Success is a path way, full of mysterious wonders. Many strive to accomplish, while others wait for success to find them. Louis Armstrong’s life was similar to this. Armstrong strived and strived until he reached to a point in his life where he was comfortable with his fourth wife, Lucille Wilson. Armstrong is ultimately known as the creator of jazz and blues. He was awarded this title by using his talents when he was a young boy growing up in a rough neighborhood. Armstrong’s talent was a result of his childhood and young adult life. Growing up, Armstrong was exposed to music in his surroundings. Armstrong obtained this fantastic talent, therefore causing him to establish it in a well minded surrounding; creating his success and fame.
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Burns). Armstrong grew up in Storyville district, a rough neighborhood also referred to as “Battlefield.” Battlefield had a reputation for prostitution and drugs. Armstrong’s mother was a single divorced mother, supporting two children. This resulted in Armstrong’s urge to assist his mother in their time of need. Thus, causing him to abandon his fifth grade education to sing on street corners for pennies, sell newspapers to locals, and deliver coal to customers (“Louis Armstrong”). “The initial success was followed by others. In darkness or moonlight the boys set forth and sing for pennies…” (Eaton 35). Armstrong grew up under the impression of “Colored people…could afford nothing but the cheapest lodgings… No projects existed to provide decent housing for family or play grounds… Louis and his friends had to play in cluttered backyards or foul streets… with no realization of injustice; they had jolly times at their games” (15). De...
... middle of paper ...
...ive on. Ultimately we as a society can testify that Louis Armstrong was not only known for being the creator of jazz but being the individual that installed rhythm into our everyday lives.
Louis Armstrong is diversely known as the father of jazz. Growing up he used his talents to help support his family, but he also worked manual labor for companies. Armstrong earned money by singing on street corners, selling coal, and selling newspapers to the locals of the neighborhood. Throughout his time, Armstrong was surrounded by rhythms that could sway a person away and beats that will make a person’s heart pump right out of your chest. Armstrong’s knowledge established him in a working career in the music industry until his death on July 6, 1971. All in all, we can make the conclusion that Armstrong’s talent pulled him out of a dream and into his own magnificent reality.
Bix Beiderbeck and Louis Armstrong, both legendary jazz musicians and trumpet players, had quite a different career and life. They received different levels of recognition at the time. This is not because of their style, as they both are legendary complex stylists who are great at messing with the beat, but rather the changes they bring to the world of jazz. Bix Beiderbecke defined and performed great jazz music while Louis Armstrong revolutionized jazz and innovated numerous performing techniques that led to the jazz we love today.
Armstrong changed much as a person and a musician. He worked very hard to become
His boisterous personality influenced many aspects of American culture, and his contributions and influence on Jazz are immeasurable. Nobody has done more for Jazz than Louis Armstrong, without question he is a Jazz legend (Friedwald). Armstrong excelled at everything he performed. A renaissance man of our time, his appreciation for music and life showed in his performances, and his talent showed his techniques and improvisation. Louis’s technique and improvisation on the trumpet set the standard for Jazz musicians (Friedwald). Fellow trumpeter Dizzie Gillespie credited Armstrong with this honor stating, “If it weren’t for him there wouldn’t be any of us.” This reputation would lend him to be referred to as Jazz royalty. With his trumpet and his scat singing he revolutionized Jazz. Though vocally limited, his understanding of how to use his voice beyond his natural abilities led to his perfection of scat (Edwards). Scatting allowed him to perfect his improvisational skill. Scatting, or scat singing would come to be known as the “House that Satch Built” and Armstrong the “Original Man of Scat.”
Louis Armstrong created a huge cultural shift that swept over America and changed music forever. It allowed for African-Americans to be a part of the music industry, and even contributed to women’s acceptance in music as well. African- Americans are now a vast majority of our musicians and artists, and are just as appreciated and idolized as white musicians. Louis Armstrong’s love for music and jazz still thrives today among his fans and fans of jazz in general. He is well-known and well-respected, and will never be forgotten in the music industry. Louis Armstrong changed music for the better, and will always be the king of jazz.
...elopment of early jazz styles. Improvisation was his thing and he was very good at it. Armstrong also introduced scat singing to the jazz world by accident during a recording.
He was known as the Father of Jazz. He was most notable as an entertainer, however, he was a soloist that provided improvisations in regards to tunes. Louis Armstrong's “What a Wonderful World” is the first song that comes to many minds when discussing jazz. He is also well known for his scat singing, However, he also had a political side. In his song “What Did I Do To Be So Black and Blue,” Armstrong talks about the color of his skin as a bad thing and how blacks were treated. In World War II he fulfilled by performing for the soldiers during a recording
Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong was born to Mary and William Armstrong on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in poverty, and his father left his family while Armstrong was a baby. After his father left, Armstrong and his younger sister Beatrice were passed back and forth between their grandmother and uncle until they moved back in with their mother when Armstrong was five years old. He went to the Fisk School for Boys until he was eleven and experienced a variety of music and dances during his attendance. At eleven years old, Armstrong quit school at the Fisk School for boys. He sang in a quartet of boys who performed for money in the streets. In 1913, he shot his stepfather’s pistol into the air during a New Year’s Eve party, and he was sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs for one year. Armstrong played the cornet in the Home’s band, and they traveled around New Orleans playing at various places. His teacher, Peter Davis, acted as his mentor at this time, and he made Armstrong the leader of the band. It was then that his musical skills began to develop, and he ...
Of course, Armstrong 's achievements in jazz music could not be summarized by the above description. He is the greatest and most important musician in jazz history, and he made an innovation of jazz music. It is no exaggeration to say that, in a sense, Armstrong pioneered jazz
...e once sealed with his music. Armstrong amplitude the reality of world through his trumpet and his singing. Armstrong considered the movement as an individual expression, many showing it by art, literature, and writing. But he considered the best way of getting peoples attention, which was the popular art at that time, jazz.
After studying Louis Armstrong on a deeper level and really examining his life, role, and contributions to the world of jazz, it is amazing to see how profound his impact really was. I truly believe that Wynton Marsalis couldn’t have been more right when he said, “Louis Armstrong is jazz. He represents what the music is all
Armstrong's influence was clear on the next generation of singers. Louis' singing, particularly his phrasing, was imitated by several musicians including Bing Cosby, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra ("Life"), three of music's biggest icons. The impact was perpetuated as generations of musicians were influenced more musicians and so on, until today. This chain is all traced back to Louis, meaning that Louis put music on the path that it is on today. Armstrong, using both his voice and trumpet playing, set the future of music on a very bright and promising path, affecting almost all musicians to
When it comes to jazz music, there is one name that everyone knows, whether they’ve never listened to jazz before or if they’ve listened to it their whole lives. That name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of the pioneers of jazz music, from his humble beginnings in one of New Orleans roughest districts, “the Battlefield”, to playing concerts for sold out crowds in Chicago and New York City, Louis left a massive impact on the way America listened to music for a long time. One of his premier tracks, “West End Blues”, left an impact on jazz music, which other musicians would try to emulate for years.
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
It was said that he thought he was born on July 4, 1900 (Armstrong 7). While Louis was still an infant his father, William Armstrong, abandoned his family. He spent the first years of his life living with his Grandmother since at the time his parents were going through a separation. At age 5, he moved into a home with his mother and sister, Beatrice, whom he called Mama Lucy. He grew up in a rough section of New Orleans. They were incredibly poor and did not have enough money. He would work different jobs just to take care of his family. Louis would work anywhere that he would be able to find work. He would sing on the street, which would result in his nickname, Satchelmouth that would be shorten to Satchmo. His nickname was a result of him having a wide
... Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others, helped to create the jazz that we have until today.