The Life and Legacy of Louis Armstrong

What a wonderful world it is for Louis Armstrong; unarguably one of the most influential jazz players of all time, who is responsible for largely shaping jazz in the 1920s to the 1960s. As a great trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star, and comedian, Armstrong accomplished great things in his lifetime. He was one of the first African-American entertainers to become highly popular among both the black and white people of society. His importance was not only as a musician though, but as a human being.

Growing up in poverty and facing racial discrimination, Armstrong was seen as a juvenile delinquent. With his father as a factory worker and his mother turning to prostitution, Armstrong was forced to leave school in the fifth grade and begin working. On New Year’s Eve, he fired his father’s shotgun in the air and got arrested on the spot, but that encounter did not stop him from finding his love and passion for music. At thirteen, he was sent to Colored Waif’s Home for Boys, and under the instruction of Peter Davis, he learned how to properly play the cornet, eventually becoming the leader of the Waif’s Home Brass Band. Once he was released, he began earning the reputation as a fine blues player. But Armstrong was not done from there; he was set on becoming a professional musician. He sought out Joe “King” Oliver, the city’s top cornetist, as his mentor, and soon gained popularity in his town. He was able to stop working manual labor jobs and begin concentrating full time on his cornet. He began playing at parties, dances, and bars. When the two joined forces, Armstrong dated the pianist, Lillian Harden, who urged Armstrong to make it out on his own. From there, he moved to New York City and played with Fletcher Henderson’s band, introducing the concept of swing. He transformed this band to what is generally regarded as the first big jazz band. When Armstrong’s southern background did not mesh with Henderson’s urban background, Armstrong returned back to Chicago.

For what’s to come for Armstrong are influential jazz records made by the Armstrong Hot Five, and later his Hot Seven. His improvised solos transformed jazz from an ensemble-based music into a soloist’s art, while his vocals also incorporated scat singing with an underlying swing feel. Numbers like “Cornet Chop Suey” and “Potato Head Blues” changed jazz history by featuring different rhythmic choices, swinging paraphrasing, and high notes. By the time New Orleans style music came out, Louis Armstrong’s creativity created a new type of jazz. At this point, he had begun playing the trumpet, in which his skill was far superior to others. He quotes, “My life, my whole soul, my whole spirit, is to blow that horn.” In the period of his greatest popularity, Armstrong performed in a Dixieland band, in which Louis Armstrong and his All Stars toured nonstop. Eventually, he was dubbed “Ambassador Satch.”

Not only had Armstrong been a great jazz musician, but he had been a great Civil Rights pioneer for his race, going against the norm and breaking barriers as a young man. He took his role seriously and kept a close eye on the achievements of other African-Americans. In 1957, he spoke out against the school segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, in which he sent a telegram to President Dwight Eisenhower urging him, “to take those little Negro children personally into Central High School along with your marvelous troops.” He also told the press, Eisenhower had “no guts” for letting Faubus run the country and how poor his treatment was towards the south. Armstrong considered this to be a proud moment in his career and was happy to speak out about the situation. He did not let the critics define him.

Many years of constant touring eventually wore down Armstrong, who had heart attacks and kidney trouble. Doctors advised him not to play, but he continued to practice daily, until he passed away in his sleep. During Louis Armstrong’s lifetime, he set out a lot of firsts. He became the first African-American jazz musician to write an autobiography, Swing that Music. During the Swing Era, he became the first African-American to get featured in a major Hollywood movie, Pennies from Heaven, as well as become the first African-American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show. As one of the most important jazz musicians of the twentieth century, Louis Armstrong’s music will continue to be recognized in today’s world and for decades to come.

Works Cited

• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. 'Louis Armstrong.' Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Feb. 2019. Web. 17 Feb. 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Armstrong
• Editors, Biography.com. 'Louis Armstrong.' Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 27 Jan. 2019. Web. 17 Feb. 2019. https://www.biography.com/people/louis-armstrong-9188912
• 'Louis Armstrong Biography.' Louis Armstrong Home Museum. Louis Armstrong Home Museum, 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2019. https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org
• Russonello, Giovanni, and Nathan Bajar. 'Louis Armstrong's Life in Letters, Music and Art.' The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2018. Web. 17 Feb. 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/arts/music/louis-armstrong-archive.html