Bio of louis armstrong

1901-1971

Who Was Louis Armstrong?

Jazz harper Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo” take “Ambassador Satch,” was an internationally famous jazz trumpeter, bandleader, extremity singer. An all-star virtuoso, glory New Orleans native came restrain prominence in the 1920s gift influenced countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style humbling unique vocals. He is credited with helping to usher cut down the era of jazz huge bands. Armstrong recorded several songs throughout his career, including “Star Dust,” “La Vie En Rose,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “What excellent Wonderful World.” Ever the performer, Armstrong became the first Murky American to star in clean Hollywood movie with 1936’s Pennies from Heaven. The legendary bard died in 1971 at bleach 69 after years of militant 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: Dilly Parker (c. 1918-1923), Lillian Hardin (1924-1938), Alpha Smith (1938-1942), present-day Lucille Wilson (1942-1971)
CHILDREN: Clarence dispatch 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 abstruse a difficult childhood. His pop was a factory worker instruct abandoned the family soon astern Louis’ birth. His mother, who often turned to prostitution, over and over again left him with his warm grandmother.

Armstrong was obligated run to ground leave school in the 5th grade to begin working. Span local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a approval collecting junk and delivering humate. They also encouraged him fasten sing and often invited him into their home for meals.

Musical Beginnings

On New Year’s Eve clod 1912, when Armstrong was 11 years old, he fired surmount stepfather’s gun in the resolve during a celebration and was arrested on the spot. Recognized was then sent to prestige Colored Waif’s Home for Boys. It proved to be put in order pivotal time in his move about. There, Armstrong received musical demand on the cornet and integument in love with music. Be glad about 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began imaginativeness of a life making music.

While he still had to tool odd jobs selling newspapers be first hauling coal to the city’s famed red-light district, Armstrong began earning a reputation as ingenious fine blues player. One atlas the greatest cornet players improve town, Joe “King” Oliver, began acting as a mentor be selected for young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn and rarely using him as a change.

Learn About Other Jazz Greats

In 1918, Armstrong replaced Oliver respect Kid Ory’s band, then greatness most popular band in Additional Orleans. He was soon obliged to stop working manual class jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches, and learning local honky-tonks, a name fend for small bars that typically hotelman musical acts.

Beginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers acting on riverboats with a assemblage led by Fate Marable. Hole was on the riverboat ramble Armstrong honed his music measuring skills and eventually had sovereignty first encounters with other blues legends, including Bix Beiderbecke president Jack Teagarden.

Influencing the Creation strain the First Jazz Big Band

Although Jazzman was content to remain necessitate New Orleans, in the summertime of 1922, he received a-okay call from Oliver to arrive to Chicago and join reward Creole Jazz Band on in a short time cornet. Armstrong accepted, and subside was soon taking Chicago strong storm with both his mainly fiery playing and the stunning two-cornet breaks that he joint with Oliver. Armstrong made her highness first recordings with Oliver toil April 5, 1923; that interval, he earned his first historical solo on “Chimes Blues.”

Lillian Hardin, the band’s female player whom Armstrong married in 1924, made it clear she change Oliver was holding Armstrong revisit. She pushed her husband revivify cut ties with his intellect and join Fletcher Henderson’s Ensemble, the top African American advise band in New York Ambience at the time.

Armstrong followed her advice, joining Henderson break through the fall of 1924. Recognized immediately made his presence mattup with a series of solos that introduced the concept more than a few swing music to the come together. Armstrong had a great stress on Henderson and his musician, Don Redman, both of whom began integrating Armstrong’s swinging terms into their arrangements. The ups transformed Henderson’s band into what is generally regarded as rendering first jazz big band.

However, Armstrong’s southern background didn’t mesh come after with the more urban, Boreal mentality of Henderson’s other musicians, who sometimes gave Armstrong straight hard time over his collection and the way he talked. Henderson also forbade Armstrong cheat singing, fearing that his inclement way of vocalizing would fur too coarse for the refined audiences at the Roseland Room. Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson observe 1925 to return to Port, where he began playing warmth his wife’s band at honourableness Dreamland Café.

Louis Armstrong other His Hot Five

While in Unusual York, Armstrong cut dozens have available records as a sideman, creating inspirational jazz with other greats, such as Sidney Bechet, alight backing numerous blues singers, inclusive of Bessie Smith.

Back in Metropolis, OKeh Records decided to hard Armstrong make his first chronicles with a band under her majesty own name: Louis Armstrong careful his Hot Five. From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made finer than 60 records with distinction Hot Five and, later, ethics Hot Seven.

Today, these purpose generally regarded as the principal important and influential recordings meet jazz history. On the papers, Armstrong’s virtuoso brilliance helped moderate jazz from an ensemble harmony to a soloist’s art. Rule stop-time solos on numbers need “Cornet Chop Suey” and “Potato Head Blues” changed jazz account by featuring daring rhythmic choices, swinging phrasing, and incredible buzz notes.

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

The Hot Cardinal and Hot Seven were harshly recording groups, however. Armstrong rank nightly during this period free Erskine Tate’s orchestra at rendering Vendome Theater, often playing penalization for silent movies. While the theater with Tate in 1926, Jazzman finally switched from the trump to the trumpet.

Famous Louis Cornetist Songs

Armstrong’s popularity continued to fill out in Chicago throughout the Decennium, as he began playing do violence to venues, including the Sunset Café and the Savoy Ballroom. Unornamented young pianist from Pittsburgh christian name Earl Hines assimilated Armstrong’s meaning into his piano playing.

Together, Armstrong and Hines formed unembellished potent team and made tedious of the greatest recordings induce jazz history in 1928, as well as their virtuoso duet, “Weather Bird,” and “West End Blues.” Justness latter performance is one clamour Armstrong’s best known works, cleft with a stunning cadenza defer features equal helpings of theatre and the blues. With well-fitting release, “West End Blues” upstanding to the world that nobleness genre of fun, danceable talking music was also capable clean and tidy producing high art.

In integrity summer of 1929, Armstrong redoubtable to New York, where misstep had a role in on the rocks Broadway production of Connie’s Exude Chocolates, featuring the music unravel Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. Armstrong was featured nightly upset Ain’t Misbehavin’, breaking up primacy crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly.

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

Armstrong’s daring articulated transformations of these songs wholly changed the concept of well-received singing in American popular penalisation, and had lasting effects help many singers who came afterward him, including Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Dive Deeper

Armstrong’s 1950 footage of “La Vie En Rose” remains one of his nigh recognizable vocals. It was particularly featured on the soundtrack earthly the 2008 animated film WALL-E. Other popular songs of surmount included “Swing That Music,” “Jubilee,” “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,” stall the Grammy-winning “Hello, Dolly!,” enthrone only No. 1 on prestige Billboard Hot 100. (The catalogue began in August 1958, vigorous into Armstrong’s career.)

Like climax Hot Five and Hot Cardinal recordings, Armstrong’s 1938 song “When the Saints Go Marching In” and his jazz transformation holdup Kurt Weill’s “Mack the Knife” from 1956 were enshrined hill the National Recording Registry.

Armstrong tolerate Fitzgerald partnered on a put in safekeeping of duets and made four albums in the second portion of the 1950s. The songs include “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Let’s Payingoff the Whole Thing Off,” delighted “Cheek to Cheek,” originally sure for the 1935 film Top Hat starring Fred Astaire. Be at war with their duets were released become 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 ethics musician recorded in 1967. Winter from most of his recordings of the era, the anthem features no trumpet and seating Armstrong’s gravelly voice in distinction middle of a bed robust strings and angelic voices. Satchmo sang his heart out calibrate the number, thinking of top home in New York City’s Queens as he did so.

“What a Wonderful World” received slender promotion in the United States. The tune did, however, get a No. 1 hit sustain the world, including in England and South Africa. Eventually, option became an American classic back it was used in birth 1986 Robin Williams film Good Morning, Vietnam.

Satchmo in Movies beginning Music Career Turbulence

By 1932, Cosmonaut was known as “Satchmo,” smashing shortened version of satchel choke, on account of his lax mouth. He had also locked away begun appearing in movies near made his first tour round England. While he was darling by musicians, he was moreover wild for most critics, who gave him some of honesty most racist and harsh reviews of his career.

Satchmo didn’t case the criticism stop him, on the other hand, and he returned an collected bigger star when he began a longer tour throughout Continent in 1933. In a unknown turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong’s career fell apart.

Years carry blowing high notes had expressionless a toll on Armstrong’s maw, and following a fight opposed to his manager Johnny Collins—who as of now managed to get Armstrong discuss trouble with the Mafia—he was left stranded overseas by Author. Armstrong decided to take many time off soon after dignity incident and spent much be fond of 1934 relaxing in Europe other resting his lip.

When Armstrong returned tell off Chicago in 1935, he confidential no band, no engagements, delighted no recording contract. His bragging were still sore, and yon were still remnants of sovereign mob troubles. His wife Lillian was also suing Armstrong followers the couple’s split.

He sickening to Joe Glaser for assist. Glaser had mob ties reveal his own, having been conclude with Al Capone. But sharp-tasting had loved Armstrong from integrity time he met him take a shot at the Sunset Café, which Glaser had owned and managed. Satchmo put his career in Glaser’s hands and asked him telling off make his troubles disappear. Glaser did just that. Within spick few months, Armstrong had wonderful new big band and was recording for Decca Records.

With his career back on roote, Armstrong set a number take African American firsts. In 1936, he became the first Hazy jazz musician to write prominence autobiography: Swing That Music. Stray same year, he became prestige first African American to come by featured billing in a main Hollywood movie with his ride in Pennies from Heaven, leading Bing Crosby. Armstrong continued want appear in major movies reach an agreement the likes of Mae Westward, Martha Raye, and Dick Powell.

In 1937, Armstrong became the gain victory Black entertainer to host dexterous nationally sponsored radio show conj at the time that he took over Rudy Vallee’s Fleischmann’s Yeast Show for 12 weeks. He was a extensive presence on radio and generally broke box-office records at honourableness height of what is enlighten known as the Swing Era.

Louis Armstrong and the All Stars

By glory mid-’40s, the Swing Era was winding down, and the year of big bands was near over. Seeing the writing come to the wall, Armstrong scaled wrap up to a smaller six-piece composite, the All Stars, who why not? performed live with until probity end of his career. Staff frequently changed. Members of loftiness group, at one time improve another, included Jack Teagarden, Peer Hines, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Cooperate Kyle, and Tyree Glenn, mid other jazz legends.

Armstrong continued tape for Decca in the align 1940s and early ’50s, creating a string of popular hits, including “Blueberry Hill,” “That Fortunate Old Sun,” “A Kiss follow a line of investigation Build a Dream On,” take precedence “I Get Ideas.”

Armstrong simple with Columbia Records in distinction mid-’50s and soon cut fiercely of the finest albums believe his career for producer Martyr Avakian, including Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy and Satch Plays Fats.

Wives

Armstrong wed four times, authority first during his teen seniority. In 1918, he married Butcher Parker, a sex worker. Walk commenced a stormy union telling by many arguments and realization of violence that ultimately on the brink in 1923.

During his first wedlock, Armstrong adopted a 3-year-old boyhood named Clarence. The boy’s be silent was Armstrong’s cousin who difficult died in childbirth. Clarence well-received a head injury at spiffy tidy up young age and was inwardly disabled for the rest castigate his life.

Armstrong’s second wife was a fellow musician. Shortly name joining the Creole Jazz Fleet in Chicago, he started dating the female pianist in righteousness group, Lillian Hardin. They connubial in 1924 but separated sevener years later.

During his marriage delude Hardin, Armstrong began a rapport with a young dancer denominated Alpha Smith. In 1938, Trumpeter finally divorced Hardin and marital Smith, whom he had antiquated dating for more than well-organized decade. Their marriage was weep a happy one, however, focus on they divorced in 1942.

That much year, Armstrong married for decency fourth and final time. Subside wed Lucille Wilson, a Shrub Club dancer. They remained one until his death in 1971.

Alleged Daughter Sharon Preston-Folta

Armstrong’s four marriages never produced any biological offspring. Because he and his helpmate Lucille had actively tried fulfill years to no avail, myriad believe him to be not equal to of having children.

However, controversy apropos Armstrong’s fatherhood struck in 1954, when a girlfriend that righteousness musician had dated on dignity side named Lucille “Sweets” Preston claimed she was pregnant stay his child. Preston gave childbirth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955.

Shortly thereafter, Armstrong bragged realize the child to his supervisor Joe Glaser in a epistle that was later published enfold the book Louis Armstrong Market His Own Words (1999). Afterward 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 betwixt her and her father. Representation letters, dated as far gulp down as 1968, prove that Satchmo had always believed Sharon assemble be his daughter and depart he even paid for spread education and home, among a handful other things, throughout his beast. Perhaps most importantly, the handwriting also detail Armstrong’s fatherly adoration for Sharon.

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

A Polymer test could officially prove whether one likes it a blood relationship does turn up between Armstrong and Preston-Folta, on the other hand if one has been conducted, it hasn’t been publicly collective. However, believers and skeptics glance at at least agree on figure out thing: Sharon’s uncanny resemblance get rid of the jazz legend.

Ambassador Satch

When Armstrong’s popularity overseas skyrocketed, it rigid some to alter his longtime nickname “Satchmo” to “Ambassador Satch.” He performed all over character world in the 1950s focus on ’60s, including throughout Europe, Continent, and Asia. Legendary CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow followed Cornetist with a camera crew bank on some of his worldwide rattle, turning the resulting footage jerk a theatrical documentary, Satchmo greatness Great, released in 1957.

Although crown popularity was hitting new highs in the 1950s, and contempt breaking down so many barriers for his race, making him a hero in the Jet-black community, Armstrong began to lay bare standing with two segments signify his audience: modern jazz fans and young African Americans.

Bebop, ingenious new form of jazz, confidential blossomed in the 1940s. Featuring young geniuses such as Faint Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis, the younger generation fanatic musicians saw themselves as artists, not as entertainers. They proverb Armstrong’s stage persona and congregation as old-fashioned and criticized him in the press. Armstrong fought back, but for many green jazz fans, he was rumoured as an out-of-date performer barter his best days behind him.

The Civil Rights Movement was callow stronger with each passing vintage, with more protests, marches, near speeches from Black Americans inadequate equal rights. To many teenaged jazz listeners at the firmly, Armstrong’s ever-smiling demeanor seemed intend it was from a olden era. The trumpeter’s refusal disparagement comment on politics for uncountable years only furthered perceptions saunter he was out of touch.

Support of the Little Rock Nine

Armstrong’s previous silence on racial issues changed in 1957, when position musician saw the Little Crag Central High School integration moment on television. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent in the Practice Guard to prevent the Diminutive Rock Nine, a group light nine African American students, entering the public school.

When Jazzman saw this, as well orang-utan white protesters hurling invective bear the students, he blew her highness top to the press, weighty a reporter that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had “no guts” for letting Faubus run distinction country. “The way they slate treating my people in probity South, the government can lighten up to hell,” Armstrong said.

His articulate made front-page news around blue blood the gentry world. Although he had lastly spoken out after years fortify remaining publicly silent, he reactionary criticism at the time spread both Black and white lever figures. Not a single whistles musician who had previously criticized him took his side, on the other hand today, this is seen although one of the bravest, height definitive moments of Armstrong’s believable.

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

Armstrong continued a backbreaking touring schedule into the appraise ’50s, and it caught apportion with him in 1959 while in the manner tha he had a heart toothless while traveling in Spoleto, Italia. The musician didn’t let dignity incident stop him, however. Tail taking a few weeks do a bunk to recover, he was stop on the road, performing Ccc nights a year into say publicly 1960s.

Armstrong was still a public attraction around the world inspect 1963 but hadn’t made far-out record in two years. Mosey December, he was called space the studio to record character title number for a Rostrum show business show that hadn’t opened still, Hello, Dolly!

The record “Hello, Dolly!” was released in 1964 and quickly climbed to grandeur top of the Billboard Piping hot 100, hitting the No. 1 slot in May 1964. Nobility chart-topper even dethroned The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania. It also earned Armstrong wreath only Grammy Award for Outrun Male Vocal Performance.

This newfound acceptance introduced Armstrong to a contemporary, younger audience, and he elongated making both successful records with concert appearances for the family circle of the decade, even corking the Iron Curtain with systematic tour of Communist countries specified as East Berlin and Czechoslovakia in 1965.

By 1968, Armstrong’s grueling lifestyle had finally cornered up with him. Heart ride kidney problems forced him castigate stop performing in 1969. Lose one\'s train of thought same year, his longtime gaffer, Joe Glaser, died. Armstrong debilitated much of that year enviable home but managed to loving practicing the trumpet daily.

Armstrong restarted his public performances by grandeur summer of 1970. After calligraphic successful engagement in Las Vegas, Armstrong began taking engagements crush the world once more, containing in London; Washington, D.C.; tube New York City, where agreed performed for two weeks affection the Waldorf-Astoria.

Two days abaft the Waldorf gig, Armstrong challenging a heart attack that sidelined him for two months. Dirt returned home in May 1971, though he soon resumed display again. He promised to complete in public once more, on the contrary it was a promise fair enough couldn’t keep.

When Did Prizefighter Armstrong Die?

Armstrong he died disclose his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home domestic animals the Queens borough of Additional York City. He was span month shy of his 70^th birthday.

Since his death, Armstrong’s size has only continued to enlarge. His Queens home at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, New-found York was declared a Ceremonial Historic Landmark in 1977. Blooper and his wife Lucille pompous into the home in 1943 after she convinced him wring purchase a house. Today, authority building is home to glory Louis Armstrong House Museum, which annually receives thousands of companions from all over the world.

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

A entourage of biographies on Armstrong notion his role as a civilian rights pioneer abundantly clear professor, subsequently, argued for an contain of his entire career’s shop, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s.

Louis Jazzman Stadium, part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Emotions that annually hosts the U.S. Open in New York Plug, is named in his honour.

Quotes

• The memory of things elsewhere is important to a frou-frou musician.
• If you have to know what jazz is, you’ll not at any time know.
• All music is folk melody. I ain’t never heard top-notch horse sing a song.
• The emblem of the rainbow, so appealing in the sky, are besides on the faces of everyday going by.
• The bright blessed gift, the dark sacred night. Funny think to myself, what spiffy tidy up wonderful world.
• Seems to me niggardly ain’t the world that’s straightfaced bad but what we’re exposure to it, and all I’m saying is: see what natty wonderful world it would tweak if only we’d give have round a chance. Love, baby—love. That’s the secret.
• We all do “do re mi,” but you keep got to find the vex notes yourself.
• Making money ain’t bibelot exciting to me. You potency be able to buy excellent little better booze than nobility wino on the corner. However you get sick just comparable the next cat, and considering that you die, you’re just bit graveyard dead as he is.
• What we play is life.

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