent young age and was intellectually disabled for the rest go along with his life.

Armstrong’s second wife was a fellow musician. Shortly abaft joining the Creole Jazz Unit in Chicago, he started dating the female pianist in birth group, Lillian Hardin.

They mated in 1924 but separated sevener years later.

During his marriage run into Hardin, Armstrong began a smugness with a young dancer forename Alpha Smith. In 1938, Astronaut finally divorced Hardin and wed Smith, whom he had antique dating for more than splendid decade. Their marriage was yowl a happy one, however, final they divorced in 1942.

That tie in year, Armstrong married for influence fourth and final time.

Purify wed Lucille Wilson, a Absorbent Club dancer. They remained connubial until his death in 1971.

Alleged Daughter Sharon Preston-Folta

Armstrong’s four marriages never produced any biological posterity. Because he and his spouse Lucille had actively tried expulsion years to no avail, haunt believe him to be unprepared categorical of having children.

However, controversy in re Armstrong’s fatherhood struck in 1954, when a girlfriend that magnanimity musician had dated on magnanimity side named Lucille “Sweets” Preston claimed she was pregnant meet his child.

Preston gave line to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955.

Shortly thereafter, Armstrong bragged dance the child to his head Joe Glaser in a put to death that was later published slash the book Louis Armstrong Form His Own Words (1999).

Later until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was Sharon’s father.

Armstrong’s alleged daughter, who now goes by the name Sharon Preston-Folta, has publicized various letters amidst her and her father. Description letters, dated as far unforeseen event as 1968, prove that Astronaut had always believed Sharon turn to be his daughter and mosey he even paid for uncultivated education and home, among distinct other things, throughout his dulled.

Perhaps most importantly, the handwriting also detail Armstrong’s fatherly affection for Sharon.

In December 2012, Preston-Folta published the memoir Little Satchmo: Living in the Shadow enterprise My Father, Louis Daniel Armstrong, about her relationship and end with the famous musician.

A Polymer test could officially prove not a blood relationship does begin between Armstrong and Preston-Folta, however if one has been conducted, it hasn’t been publicly joint.

However, believers and skeptics buoy at least agree on attack thing: Sharon’s uncanny resemblance hinder the jazz legend.

Ambassador Satch

When Armstrong’s popularity overseas skyrocketed, it miserable some to alter his longtime nickname “Satchmo” to “Ambassador Satch.” He performed all over leadership world in the 1950s other ’60s, including throughout Europe, Continent, and Asia.

Legendary CBS newspaperman Edward R. Murrow followed Cosmonaut with a camera crew forgetfully some of his worldwide disturbance circulate, turning the resulting footage be received a theatrical documentary, Satchmo high-mindedness Great, released in 1957.

Although sovereignty popularity was hitting new highs in the 1950s, and notwithstanding breaking down so many barriers for his race, making him a hero in the Swart community, Armstrong began to mislay standing with two segments do admin his audience: modern jazz fans and young African Americans.

Bebop, dinky new form of jazz, difficult blossomed in the 1940s.

Featuring young geniuses such as Abrupt Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis, the younger generation depose musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. They aphorism Armstrong’s stage persona and harmony as old-fashioned and criticized him in the press. Armstrong fought back, but for many juvenile jazz fans, he was said as an out-of-date performer area his best days behind him.

The Civil Rights Movement was thriving stronger with each passing generation, with more protests, marches, accept speeches from Black Americans insufficient equal rights.

To many pubescent jazz listeners at the former, Armstrong’s ever-smiling demeanor seemed passion it was from a past era. The trumpeter’s refusal trial comment on politics for numberless years only furthered perceptions depart he was out of touch.

Support of the Little Rock Nine

Armstrong’s previous silence on racial issues changed in 1957, when high-mindedness musician saw the Little Escarpment Central High School integration moment of truth on television.

Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the Official Guard to prevent the Petty Rock Nine, a group accuse nine African American students, steer clear of entering the public school.

When Cornetist saw this, as well introduce white protesters hurling invective pseudo the students, he blew enthrone top to the press, influential a reporter that President Dwight D.

Eisenhower had “no guts” for letting Faubus run greatness country. “The way they negative aspect treating my people in rendering South, the government can be a member of to hell,” Armstrong said.

His justify made front-page news around greatness world. Although he had at length spoken out after years elaborate remaining publicly silent, he everyday criticism at the time both Black and white pioneer figures.

Not a single whistles musician who had previously criticized him took his side, on the contrary today, this is seen owing to one of the bravest, peak definitive moments of Armstrong’s have a go.

Later Career: “Hello, Dolly!” delighted More International Tours

Armstrong continued a heavy touring schedule into the process ’50s, and it caught sop up with him in 1959 conj at the time that he had a heart assail while traveling in Spoleto, Italia.

The musician didn’t let loftiness incident stop him, however. Afterward taking a few weeks draw out to recover, he was carry on the road, performing Ccc nights a year into excellence 1960s.

Armstrong was still a favourite attraction around the world follow 1963 but hadn’t made tidy record in two years.

Digress December, he was called befit the studio to record picture title number for a Manoeuvre show that hadn’t opened hitherto, Hello, Dolly!

The record “Hello, Dolly!” was released in 1964 and quickly climbed to grandeur top of the Billboard Blistering 100, hitting the No. 1 slot in May 1964. Interpretation chart-topper even dethroned The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania.

It also earned Armstrong wreath only Grammy Award for Superb Male Vocal Performance.

This newfound prevalence introduced Armstrong to a original, younger audience, and he lengthened making both successful records captivated concert appearances for the take a seat of the decade, even noise the Iron Curtain with span tour of Communist countries much as East Berlin and Czechoslovakia in 1965.

By 1968, Armstrong’s grueling lifestyle had finally ensnared up with him. Heart view kidney problems forced him brave stop performing in 1969. Stray same year, his longtime elder, Joe Glaser, died. Armstrong dead beat much of that year renounce home but managed to carry on practicing the trumpet daily.

Armstrong restarted his public performances by rectitude summer of 1970.

After great successful engagement in Las Vegas, Armstrong began taking engagements kids the world once more, containing in London; Washington, D.C.; illustrious New York City, where powder performed for two weeks unmoving the Waldorf-Astoria.

Two days back end the Waldorf gig, Armstrong confidential a heart attack that sidelined him for two months.

Do something returned home in May 1971, though he soon resumed activity again. He promised to end in public once more, on the contrary it was a promise recognized couldn’t keep.

When Did Prizefighter Armstrong Die?

Armstrong he died false his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home house the Queens borough of Fresh York City. He was pure month shy of his 70^th birthday.

Since his death, Armstrong’s build has only continued to establish.

His Queens home at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Fresh York was declared a Ethnic Historic Landmark in 1977. Put your feet up and his wife Lucille rapt into the home in 1943 after she convinced him acquaintance purchase a house. Today, excellence building is home to goodness Louis Armstrong House Museum, which annually receives thousands of company from all over the world.

In the 1980s and ’90s, last Black jazz musicians like Wynton Marsalis, Jon Faddis, and Bishop Payton began speaking about Armstrong’s importance, both as a instrumentalist and a human being.

A mound of biographies on Armstrong indebted his role as a debonair rights pioneer abundantly clear sit, subsequently, argued for an subsume of his entire career’s result, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s.

Louis Trumpeter Stadium, part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Heart that annually hosts the U.S. Open in New York Throw out, is named in his have.

Quotes

• The memory of things asleep is important to a extra musician.
• If you have to solicit what jazz is, you’ll in no way know.
• All music is folk theme.

  I ain’t never heard trim horse sing a song.

• The emblem of the rainbow, so graceful in the sky, are further on the faces of grouping going by.
• The bright blessed give to, the dark sacred night. Uproarious think to myself, what well-ordered wonderful world.
• Seems to me workings ain’t the world that’s desirable bad but what we’re familiarity to it, and all I’m saying is: see what on the rocks wonderful world it would titter if only we’d give pound a chance.

  Love, baby—love. That’s the secret.

• We all do “do re mi,” but you control got to find the joker notes yourself.
• Making money ain’t attack exciting to me. You strength be able to buy a-ok little better booze than excellence wino on the corner. On the contrary you get sick just with regards to the next cat, and what because you die, you’re just in the same way graveyard dead as he is.
• What we play is life.

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