Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong | |
---|---|
Born | Louis Daniel Armstrong[1] August 4, 1901 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | July 6, 1971 New York City, U.S. | (aged 69)
Burial place | Flushing Cemetery |
Other names |
|
Education | Colored Waif's Home for Boys, Fisk School for Boys |
Occupations |
|
Spouses | Daisy Parker
(m. 1919; div. 1923)Alpha Smith
(m. 1938; div. 1942)Lucille Wilson (m. 1942) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
|
Discography | Louis Armstrong discography |
Years active | 1919–1971 |
Signature | |
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops",[2] was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz.[3] He received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, and induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.[4]
Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.[5] Around 1922, he followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz Band . He earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached band leader Fletcher Henderson. He moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950s, he was a national musical icon, appearing regularly in radio and television broadcasts and on film.
His best known songs include "
With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser. He was also skilled at scat singing. By the end of Armstrong's life, his influence had spread to popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first popular African-American entertainers to "cross over" to wide popularity with White and international audiences. He rarely publicly discussed racial issues, to the dismay of fellow African Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation in the Little Rock crisis. He was able to access the upper echelons of American society at a time when this was difficult for Black men.
Early life
Armstrong is believed to have been born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, but the date has been heavily debated. Armstrong himself often claimed he was born on July 4, 1900.[6][7][8] His parents were Mary Estelle "Mayann" Albert and William Armstrong. Mary Albert was from Boutte, Louisiana, and gave birth at home when she was about sixteen. Less than a year and a half later, they had a daughter, Beatrice "Mama Lucy" Armstrong (1903–1987), who was raised by Albert.[9] William Armstrong abandoned the family shortly thereafter.[10]
Louis Armstrong was raised by his grandmother until the age of five, when he was returned to his mother.[10] He spent his youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood known as The Battlefield,[11] on the southern section of Rampart Street.[12] At six he started attending the Fisk School for Boys,[13] a school that accepted black children in the racially segregated school system of New Orleans.
During this time, Armstrong lived with his mother and sister and worked for the Karnoffskys,
Armstrong writes about singing "Russian Lullaby" with the Karnoffsky family when their baby son David was put to bed, and credits the family with teaching him to sing "from the heart."[15] Curiously, Armstrong quotes lyrics for it that appear to be the same as the "Russian Lullaby", copyrighted by Irving Berlin in 1927, about twenty years after Armstrong remembered singing it as a child.[16] Gary Zucker, Armstrong's doctor at Beth Israel hospital in 1969, shared Berlin's song lyrics with him, and Armstrong quoted them in the memoir.[15] This inaccuracy may simply be because he wrote the memoir over 60 years after the events described. Regardless, the Karnoffskys treated Armstrong extremely well. Knowing he lived without a father, they fed and nurtured him.[17][18]
In his memoir, Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., the Year of 1907, he described his discovery that this family was also subject to discrimination by "other white folks" who felt that they were better than Jews: "I was only seven years old but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the white folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for."[19] He wrote about what he learned from them: "how to live—real life and determination."[17] His first musical performance may have been at the side of the Karnoffskys' junk wagon. To distinguish them from other hawkers, he tried playing a tin horn to attract customers. Morris Karnoffsky gave Armstrong an advance toward the purchase of a cornet from a pawn shop.[20] Later as an adult, Armstrong wore a Star of David given to him by his Jewish manager, Joe Glaser, until the end of his life, in part in memory of this family who had raised him.[21]
When Armstrong was eleven, he dropped out of school.[13] His mother moved into a one-room house on Perdido Street with Armstrong, Lucy, and her common-law husband, Tom Lee, next door to her brother Ike and his two sons.[22] Armstrong joined a quartet of boys who sang in the streets for money. Cornetist Bunk Johnson said he taught the eleven-year-old to play by ear at Dago Tony's honky tonk.[23] In his later years Armstrong credited King Oliver. He said about his youth, "Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans ... It has given me something to live for."[24]
Borrowing his stepfather's gun without permission, he fired a blank into the air and was arrested on December 31, 1912. He spent the night at New Orleans Juvenile Court, and was sentenced the next day to detention at the Colored Waif's Home.[25] Life at the home was spartan. Mattresses were absent. Meals were often little more than bread and molasses. Captain Joseph Jones ran the home like a military camp and used corporal punishment.[26]
Armstrong developed his cornet skills by playing in the band.
On June 14, 1914, Armstrong was released into the custody of his father and his new stepmother, Gertrude. He lived in this household with two stepbrothers for several months. After Gertrude gave birth to a daughter, Armstrong's father never welcomed him, so he returned to his mother, Mary Albert. In her small home, he had to share a bed with his mother and sister. His mother still lived in The Battlefield, leaving him open to old temptations, but he sought work as a musician.[29]
He found a job at a dance hall owned by Henry Ponce, who had connections to organized crime. He met the six-foot tall drummer Black Benny, who became his guide and bodyguard.[29] Around the age of fifteen, he pimped for a prostitute named Nootsy, but that relationship failed after she stabbed Armstrong in the shoulder and his mother choked her nearly to death.[30]
He briefly studied shipping management at the local community college, but was forced to quit after being unable to afford the fees.[31] While selling coal in Storyville, he heard spasm bands, groups that played music out of household objects. He heard the early sounds of jazz from bands that played in brothels and dance halls such as Pete Lala's, where King Oliver performed.[32]
Career
Riverboat education
Early in his career, Armstrong played in brass bands and
Throughout his riverboat experience, Armstrong's musicianship began to mature and expand. At twenty, he could read music. He became one of the first jazz musicians to be featured on extended trumpet solos, injecting his own personality and style. He also started singing in his performances.[35]
Chicago period recordings
In 1922, Armstrong moved to Chicago at the invitation of King Oliver,[36] although Armstrong would return to New Orleans periodically for the rest of his life.[37] Playing second cornet to Oliver in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in the black-only Lincoln Gardens on the South Side of Chicago, he could make enough money to quit his day jobs. Although race relations were poor, Chicago was booming. The city had jobs for blacks making good wages at factories with some left over for entertainment.[36]: 86
Oliver's band was among the most influential jazz bands in Chicago in the early 1920s. Armstrong lived luxuriously in his own apartment with his first private bath. Excited as he was to be in Chicago, he began his career-long pastime of writing letters to friends in New Orleans. Armstrong could blow two hundred high Cs in a row. As his reputation grew, he was challenged to cutting contests by other musicians.[38]
His first studio recordings were with Oliver for
Lil Hardin, who Armstrong would marry in 1924, urged Armstrong to seek more prominent billing and develop his style apart from the influence of Oliver. At her suggestion, Armstrong began to play classical music in church concerts to broaden his skills; and he began to dress more in more stylish attire to offset his girth. Her influence eventually undermined Armstrong's relationship with his mentor, especially concerning his salary and additional money that Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members.[40] Armstrong's mother, May Ann Albert, came to visit him in Chicago during the summer of 1923 after being told that Armstrong was "out of work, out of money, hungry, and sick"; Hardin located and decorated an apartment for her to live in while she stayed.[41]
Fletcher Henderson Orchestra
Armstrong and Oliver parted amicably in 1924. Shortly afterward, Armstrong received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the top African-American band of the time. He switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. His influence on Henderson's tenor sax soloist, Coleman Hawkins, can be judged by listening to the records made by the band during this period.[42][43]
Armstrong adapted to the tightly controlled style of Henderson, playing trumpet and experimenting with the trombone. The other members were affected by Armstrong's emotional style. His act included singing and telling tales of New Orleans characters, especially preachers.[44] The Henderson Orchestra played in prominent venues for white patrons only, including the Roseland Ballroom, with arrangements by Don Redman. Duke Ellington's orchestra went to Roseland to catch Armstrong's performances.
During this time, Armstrong recorded with Clarence Williams (a friend from New Orleans), the Williams Blue Five, Sidney Bechet, and blues singers Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith.[45][46]
The Hot Five
In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago largely at the insistence of Lil, who wanted to expand his career and his income. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player". For a time he was a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife.
The Hot Five included Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lil Armstrong on piano, and usually no drummer. Over a twelve-month period starting in November 1925, this quintet produced twenty-four records.[48] Armstrong's band leading style was easygoing, as St. Cyr noted, "One felt so relaxed working with him, and he was very broad-minded ... always did his best to feature each individual."[49]
Among the Hot Five and Seven records were "Cornet Chop Suey", "Struttin' With Some Barbecue", "Hotter Than that" and "Potato Head Blues", all featuring highly creative solos by Armstrong. According to Thomas Brothers, recordings such as "Struttin' with Some Barbeque" were so superb, "planned with density and variety, bluesyness, and showiness," that the arrangements were probably showcased at the Sunset Café.[50] His recordings soon after with pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines, their famous 1928 "Weather Bird" duet and Armstrong's trumpet introduction to and solo in "West End Blues", remain some of the most influential improvisations in jazz history. Young trumpet players across the country bought these recordings and memorized his solos.
Armstrong was now free to develop his personal style as he wished, which included a heavy dose of effervescent jive, such as "Whip That Thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr. Johnny Dodds, Aw, Do That Clarinet, Boy!"[51]
Armstrong also played with
After separating from Lil, Armstrong started to play at the Sunset Café for Al Capone's associate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, with Earl Hines on piano, which was renamed Louis Armstrong and his Stompers,[53] though Hines was the music director and Glaser managed the orchestra. Hines and Armstrong became fast friends and successful collaborators. It was at the Sunset Café that Armstrong accompanied singer Adelaide Hall. It was during Hall's tenure at the venue that she experimented, developed and expanded her scat singing with Armstrong's guidance and encouragement.[54]
In the first half of 1927, Armstrong assembled his Hot Seven group, which added drummer Al "Baby" Dodds and tuba player, Pete Briggs, while preserving most of his original Hot Five lineup. John Thomas replaced Kid Ory on trombone. Later that year he organized a series of new Hot Five sessions which resulted in nine more records. In the last half of 1928, he started recording with a new group: Zutty Singleton (drums), Earl Hines (piano), Jimmy Strong (clarinet), Fred Robinson (trombone), and Mancy Carr (banjo).[55]
The Harlem Renaissance
Armstrong made a huge impact during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.[56] His music touched well-known writer Langston Hughes. Hughes admired Armstrong and acknowledged him as one of the most recognized musicians of the era.[57] Hughes wrote many books that celebrated jazz and recognized Armstrong as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance's newfound love of African-American culture.[58] The sound of jazz, along with musicians such as Armstrong, helped shape Hughes as a writer. Just like the musicians, Hughes wrote his words with jazz.[59]
Armstrong changed jazz during the Harlem Renaissance. As "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player" during this time,[60] Armstrong cemented his legacy and continued a focus on his vocal career. His popularity brought together many black and white audiences.[61]
Emerging as a vocalist
Armstrong returned to New York in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra for the musical Hot Chocolates, an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and pianist Fats Waller. He made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of "Ain't Misbehavin'". His version of the song became his biggest selling record yet.[62]
Armstrong started to work at
Armstrong's radical re-working of
As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong's vocal innovations served as a foundation for jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gravelly coloration of his voice became an archetype that was endlessly imitated. His scat singing was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist. His resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences on sides such as "Lazy River" exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as Bing Crosby.
Work during hard times
The Great Depression of the early 1930s was especially hard on the jazz scene. The Cotton Club closed in 1936 after a long downward spiral and many musicians stopped playing altogether as club dates evaporated. Bix Beiderbecke died and Fletcher Henderson's band broke up. King Oliver made a few records but otherwise struggled. Sidney Bechet became a tailor, later moving to Paris and Kid Ory returned to New Orleans and raised chickens.[64]
Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 to seek new opportunities. He played at the New Cotton Club in Los Angeles with Lionel Hampton on drums. The band drew the Hollywood crowd, which could still afford a lavish night life, while radio broadcasts from the club connected with younger audiences at home. Bing Crosby and many other celebrities were regulars at the club. In 1931, Armstrong appeared in his first movie, Ex-Flame. He was also convicted of marijuana possession but received a suspended sentence.[65]
He returned to Chicago in late 1931 and played in bands more in the Guy Lombardo vein and he recorded more standards. When the mob insisted that he get out of town,[66] Armstrong visited New Orleans, had a hero's welcome, and saw old friends. He sponsored a local baseball team known as Armstrong's Secret Nine and had a cigar named after him.[67] But soon he was on the road again. After a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, he fled to Europe.
After returning to the United States, he undertook several exhausting tours. His agent Johnny Collins's erratic behavior and his own spending ways left Armstrong short of cash. Breach of contract violations plagued him. He hired
Reviving his career with the All Stars
After spending many years on the road, Armstrong settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of Tin Pan Alley and the gangster-ridden music business, as well as anti-black prejudice, he continued to develop his playing.
Bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public tastes. Ballrooms closed and there was competition from other types of music, especially pop vocals, becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible under such circumstances to finance a 16-piece touring band.
A widespread revival of interest in the 1940s in the traditional jazz of the 1920s made it possible for Armstrong to consider a return to the small-group musical style of his youth. Armstrong was featured as a guest artist with Lionel Hampton's band at the famed second Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at
Armstrong's manager, Joe Glaser, changed the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947, into a six-piece traditional jazz group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other top swing and Dixieland musicians, most of whom were previously leaders of big bands. The new group was announced at the opening of Billy Berg's Supper Club.
This smaller group was called Louis Armstrong and His All Stars and included at various times Earl "Fatha" Hines, Barney Bigard, Edmond Hall, Jack Teagarden, Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw, Billy Kyle, Marty Napoleon, Big Sid "Buddy" Catlett, Cozy Cole, Tyree Glenn, Barrett Deems, Mort Herbert, Joe Darensbourg, Eddie Shu, Joe Muranyi and percussionist Danny Barcelona.
On February 28, 1948, Suzy Delair sang the French song "C'est si bon" at the Hotel Negresco during the first Nice Jazz Festival. Louis Armstrong was present and loved the song. On June 26, 1950, he recorded the American version of the song (English lyrics by Jerry Seelen) in New York City with Sy Oliver and his Orchestra. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers.
He was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of
Over 30 years, Armstrong played more than 300 performances a year, making many recordings and appearing in over thirty films.
A jazz ambassador
By the 1950s, Armstrong was a widely beloved American icon and cultural ambassador who commanded an international fanbase. However, a growing generation gap became apparent between him and the young jazz musicians who emerged in the postwar era such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins. The postwar generation regarded their music as abstract art and considered Armstrong's vaudevillian style, half-musician and half-stage entertainer, outmoded and Uncle Tomism. "... he seemed a link to minstrelsy that we were ashamed of."[71] He called bebop "Chinese music".[72] While touring Australia in 1954, he was asked if he could play bebop. "'Bebop?' he husked. 'I just play music. Guys who invent terms like that are walking the streets with their instruments under their arms'".[73]
In the 1960s, he toured Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria.[74][75]
After finishing his contract with
In 1964, after over two years without setting foot in a studio, he recorded his biggest-selling record, "Hello, Dolly!", a song by Jerry Herman, originally sung by Carol Channing. Armstrong's version remained on the Hot 100 for 22 weeks, longer than any other record produced that year, and went to No. 1 making him, at 62 years, 9 months and 5 days, the oldest person to accomplish that feat. His hit dislodged The Beatles from the No. 1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.[79]
External audio | |
---|---|
Louis Daniel Armstrong talks with Studs Terkel on WFMT; 1962/6/24, 33:43, Studs Terkel Radio Archive[80] |
Armstrong toured well into his 60s, even visiting part of the
Armstrong made his last recorded trumpet performances on his 1968 album Disney Songs the Satchmo Way.[82]
Personal life
Pronunciation of name
The Louis Armstrong House Museum website states:
Judging from home recorded tapes now in our Museum Collections, Louis pronounced his own name as "Lewis". On his 1964 record "Hello, Dolly", he sings, "This is Lewis, Dolly" but in 1933 he made a record called "Laughin' Louie". Many broadcast announcers, fans, and acquaintances called him "Louie" and in a videotaped interview from 1983 Lucille Armstrong calls her late husband "Louie" as well. Musicians and close friends usually called him "Pops".[83]
In a memoir written for
Family
Armstrong was performing at the Brick House in Gretna, Louisiana, when he met Daisy Parker, a local prostitute, and started an affair as a client. He returned to Gretna on several occasions to visit her. He found the courage to look for her home to see her away from work. There he found out she had a common-law husband. Not long after that fiasco, Parker traveled to Armstrong's home on Perdido Street.[86] They checked into Kid Green's hotel that evening. On the next day, March 19, 1919, Armstrong and Parker married at City Hall.[86][87] They adopted a three-year-old boy, Clarence, whose mother, Armstrong's cousin Flora, had died soon after giving birth. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled as a result of a head injury at an early age, and Armstrong spent the rest of his life taking care of him.[88] His marriage to Parker ended when they separated in 1923.
On February 4, 1924, he married Lil Hardin Armstrong, King Oliver's pianist. She had divorced her first husband a few years earlier. His second wife helped him develop his career, but they separated in 1931 and divorced in 1938. Armstrong then married Alpha Smith.[89] His relationship with Alpha began while he was playing at the Vendome during the 1920s and continued long after.[90] His marriage to her lasted four years; they divorced in 1942. Louis then married Lucille Wilson, a singer at the Cotton Club in New York, in October 1942. They remained married until his death in 1971.[91]
Armstrong's marriages produced no offspring.[92] However, in December 2012, 57-year-old Sharon Preston-Folta claimed to be his daughter from a 1950s affair between Armstrong and Lucille "Sweets" Preston, a dancer at the Cotton Club.[93] In a 1955 letter to his manager, Joe Glaser, Armstrong affirmed his belief that Preston's newborn baby was his daughter, and ordered Glaser to pay a monthly allowance of $400, $5,462 in 2022 dollars[94], to mother and child.[95]
Personality
Armstrong was colorful and charismatic. His autobiography vexed some biographers and historians because he had a habit of telling tales, particularly about his early childhood when he was less scrutinized, and his embellishments lack consistency.[96]
In addition to being an entertainer, Armstrong was a leading personality. He was beloved by an American public that usually offered little access beyond their public celebrity to even the greatest
He generally remained politically neutral, which at times alienated him from members of the black community who expected him to use his prominence within white America to become more outspoken during the
Health problems
The trumpet is notoriously hard on the
During a backstage meeting with trombonist Marshall Brown in 1959, Armstrong received the suggestion to see a doctor and receive proper treatment for his lips instead of relying on home remedies, but he did not get around to that until his final years, by which point his health was failing and the doctors considered surgery too risky.[98]
Also in 1959, Armstrong was hospitalized for pneumonia while on tour in Italy. Doctors were concerned about his lungs and heart, but by June 26 he rallied.[99]
Nicknames
The nicknames "Satchmo" and "Satch" are short for "Satchelmouth". The nickname origin is uncertain.[96] The most common tale that biographers tell is the story of Armstrong as a young boy in New Orleans dancing for pennies. He scooped the coins off the street and stuck them into his mouth to prevent bigger children from stealing them. Someone dubbed him "satchel mouth" for his mouth acting as a satchel. Another tale is that because of his large mouth, he was nicknamed "satchel mouth" which was shortened to "Satchmo".[96]
Early on he was also known as "Dipper", short for "Dippermouth", a reference to the piece Dippermouth Blues[100] and something of a riff on his unusual embouchure.
The nickname "Pops" came from Armstrong's own tendency to forget people's names and simply call them "Pops" instead. The nickname was turned on Armstrong himself. It was used as the title of a 2010 biography of Armstrong by Terry Teachout.[96]
After a competition at the Savoy, he was crowned and nicknamed "King Menelik", after the Emperor of Ethiopia, for slaying "
Race
Armstrong celebrated his heritage as an
Religion
When asked about his religion, Armstrong answered that he was raised a
Personal habits
Armstrong was concerned with his health. He used
Armstrong also appeared in humorous, risqué cards that he had printed to send to friends. The cards bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet—as viewed through a keyhole—with the slogan "Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!'"
Armstrong was a heavy
The concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected in such songs as "Cheesecake", "Cornet Chop Suey",[112] and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue", though the latter was written about a fine-looking companion, and not food.[113] He kept a strong connection throughout his life to the cooking of New Orleans, always signing his letters, "Red beans and ricely yours ...".[114]
A fan of Major League Baseball, he founded a team in New Orleans that was known as Raggedy Nine and transformed the team into his Armstrong's "
Writings
Armstrong's gregariousness extended to writing. On the road, he wrote constantly, sharing favorite themes of his life with correspondents around the world. He avidly typed or wrote on whatever stationery was at hand, recording instant takes on music, sex, food, childhood memories, his heavy
Social organizations
Louis Armstrong was not, as claimed, a
Music
Horn playing and early jazz
In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. Along with his "clarinet-like figurations and high notes in his cornet solos", he was also known for his "intense rhythmic 'swing', a complex conception involving ... accented upbeats, upbeat to downbeat slurring, and complementary relations among rhythmic patterns."[119] The most lauded recordings on which Armstrong plays trumpet include the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions, as well as those of the Red Onion Jazz Babies. Armstrong's improvisations, while unconventionally sophisticated for that era, were also subtle and highly melodic. The solo that Armstrong plays during the song "Potato Head Blues" has long been considered his best solo of that series.[96][120]
Prior to Armstrong, most collective ensemble playing in jazz, along with its occasional solos, simply varied the melodies of the songs. Armstrong was virtually the first to create significant variations based on the chord harmonies of the songs instead of merely on the melodies. This opened a rich field for creation and improvisation, and significantly changed the music into a soloist's art form.[96]
Often, Armstrong re-composed pop-tunes he played, simply with variations that made them more compelling to jazz listeners of the era. At the same time, his oeuvre includes many original melodies, creative leaps, and relaxed or driving rhythms. Armstrong's playing technique, honed by constant practice, extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In his records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what had been essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.[96]
Armstrong was one of the first artists to use recordings of his performances to improve himself. 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.[121]
Vocal popularity
As his music progressed and popularity grew, his singing also became very important. Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it with the first recording on which he scatted, "Heebie Jeebies". At a recording session for Okeh Records, when the sheet music supposedly fell on the floor and the music began before he could pick up the pages, Armstrong simply started singing nonsense syllables while Okeh President E.A. Fearn, who was at the session, kept telling him to continue. Armstrong did, thinking the track would be discarded, but that was the version that was pressed to disc, sold, and became an unexpected hit. Although the story was thought to be apocryphal, Armstrong himself confirmed it in at least one interview as well as in his memoirs.[122] On a later recording, Armstrong also sang out "I done forgot the words" in the middle of recording "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas".
Such records were hits and scat singing became a major part of his performances. Long before this, Armstrong was playing around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet.[96] Armstrong once told Cab Calloway that his scat style was derived "from the Jews rockin", an Orthodox Jewish style of chanting during prayer.[123][124]
Composing
Armstrong was a gifted composer who wrote more than fifty songs, some of which have become
Colleagues and followers
During his long career he played and sang with some of the most important instrumentalists and vocalists of the time, including Bing Crosby,
Crosby ... was important in introducing into the mainstream of popular singing an Afro-American concept of song as a lyrical extension of speech ... His techniques—easing the weight of the breath on the vocal cords, passing into a
enunciation, singing on consonants (a practice of black singers), and making discreet use of appoggiaturas, mordents, and slursto emphasize the text—were emulated by nearly all later popular singers.
Armstrong recorded two albums with Ella Fitzgerald, Ella and Louis and Ella and Louis Again, for Verve Records. The sessions featured the backing musicianship of the Oscar Peterson Trio with drummer Buddy Rich on the first album and Louie Bellson on the second. Norman Granz then had the vision for Ella and Louis to record Porgy and Bess.
His two recordings for Columbia Records, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954) and Satch Plays Fats (all Fats Waller tunes) (1955), were both being considered masterpieces, as well as moderately well selling. In 1961, the All Stars participated in two albums, The Great Summit and The Great Reunion (now together as a single disc) with Duke Ellington. The albums feature many of Ellington's most famous compositions (as well as two exclusive cuts) with Duke sitting in on piano. His participation in Dave Brubeck's high-concept jazz musical The Real Ambassadors (1963) was critically acclaimed and features "Summer Song", one of Armstrong's most popular vocal efforts.
Hits and later career
Armstrong had nineteen "Top Ten" records
In 1964, Armstrong knocked The Beatles off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Hello, Dolly!", which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the oldest artist to have a number one song. His 1964 song "Bout Time" was later featured in the film Bewitched.[96]
In February 1968, he appeared with Lara Saint Paul on the Italian RAI television channel where he performed "Grassa e Bella", a track he sang in Italian for the Italian market and C.D.I. label.[126]
In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the UK with "
Stylistic range
Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from blues to the arrangements of
Film, television, and radio
Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, usually playing a bandleader or musician. His most familiar role was as the bandleader cum narrator in the 1956 musical High Society, starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm. He appears throughout the film, sings the title song, and performs the duet "Now You Has Jazz" with Crosby.[127] In 1947, he played himself in the movie New Orleans opposite Billie Holiday, which chronicled the demise of the Storyville district and the ensuing exodus of musicians from New Orleans to Chicago. In the 1959 film The Five Pennies, Armstrong played himself, sang, and played several classic numbers. He performed a duet of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with Danny Kaye during which Kaye impersonated Armstrong. He had a part in the film alongside James Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story.
In 1937, Armstrong was the first African American to host a nationally broadcast radio show.[128] In 1969, he had a cameo role in Gene Kelly's film version of Hello, Dolly! as the bandleader Louis where he sang the title song with actress Barbra Streisand. His solo recording of "Hello, Dolly!" is one of his most recognizable performances.[96] He was heard on such radio programs as The Story of Swing (1937) and This Is Jazz (1947), and he also made television appearances, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, including appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[96]
In
Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, a self-described Armstrong admirer, asserted that a 1952 Louis Armstrong concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris played a significant role in inspiring him to create the fictional creatures called Cronopios that are the subject of a number of Cortázar's short stories. Cortázar once called Armstrong himself "Grandísimo Cronopio" (The Great Cronopio).[96]
There is a pivotal scene in Stardust Memories (1980) in which Woody Allen is overwhelmed by a recording of Armstrong's "Stardust" and experiences a nostalgic epiphany.[131]
Death
Against his doctor's advice, Armstrong played a two-week engagement in March 1971 at the
He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City. His honorary
Awards and honors
Grammy Awards
Armstrong was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972 by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.[136]
Year | Category | Title | Genre | Label | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1964 | Male Vocal Performance | "Hello, Dolly!" | Pop | Kapp | Winner |
Grammy Hall of Fame
Recordings of Armstrong were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance".[137][138]
Year recorded | Title | Label | Year inducted | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1925 | " St. Louis Blues "
|
Columbia | 1993 | Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong, cornet |
1926 | "Heebie Jeebies" | OKeh | 1999 | |
1928 | "West End Blues" | OKeh | 1974 | |
1928 | "Weather Bird" | OKeh | 2008 | with Earl Hines |
1929 | " St. Louis Blues "
|
OKeh | 2008 | with Red Allen |
1930 | "Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing on the Corner)" |
Victor | 2007 | Jimmie Rodgers (featuring Louis Armstrong) |
1932 | " All of Me "
|
Columbia | 2005 | |
1938 | "When the Saints Go Marching In" | Decca | 2016 | |
1955 | "Mack the Knife" | Columbia | 1997 | |
1958 | Porgy and Bess | Verve | 2001 | Album, with Ella Fitzgerald |
1964 | "Hello, Dolly!" | Kapp | 2001 | |
1967 | "What a Wonderful World" | ABC | 1999 |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed Armstrong's West End Blues on the list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.[139]
Year recorded | Title | Label | Group |
---|---|---|---|
1928 | West End Blues | Okeh | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five
|
Inductions and honors
In 1995, the
Year inducted | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1952 | DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame | |
1960[140] | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star at 7601 Hollywood Blvd. |
1978 | Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame | |
2004 | Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame | At Jazz at Lincoln Center |
1990 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Early influence |
2007 | Louisiana Music Hall of Fame | |
2007 | Gennett Records Walk of Fame, Richmond, Indiana | |
2007 | Long Island Music Hall of Fame
|
Film honors
In 1999 Armstrong was nominated for inclusion in the American Film Institute's 100 Years ... 100 Stars.[141]
Legacy
In 1950, Bing Crosby, the most successful vocalist of the first half of the 20th century, said, "He is the beginning and the end of music in America".[142] Duke Ellington, DownBeat magazine in 1971, said, "If anybody was a master, it was Louis Armstrong. He was and will continue to be the embodiment of jazz."[143] Though Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters and others preceded his scatting on record in the 1920s according to Gary Giddins and others.[144]
According to literary critic Harold Bloom, "The two great American contributions to the world's art, in the end, are Walt Whitman and, after him, Armstrong and jazz ... If I had to choose between the two, ultimately, I wouldn't. I would say that the genius of this nation at its best is indeed Walt Whitman and Louis Armstrong".[145]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Armstrong at No. 39 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[146]
In 1991, an asteroid was named
The house where Armstrong lived for almost 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now a museum. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34–56 107th Street between 34th and 37th avenues in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the Queens College, City University of New York, following the dictates of Lucille Armstrong's will. The museum opened to the public on October 15, 2003. A new visitors center opened across the street from the Armstrong home in summer 2023.[152]
A Wonderful World, A New Musical About the Life and Loves of Louis Armstrong had its world premiere run at Miami New Drama from December 4, 2021, to January 16, 2021,[153] after mounting previews beginning March 5, 2020[154] and canceling opening night (March 14) due to COVID concerns.[155] Mirroring Armstrong's musical journey, the show stars James Monroe Iglehart and makes "pre-Broadway"[156] stops in New Orleans October 1–8, 2023, and Chicago October 11–29, 2023. The new musical charts the rise of Armstrong from the perspective of his four wives. It is conceived by Drama Desk Award winner and Tony Award nominee, Christopher Renshaw, and novelist Andrew Delaplaine and directed by Renshaw, A Wonderful World features an original book by Aurin Squire.
Discography
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0190268756.
- ISBN 978-0553067682.
- ISBN 978-0141006468.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong – Artist". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 1.
- ISBN 978-0-306-81013-8.
- ^ Teachout (2009), pp. 26–27.
- ^ Bergreen (1996), pp. 14–15.
- ^ Teachout, Terry (2009). Pops. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 30.
- ^ a b Giddins (2001), pp. 22–23
- ^ Giddins (2001), p. 26.
- ^ "Jazz Neighborhoods – New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Bergreen (1997), pp. 27, 57–60.
- ^ Some sources spell Karnofsky with one "f". This article is spelling it with two "f"s based on Bergreen (1998).
- ^ ISBN 0-19-511958-4 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Berlin, Irving. "Irving Berlin's Russian Lullaby". Irving Berlin Music Corp. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Teachout, Terry (November 1, 2009). "Satchmo and the Jews". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ Karnow, Stanley (February 21, 2001). "My Debt to Cousin Louis's Cornet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0195140460.
I had a long time admiration for the Jewish people. Especially with their long time of courage, taking so much abuse for so long. I was only seven years old, but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the white folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for. It dawned on me, how drastically. Even "my race", the Negroes, the way that I saw it, they were having a little better break than the Jewish people, with jobs a plenty around. Of course, we can understand all the situations and handicaps that was going on, but to me we were better off than the Jewish people.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), pp. 55–57.
- ^ Manuscript titled Louis Armstrong and the Jewish Family in New Orleans, the Year of 1907, written in 1969 and finished in 1970. 77 leaves, numbered 1-77. Recto only. Written in ink on lined notebook paper.
- ^ Giddins (2001), pp. 36–37.
- ^ Current Biography 1944, pp. 15–17.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 6.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), pp. 67–68.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), pp. 70–72.
- ^ Current Biography 1944. p. 16.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 78.
- ^ a b Bergreen (1997), pp. 80–89.
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 44.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), pp. 45–47.
- ^ William Howland Kenney (2005). Jazz on the River. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 64.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 142.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 170.
- ^ ISBN 978-0195033779.
- ^ Kenney (2005), pp. 57–59.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 199.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), pp. 213–218.
- ^ Stamatel, Janet P. (2003). Henderson, Ashyia N (ed.). "Hardin Armstrong, Lil 1898–1971". Contemporary Black Biography. 39: 98 – via Gale Virtual Reference Library.
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- OCLC 8050573.
- ISBN 978-0195090222.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 247.
- ^ Elliot Hurwitt et al., in Cary D. Wintz and Paul Finkelman, eds., Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (London: Routledge, 2012), 533 and elsewhere.
ISBN 978-1135455361
- OCLC 1059329912.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 260.
- ISBN 978-0195388404.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 274.
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 264.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 267.
- ISBN 978-0330286077.
- OCLC 51780394
- ^ Harker (2011), p. 145.
- National Public Radio. August 1, 2007. Archivedfrom the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong". PBS. July 6, 2005. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Langston Hughes Presents the History of Jazz in an Illustrated Children's Book (1995)". Open Culture. March 31, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Hughes, Langston. "Jazz as Communication". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- History (American TV network). Archivedfrom the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- St. James Press: 133–135.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Louis Armstrong & his Orchestra". Redhotjazz.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ Morgenstern, Dan (1994), "Louis Armstrong and the Development and Diffusion of Jazz", in Miller, Marc H. (ed.), Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy, Queens Museum of Art in association with University of Washington Press, p. 110
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 320.
- ^ Collier (1985), pp. 221–222
- ^ "Louis Armstrong in the 30s". riverwalkjazz.stanford.edu. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 344.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 385.
- OCLC 28801394.
- ^ "Satchmo Band Spice To Open Air Show". Los Angeles Sentinel May 28, 1953.
- ISBN 978-1316214084. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- OCLC 828055596.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong And Band Get A Hot Reception". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842–1954). October 28, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0674065246. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "James Brown Goes Through Some New Changes". Jet. 1971. p. 59. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0786418572. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong". Biography.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 14, 2018). "May 9, 1964 The Number Ones: Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!"". www.stereogum.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Louis Daniel Armstrong talks with Studs Terkel on WFMT; 1962/6/24". Studs Terkel Radio Archive. June 24, 1962. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0674015012.
- ISBN 978-0313376429.
- ^ "FAQ – Louis Armstrong House Museum". louisarmstronghouse.org.
- ISBN 978-0195140460. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ISBN 0306774305[page needed]
- ^ a b Bergreen (1997), 134–137.
- ISBN 978-0195033779.
- Village Voice. Archived from the originalon June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
- ^ "Lillian Hardin Armstrong". RedHotJazz.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- ^ "Biography of Louis Daniel Armstrong". LouisArmstrongFoundation.org. Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong: FAQ". Louis Armstrong House Museum. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- ^ Goddard, Jacqui (December 15, 2012). "Louis Armstrong's secret daughter revealed, 42 years after his death". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ISBN 978-0195033779.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Bergreen (1997), pp. 7–11.
- ^ Schulz, Bill (August 26, 2016). "Louis Armstrong's Lip Balm". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong: An American Genius", James L. Collier, 231 pp.
- The Ottawa Citizen, June 26, 1959, p. 1
- ^ Armstrong, 1954, pp. 27–28
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- ^ Collier (1985), pp. 317–320
- ^ "Louis Armstrong, Barring Soviet Tour, Denounces Eisenhower and Gov. Faubus". The New York Times. September 19, 1957. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
- ^ Margolick, David (September 23, 2007). "The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise". The New York Times.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 472.
- ^ a b Gabbard, Krin (2001). Louis and The Good Book (CD booklet). Louis Armstrong. New York City: Verve Records. p. 1.
- ^ Gilstrap, Peter (February 29, 1996). "Leave It All Behind Ya". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Teachout, Terry (2009) Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong pp. 293–294.
- ^ Armstrong, Louis. Christmas Through the Years, Laserlight 12744.
- ISBN 978-0393065824.
- ^ Andrews, Evan (October 17, 2022). "9 Things You May Not Know About Louis Armstrong". History.com.
- ^ Satchmo.net. 'Red Beans and Ricely yours, Louis Armstrong.'
- ^ Jive Dictionary, by Cab Calloway: "Barbecue (n.) – the girl friend, a beauty." Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ Elie p. 327.
- ^ Hasse, John E. (April 1, 2014). "Rare Footage of Duke Ellington Highlights When Jazz and Baseball Were in Perfect Harmony". Smithsonian.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 4.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ "Louis the First", Time, February 21, 1949, retrieved February 5, 2021
- ProQuest 304443911.
- ^ Lynn Rene Bayley, "More Jazz: 'Louis Armstrong – The Early Years". Fanfare – The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors. 09 2008: 408–410. ProQuest. Web. 14 July 2016.
- ISBN 1888054816pp. 66–68.
- ^ "NPR's Jazz Profiles from NPR: Louis Armstrong: The Singer". NPR. National Public Radio. August 22, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong's Secret Lessons From Judaism". The Forward. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0767901567.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong". Billboard.
- ^ Louis Armstrong: "Grassa e bella" Louis Armstrong Discography Archived January 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "High Society (1956) – High Society Calpyso". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Riccardi, Ricky (May 11, 2020). "'I'm Still Louis Armstrong – Colored': Louis Armstrong and the Civil Rights Era". Louis Armstrong House Museum. Louis Armstrong House. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ISBN 0275931382.
- ^ "Stardust Memories". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. January 1, 1980. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ISBN 037542072X
- ^ Krebs, Albin. "Louis Armstrong, Jazz Trumpeter and Singer, Dies", The New York Times, July 7, 1971. Accessed October 1, 2009. "Louis Armstrong, the celebrated jazz trumpeter and singer, died in his sleep yesterday morning at his home in the Corona section of Queens."
- ISBN 978-0330286077.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong Dies: 1971 Year in Review". Upi.com. December 28, 1971. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Grammy.com. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame Database". Grammy.com. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "The Recording Academy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Experience The Music: One Hit Wonders and The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rockhall.com. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame". Walkoffame.com. February 8, 1960. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Stars Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "A Long Way From Tacoma". movies2.nytimes.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ISBN 978-3825837488.
- ^ See Ken Burns' Jazz CD Set liner notes.
- ^ "At Home with Harold Bloom: (3) The Jazz Bridge". Radioopensource.org. December 30, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. January 1, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "IAU Minor Planet Center". minorplanetcenter.net.
- ^ "Library of Congress archive". Library of Congress. February 18, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Ashe & Armstrong Stadiums". Usta.com. May 25, 2008. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ Bergreen (1997), p. 11.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong House Museum and CUNY Celebrate Opening of New Center". The City University of New York. July 7, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ "A Wonderful World". Miami New Drama. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (March 5, 2020). "Louis Armstrong Musical A Wonderful World Kicks Off World Premiere in Miami". Playbill.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive Photos/Video: Final Preview of A WONDERFUL WORLD; Opening Night Cancelled at the Colony Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. March 14, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 12, 2023). "Cast Complete for A Wonderful World Musical Starring James Monroe Iglehart; Vanessa Williams Joins Producing Team". Playbill.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
Works cited
External videos | |
---|---|
Presentation by Teachout on Pops, January 7, 2010, C-SPAN | |
Q&A interview with Teachout on Pops, January 31, 2010, C-SPAN |
- Armstrong, Louis (1954). Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans. ISBN 0306802767
- ISBN 0553067680
- Cogswell, Michael (2003). Armstrong: The Offstage Story. ISBN 1888054816
- Elie, Lolis Eric. A Letter from New Orleans. Originally printed in Gourmet. Reprinted in Best Food Writing 2006, ed. by Holly Hughes, Da Capo Press, 2006. ISBN 1569242879
- ISBN 978-0151010899
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0306803246
- Storb, Ilse (1999). Louis Armstrong: The Definitive Biography. ISBN 0820431036
- Willems, Jos. All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong. Scarecrow Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0810857308
External links
- Louis Armstrong at IMDb
- Louis Armstrong collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Louis Armstrong House Museum