Louis Armstrong
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Fellow musicians called him "stachelmouth" because of his huge, wide grin. Later, it was shortened to “Sachmo”. The nickname belonged to Louis Armstrong, possibly the greatest jazz musician of all time, but certainly the most influential of them all. He is singer, trumpet player, actor, entertainer, icon, public figure. One of his hit single released was "Hello Dolly".
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About
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 at New Orleans, Louisiana to "William Armstrong", a laborer in a turpentine factory and "Mary Albert", a part-time prostitute. Louis's father abandoned his mother, Mayann, soon after he was born. Louis spent the first years of his life in his grandmother's home. Eventually, he was returned to his mother and his little sister Beatrice.
By age seven, Louis had already begun to work. As a boy, his most memorable working experiences was working for the Karnofsky family, who helped him buy his first cornet. His first formal training in music, however, was not from the Karnofsky family. At age 11 he was arrested for firing a pistol in public on New Year's Eve and was sentenced to the Colored Waifs' Home for Boys. There he learned how to play the cornet and became a member of the facility's band.
After being released at age fourteen, he largely supported himself as a musician, playing with pick-up bands and in small clubs with his mentor Joe "King" Oliver. He didn't own an instrument at this time, but continued to listen to bands at clubs like the Funky Butt Hall. Joe was one of a handful of noted musicians in New Orleans along with "Jelly Roll Morton", and "Sidney Bechet".
In 1919, he left New Orleans for the first time to join Fate Marable's band in St. Louis. Louis stayed with Marable until 1921 when he returned to New Orleans and played in Zutty Singleton's. In 1922, he joined his mentor, King Oliver's trailblazing Creole Jazz Band, in Chicago. In 1923 the Kings band started recording. In the early twenties, it was not normal practise for a band to do this. There was no mass market on which to market records and many musicians feared that recording music would only result in their ideas being stolen.
In 1924, Louis worked with Fletcher Henderson's pioneering big band in New York, where he also recorded with Bessie Smith.By the end of 1924 he briefly worked with Ollie Powers' Harmony Syncopators before he moved to New York to play in Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra for 13 months. He returned to Chicago in 1925 and began recording under his own name with his famous Hot Five and Hot Seven with such hits as "Potato Head Blues", "Muggles" and "West End Blues".
The Hot Five, later called the Hot Seven existed for three years, but never played a live date. Rather it was formed for recording purposes only. In the meantime, Louis continued playing in other bands. In 1929, he returned to New York, where he performed at Connie's Inn in Harlem and on Broadway in Connie's Hot Chocolates, and made his first nationwide hit recordings.
Louis moved to Los Angeles in 1930 and organized a group called Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. In 1931, he returned to Chicago and assembled his own band for touring purposes. In June of that year, he returned to New Orleans for the first time since he left in 1922 to join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.
In 1932, Louis crossed the Atlantic to England and began his first and most important overseas tour. He was one of America's most significant artists by the late 1930s, and had created a sensation in Europe with live performances and records. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound.
Life-long manager Joe Glaser took over Louis career in 1935, and immediately negotiated a contract with Decca Records.
After spending many years on the road, he settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943. By the 1940's, big band music started to go out of vogue, and perhaps not coincidentally, he began working with a small band again. In 1947, he formed the All Stars band, a small ensemble that allowed him to play much as he had with the Hot Five and Hot Seven groups. The All Stars were very popular and continued to play and tour through the forties and fifties. The band became one of the greatest and most popular bands in Jazz history.
They toured extensively traveling to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America for the next twenty years until Louis' failing health caused them to disband. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, following his Decca affiliation, Armstrong was recorded in a variety of settings; from small groups with Oscar Peterson on piano, to two albums with Ella Fitzgerald, to big band and orchestral accompaniment.
In the 1950s, he teamed up with other singers like Bing Crosby, Louis Jordan and Gary Crosby. He also made some tracks with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson rio. While working with them, Louis had an opportunity to record his first big hit to feature his famous throaty voice, "Mack The Knife".
By the mid-fifties, the critics and many jazz musicians had pretty much dismissed Louis as belonging to a bygone era and not keeping up with the times. In 1954, he wrote a biography entitled Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans. During this time, he was also prominent in disputing racial.
Though his music was no longer cutting edge nor changing all the time, there was little reason for him to do so other than to be fashionable. He appeared in the film High Society, with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly, in 1956 along with the All Stars. He can also be heard on a live Verve LP called "Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl" as recorded in the mid 1950’s.
One of Louis's greatest albums Ambassador Satch was released in mid 1956 and was a huge success. The year before Louis had played a series of concerts on a European tour, a few of which had been recorded live. A selection of the music from these was released on LP and spread the Ambassador Satch message across the globe.
In 1963, Louis scored a huge international hit with his version of "Hello Dolly". This number one single even knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts. In 1968 he recorded another number one hit with the touchingly optimistic "What A Wonderful World". His health began to fail him and he was hospitalized several times over the remaining three years of his life, but he continued playing and recording.
A more interesting and representative pop recording from his latter career would be "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" arranged by Sy Oliver and another hit. He also appeared in over 50 films as a musician and entertainer. Not content with this in 1969 he recorded his last hit "We Have All The Time In The World", for the James Bond film "On Her Majesties Secret Service". The film slumped at the box office but the song was a moderate success.
Louis' ability to generate 'top 40' hits in every generation is one of the marvels of his career: "Blueberry Hill" with Gordon Jenkins in 1949, "Mack The Knife" in 1956, and the original "Hello, Dolly!" which unseated the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" from #1 in May 1964 to name a few.
For the last three years of his life he was in and out of the hospital, but he continued recording and performing until July 6, 1971 when he died in his sleep at home in Queens, New York. With Louis Armstrong’s death, jazz had lost its greatest master.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Grammy Awards | Male Vocal Performance for "Hello Dolly" |
| 1974 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "West End Blues" |
| 1993 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "St. Louis Blues" |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "Mack The Knife" |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "What A Wonderful World" |
| 1999 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "Okeh" |
| 2001 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "Hello Dolly" |
| 2005 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "All of Me" |
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Hall of Fame for "Blue Yodel" |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Pop Albums | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 10 | Satch Plays Fat |
| 1964 | 1 | Hello Dolly |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Louis Armstrong.
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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 Louis Armstrong Plays W.C.Handy
July 12, 1954 |
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | What A Wonderful World | MCA |
| 2001 | Hello Dolly | Universal |
Compilations & Live Releases
| Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Two Facets of Louis | Tristar |
| 1923 | Creole Jazz | Tradition |
| 1923 | Louis Armstrong and King Oliver | Milestone |
| 1923 | Portrait of The Artist as A Young Man | Columbia |
| 1923 | Great Original Performances | Louisiana Red Hot |
| 1924 | Highlights From His Decca Years | Decca |
| 1924 | His Best Recordings | Best of Jazz |
| 1928 | Historic | Black Label |
| 1930 | Young Louis Armstrong | RCA |
| 1931 | Stardust | Portrait |
| 1932 | Cool Breeze | Portrait |
| 1932 | Complete RCA Recordings | RCA |
| 1932 | The Fabulous Louis Armstong | RCA |
| 1933 | Sings The Blues | RCA |
| 1935 | Rhythm Saved The World | GRP |
| 1935 | Priceless Jazz | GRP |
| 1946 | Sugar | RCA |
| 1947 | The Complete Town Hall Concert | RCA |
| 1947 | Satchmo at Symphony Hall | Decca |
| 1947 | Live at Winter Garden | Storyville |
| 1947 | An American Icon | Hip-O |
| 1947 | Carnegie Hall Concert | Ambassador |
| 1949 | 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: The Best of Louis Armstrong | MCA |
| 1949 | All Time Greatest Hits | MCA |
| 1949 | On The Road | Laserlight |
| 1951 | The California Concerts | GRP |
| 1951 | An Evening With Louis Armstrong at Pasadena | GNP Cresendo |
| 1951 | Great Concert | Accord |
| 1954 | In Concert | Storyville |
| 1954 | Greatest Hits | Decca |
| 1955 | Satchmo The Great | Columbia |
| 1956 | Great Chicago Concert | Columbia |
| 1957 | Silver Collection | Verve |
| 1960 | Satchmo Plays King Oliver | Varese |
| 1960 | The Elizabeth Concert | Milan |
| 1961 | A Rare Batch of Satch | RCA |
| 1962 | Hello and Other Hits | Drive |
| 1962 | Masters of Jazz | Storyville |
| 1965 | Greatest Performances | Traditional Line |
| 1965 | Hello Louis | Metro |
| 1965 | Swinging Hits | Vanguard |
| 1968 | When The Saints Go Marchin In | Laserlight |
| 1969 | Christmas Through The Years | Laserlight |
| 1987 | Great Original Performances | Project 3 |
| 1990 | Jazz Collector Edition | Delta |
| 1990 | All Time Best of Louis Armstrong | Capitol |
| 1991 | Louis Armstrong Live | Acrum |
| 1992 | Louis Armstrong Saga | Sony Special Products |
| 1992 | The Essential Satchmo | Music Club |
| 1994 | 16 Most Requested Songs | Sony |
| 1994 | Swing That Music | Drive Archives |
| 1994 | Majestic Years | Avid |
| 1995 | Christmas in New Orleans | Delta |
| 1995 | Butter and Eggman | Rhino |
| 1995 | Lover | Dove |
| 1995 | Forever Satchmo | Skylark Jazz |
| 1995 | Jazz Festival | Sony Special Products |
| 1996 | Christmas Through The Years | Delta |
| 1996 | Golden Hits | Intercontinnental |
| 1997 | High Society | Tradition |
| 1997 | Revue Collection | Revue Collection |
| 1997 | Jazz Collection | Laserlight |
| 1998 | Jazz Genius | Hallmark |
| 1998 | Planet Jazz | BMG International |
| 1999 | Forever Gold | St. Clair |
| 2000 | Love Songs | Columbia |
| 2000 | Louis Love Songs | Louisiana Red Hot |
| 2000 | Essential Louis | Metro Music |
| 2000 | 100th Birthday Celebration | RCA |
| 2000 | 20 Blues Classics | Summit |
| 2000 | The Katanga Concert | Milan |
| 2001 | One Hundred Anniversaire | EPM Musicque |
| 2001 | Happy Birthday Louis | Milan |
| 2001 | Legendary Satchmo | Prestige Elite |
| 2001 | Live at The Hollywood Empire | Storyville |
| 2002 | In Chicago | Storyville |
| 2002 | Golden Greats | Disky |
| 2002 | Wonderful Duets | Avid |
| 2002 | 49 Original Recordings | Import |
| 2002 | Classic Louis | Music Digital |
| 2002 | Georgia on My Mind | Prism Leisure |
| 2003 | Jazz Masters | Delta |
| 2003 | Mahogany Hall Stomp | Sounds of Yesteryear |
| 2003 | Best of The Best | Brentwood |
| 2003 | 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Millenium | Hip-O |
| 2003 | Birth of Jazz | Fuel 2000 |
| 2004 | Vocal Duets | Goldies |
| 2004 | Jazz Goes Hawaiian | Challenge |
| 2004 | Introducing Louis Armstrong | Naxos Jazz |
| 2004 | Best of Sings and Plays | Blues Forever |
| 2004 | Timeless Classic | St. Clair |
| 2004 | Complete RCA Victor Recordings | RCA Victor |
| 2004 | Supergold Collection | Super Gold |
| 2005 | Jazz Moods | Sony |
| 2005 | Dinner Jazz | Horizon |
| 2005 | Jazz Legend | Direct Source |
| 2005 | Historic Collection | Passport Audio |
| 2005 | King Louis | Proper Box |
| 2005 | In Scandinavia | Storyville |
| 2006 | Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong | Universal International |
| 2006 | Man With The Trumpet | New Style |
| 2006 | Legendary Satchmo | Pegasus |
| 2006 | Birth of All The Stars | Upbeat Jazz |
| 2006 | 18 Greatest | Direct Source |
| 2006 | Live at The Westcoast | Zyx |
| 2007 | The Complete Collection | Spectrum |
| 2007 | Signature | Green Umbrella |
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Trivia
- His neighborhood was nicknamed the "Battlefield" because of frequent fighting between gangs.
- In 1988, 17 years after his death, Armstrong's "What AWonderful World" was bigger than ever as a top 40 single from Robin Williams' Good Morning, Vietnam movie soundtrack.
- He performed an average of 300 concerts each year, with his frequent tours to all parts of the world earning him the nickname "Ambassador Satch".
- He became one of the first great celebrities of the twentieth century.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Pop
