Armstrong, Louis Daniel
1901-1971 · Contribution: 1925-1968
Transformed jazz from collective ensemble playing into a soloist's art form through his revolutionary 1920s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings, establishing the trumpet as jazz's premier solo instrument and pioneering scat singing, while later becoming, as “Satchmo,” one of the most beloved entertainers in American history
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Impact on the world
Raised in poverty in New Orleans and mentored by cornetist Joe “King” Oliver, Armstrong moved to Chicago in 1922 and by 1925 was leading his own Hot Five recording group, whose sides including “Cornet Chop Suey,” “Struttin' with Some Barbecue,” and “Potato Head Blues” shifted jazz's emphasis from group improvisation toward virtuoso individual solos; his 1928 recording of “West End Blues” with pianist Earl Hines, opening with an unaccompanied trumpet cadenza still studied by musicians today, is widely considered one of the most important recordings in jazz history and proved the genre capable of the same artistic ambition as classical music. Armstrong is also credited with popularizing scat singing, improvised wordless vocal syllables, after reportedly dropping his lyric sheet during a 1926 recording session, and his rough, joyful vocal style influenced generations of singers from Bing Crosby to Ella Fitzgerald. He became the first Black American to receive top billing in a Hollywood film with 1936's Pennies from Heaven, and his later pop recordings, including “Hello, Dolly!” (which knocked the Beatles from the top of the charts in 1964) and “What a Wonderful World,” made him a global goodwill ambassador; he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in 1965 and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Life & background
Born August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong learned music at the Colored Waif's Home for Boys before joining King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in Chicago in 1922 and launching his own recording career in 1925. He remained a major touring and recording artist for nearly five decades, appearing in more than a dozen films, and died in New York City on July 6, 1971, at age 69.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica; Biography.com; NPR
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