Louis armstrong biography timeline book

Louis Armstrong is widely known as the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century. He was a phenomenally gifted and imaginative artist, and an entertainer so irresistibly magnetic that he knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts four decades after he cut his first record. Offstage he was witty, introspective, and unexpectedly complex, a beloved colleague with an explosive temper whose larger-than-life personality was tougher and more sharp-edged than his worshiping fans ever knew.

Wall Street Journal critic Terry Teachout has drawn on a cache of important new sources unavailable to previous biographers, including hundreds of candid after-hours recordings made by Armstrong himself, to craft a sweeping new narrative biography. Born in to the sixteen-year-old daughter of a slave, he came of age among the prostitutes, pimps, and rag-and-bone merchants of New Orleans.

He married four times and enjoyed countless romantic involvements in and around his marriages. Armstrong begins recording with his own band. Between and , Armstrong makes a series of recordings with his Hot Five ensemble, which expands into the Hot Seven. He introduces the concept of the virtuoso trumpet soloist, which ends the jazz convention of subordinating individual talent to the whole ensemble.

Armstrong records "HeebieJeebies. His later recordings introduce the public to the idea that jazz can be artistic as well as entertaining. Armstrong makes his first Broadway appearance. His performance of "Ain'tMisbehavin'" introduces the concept of using a popular song for jazz interpretation, and becomes wildly popular. Armstrong's career comes to a halt.

While touring Europe, Armstrong gets into a fight with his manager, Johnny Collins, whose erratic behavior and ties with the mob have created legal troubles. Collins leaves him in Europe, and Armstrong decides to take an extended rest in Europe for legal and health reasons. Joe Glaser becomes Armstrong's manager. When Armstrong returns to the United States, Joe Glaser becomes his manager for the rest of his career.

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Internet Arcade Console Living Room. Open Library American Libraries. Cyr noted: "One felt so relaxed working with him, and he was very broad-minded Young trumpet players across the country bought these recordings and memorized his solos. Armstrong was now free to develop his style as he wished, which included a heavy dose of effervescent jive, such as "Whip That Thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr.

They furnished music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical music, such as " Madame Butterfly ", which gave Armstrong experience with longer forms of music and with hosting before a large audience. He began scat singing improvised vocal jazz using nonsensical words and was among the first to record it on the Hot Five recording " Heebie Jeebies " in The recording was so popular that the group became the most famous jazz band in the United States, even though they had seldom performed live.

Young musicians across the country, black or white, were turned on by Armstrong's new type of jazz. Hines and Armstrong became fast friends and successful collaborators. During Hall's tenure at the venue, she experimented, developed, and expanded her scat singing with Armstrong's guidance and encouragement. In the first half of , 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 the trombone. Later that year, Armstrong organized a series of new Hot Five sessions, which resulted in nine more records. Armstrong made a huge impact during the s Harlem Renaissance. Hughes admired Armstrong and acknowledged him as one of the most recognized musicians of the era. Just like the musicians, Hughes wrote his words with jazz.

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. Armstrong returned to New York in , where he played in the pit orchestra for the musical Hot Chocolates , an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and pianist Fats Waller.

Armstrong made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of " Ain't Misbehavin'. Armstrong started to work at Connie's Inn in Harlem, chief rival to the Cotton Club , a venue for elaborately staged floor shows, [ 63 ] and a front for gangster Dutch Schultz. Armstrong had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael.

His s recordings took full advantage of the RCA ribbon microphone , introduced in , which imparted warmth to vocals and became an intrinsic part of the " crooning " sound of artists like Bing Crosby. Armstrong's interpretation of Carmichael's " Stardust " became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong's unique vocal sound and style and his innovative approach to singing songs that were already standards.

Armstrong's radical re-working of Sidney Arodin and Carmichael's " Lazy River ", recorded in , encapsulated his groundbreaking approach to melody and phrasing. The song begins with a brief trumpet solo. Then, the main melody is introduced by sobbing horns, memorably punctuated by Armstrong's growling interjections at the end of each bar: "Yeah!

In the second stanza, he breaks into an almost entirely improvised melody, which then evolves into a classic passage of Armstrong's scat singing. 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.

Armstrong's 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" greatly influenced younger white singers such as Bing Crosby. The Great Depression of the early s was especially hard on the jazz scene. After a long downward spiral, the Cotton Club closed in , 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. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in to seek new opportunities. The band drew the Hollywood crowd, which could still afford a lavish nightlife, while radio broadcasts from the club connected with younger audiences at home.

Bing Crosby and many other celebrities were regulars at the club. In , Armstrong appeared in his first movie, Ex-Flame.

Louis armstrong biography timeline book

He was also convicted of marijuana possession but received a suspended sentence. Armstrong returned to Chicago in late 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 called Armstrong's Secret Nine and had a cigar named after him.

After a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, he fled to Europe. After returning to the United States, Armstrong 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. Armstrong hired Joe Glaser as his new manager, a tough mob-connected wheeler-dealer who began straightening out his legal mess, mob troubles, and debts.

Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. As a result, Armstrong branched out, developing his vocal style and making his first theatrical appearances. Armstrong appeared in movies again, including Crosby's hit Pennies from Heaven. After spending many years on the road, Armstrong settled permanently in Queens, New York, in 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, Armstrong continued to develop his playing. Bookings for big bands tapered off during the s due to changes in public tastes. Ballrooms closed, and competition from other types of music, especially pop vocals, became more popular than big band music.

Under such circumstances, it became impossible to finance a piece touring band. A widespread revival of interest in the s in the traditional jazz of the s made it possible for Armstrong to consider a return to the small-group musical style of his youth. Armstrong's manager, Joe Glaser, changed the Armstrong big band on August 13, , 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. Armstrong was present and loved the song. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success, and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers. Armstrong was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time magazine on February 21, Over 30 years, Armstrong played more than performances a year, making many recordings and appearing in more than 30 films.

By the s, 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.

Guys who invent terms like that are walking the streets with their instruments under their arms. After finishing his contract with Decca Records , Armstrong went freelance and recorded for other labels. In , after more than two years without setting foot in a studio, Armstrong recorded his biggest-selling record, " Hello, Dolly! Armstrong's version remained on the Hot for 22 weeks, longer than any other record produced that year, and went to No.

Armstrong's hit dislodged The Beatles from the No. Armstrong toured well into his 60s, even visiting part of the Communist Bloc in His travels included performances in Egypt , Ghana and Nigeria. By , Armstrong was approaching 70, and his health was failing. His heart and kidney ailments forced him to stop touring, though he continued to record, including " What a Wonderful World ", which topped the British charts for a month.

Armstrong did not perform publicly in and spent most of the year recuperating at home. Meanwhile, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, died. By the summer of , Armstrong's doctors pronounced him fit enough to resume live performances. Armstrong embarked on another world tour, but a heart attack forced him to take a break for two months. Armstrong made his last recorded trumpet performances on his album Disney Songs the Satchmo Way.

Judging from home recorded tapes now in our Museum Collections, Louis pronounced his own name as "Lewis. Musicians and close friends usually called him "Pops". In a memoir written for Robert Goffin between and , Armstrong stated, "All white folks call me Louie", suggesting that he himself did not, or that no whites addressed him by one of his nicknames such as Pops.

On various live records, he is called "Louie" on stage, such as on the "Can Anyone Explain? The same applies to his studio recording of the song "Chloe", where the choir in the background sings "Louie Louie", with Armstrong responding, "What was that? Somebody called my name? 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.

Armstrong 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, Armstrong found out she had a common-law husband. Not long after that, Parker traveled to Armstrong's home on Perdido Street [ 86 ] and they checked into Kid Green's hotel that evening. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled as a result of a head injury at an early age.

Armstrong spent the rest of his life taking care of him. She had divorced her first husband a few years earlier. Armstrong's second wife helped him develop his career, but they separated in and divorced in Armstrong then married Alpha Smith. They remained married until his death in Armstrong's marriages produced no offspring. Armstrong was colorful and charismatic.

His autobiography vexed some biographers and historians because Armstrong had a habit of telling tales, particularly about his early childhood when he was less scrutinized, and his embellishments lack consistency. 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 most significant African American performers, and Armstrong was able to live a private life of access and privilege afforded to few other African Americans during that era.

Armstrong generally remained politically neutral, which sometimes alienated him from black community members who expected him to use his prominence within white America to become more outspoken during the civil rights movement. However, Armstrong criticized President Eisenhower for not acting forcefully on civil rights. The trumpet is notoriously hard on the lips , and Armstrong suffered from lip damage over most of his life.

This was due to Armstrong's aggressive playing style and preference for narrow mouthpieces that would stay in place more easily but tended to dig into the soft flesh of his inner lip. During his s European tour, Armstrong suffered an ulceration so severe that he had to stop playing entirely for a year. Eventually, Armstrong took to using salves and creams on his lips and also cutting off scar tissue with a razor blade.

During a backstage meeting with trombonist Marshall Brown in , Armstrong was advised to see a doctor and receive proper treatment for his lips instead of relying on home remedies. However, Armstrong did not get around to that until his final years, by which point his health was failing, and the doctors considered surgery too risky. In , Armstrong was hospitalized for pneumonia while on tour in Italy.

Doctors were concerned about his lungs and heart, but by the end of June, Armstrong rallied on. The nicknames "Satchmo" and "Satch" are short for "Satchelmouth". The nickname origin is uncertain. He scooped the coins off the street and stuck them into his mouth to prevent bigger children from stealing them. Someone dubbed Armstrong "satchel mouth" for his mouth acting as a satchel.

Another tale is that because of his large mouth, Armstrong was nicknamed "satchel mouth", which was shortened to "Satchmo. Early on, Armstrong was also known as "Dipper", short for "Dippermouth", a reference to the piece Dippermouth Blues [ ] 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 biography of Armstrong by Terry Teachout. After a competition at the Savoy, he was crowned and nicknamed "King Menelik", after the Emperor of Ethiopia, for slaying " ofay jazz demons. Armstrong celebrated his heritage as an African American man from a poor New Orleans neighborhood and tried to avoid what he called "putting on airs.

In , journalism student Larry Lubenow scored a candid interview with Armstrong while the musician was performing in Grand Forks, North Dakota, shortly after the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Eisenhower , saying the President had "no guts" and was "two-faced. When asked about his religion, Armstrong answered that he was raised a Baptist , always wore a Star of David , and was friends with the pope.

Armstrong was concerned with his health. Armstrong used laxatives to control his weight, a practice he advocated both to acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title Lose Weight the Satchmo Way. The cards bore a picture of Armstrong sitting on a toilet—as viewed through a keyhole—with the slogan "Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!

Armstrong was a heavy marijuana smoker for much of his life and spent nine days in jail in after being arrested outside a club for drug possession. Armstrong described marijuana as "a thousand times better than whiskey. Armstrong's concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected in such songs as "Cheesecake", "Cornet Chop Suey", [ ] and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue", though the latter was written about a fine-looking companion, and not food.

Armstrong's gregariousness extended to writing. On the road, he wrote constantly, sharing favorite themes of his life with correspondents around the world. Armstrong avidly typed or wrote on whatever stationery was at hand, recording instant takes on music, sex, food, childhood memories, his heavy "medicinal" marijuana use, and even his bowel movements, which Armstrong gleefully described.