Louis Armstrong: a Biography
Introduction
Many Americans enjoy sitting back, relaxing, and listening to the jazz and swing rhythms of one of the best musicians of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong is easily recognized by simply listening to his infamous raspy voice and legendary, creative skill on the trumpet. All Armstrong had to do to play beautifully was to play one note. Louis Armstrong had a strong influence in music. His forte in jazz, ragtime, and swing was solo performing and improvisation. First, his dedication to music influenced jazz music and then later all popular music. I chose Louis Armstrong because of his love for music as well as his charismatic attitude towards life. A question I want to investigate more thoroughly is how and why Louis Armstrong impacted jazz and popular music.
Overview and Significance Even though he was commonly believed to be born July 4, 1900, Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901. Armstrong’s father, Willie Armstrong, and mother, Mary Ann Armstrong, separated soon after Louis Armstrong was born (Cogswell, 2003). This caused him to live with his sister, mother and grandmother in the poorest section of New Orleans known as the “Battlefield” (Cogswell). Armstrong, also known as “Satchmo” and “Satch” due to his embouchure, spent most of his time with his friends singing for nickels and pennies and listening to local bands play in bars and brothels (Cogswell). Armstrong expressed his interest and talent when he was young in his personal writings;
“After blowing the tin horn so long I wondered how would I do blowing a real horn, a cornet was what I had in mind. Sure enough, I saw a little cornet in a pawn shop window ... I saved 50 cents a week and bought the horn. All dirty but was soon pretty to me. After blowing into it a while I realized that I could play “Home Sweet Home” then here come the Blues. From then on, I was a mess and Tootin away” (Armstrong, 1999, p. 1).
To attract customers for his Jewish employer, young
Many Americans enjoy sitting back, relaxing, and listening to the jazz and swing rhythms of one of the best musicians of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong is easily recognized by simply listening to his infamous raspy voice and legendary, creative skill on the trumpet. All Armstrong had to do to play beautifully was to play one note. Louis Armstrong had a strong influence in music. His forte in jazz, ragtime, and swing was solo performing and improvisation. First, his dedication to music influenced jazz music and then later all popular music. I chose Louis Armstrong because of his love for music as well as his charismatic attitude towards life. A question I want to investigate more thoroughly is how and why Louis Armstrong impacted jazz and popular music.
Overview and Significance Even though he was commonly believed to be born July 4, 1900, Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901. Armstrong’s father, Willie Armstrong, and mother, Mary Ann Armstrong, separated soon after Louis Armstrong was born (Cogswell, 2003). This caused him to live with his sister, mother and grandmother in the poorest section of New Orleans known as the “Battlefield” (Cogswell). Armstrong, also known as “Satchmo” and “Satch” due to his embouchure, spent most of his time with his friends singing for nickels and pennies and listening to local bands play in bars and brothels (Cogswell). Armstrong expressed his interest and talent when he was young in his personal writings;
“After blowing the tin horn so long I wondered how would I do blowing a real horn, a cornet was what I had in mind. Sure enough, I saw a little cornet in a pawn shop window ... I saved 50 cents a week and bought the horn. All dirty but was soon pretty to me. After blowing into it a while I realized that I could play “Home Sweet Home” then here come the Blues. From then on, I was a mess and Tootin away” (Armstrong, 1999, p. 1).
To attract customers for his Jewish employer, young