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Louis Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. He received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, and induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, he followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz Band. He earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached band leader Fletcher Henderson. He moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950s, he was a national musical icon, assisted in part, by his appearances on radio and in film and television, in addition to his concerts.

His best known songs include "What a Wonderful World", "La Vie en Rose", "Hello, Dolly!", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "When You're Smiling" and "When the Saints Go Marching In". He collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald producing three records together Ella and Louis (1956), Ella and Louis Again (1957), and Porgy and Bess (1959). He also appeared in films such as A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932), Cabin in the Sky (1943), High Society (1956), Paris Blues (1961), A Man Called Adam (1966), and Hello, Dolly! (1969).

With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song. He was also skilled at scat singing. By the end of Armstrong's life, his influence had spread to popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first popular African-American entertainers to "cross over" to wide popularity with white (and international) audiences. He rarely publicly discussed racial issues, to the dismay of fellow African Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation in the Little Rock crisis. He was able to access the upper echelons of American society at a time when this was difficult for black men.

Birth and Death Data: Born August 4, 1901 (New Orleans), Died July 6, 1971 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1969

Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet, vocalist, leader, cornet, composer, songwriter, speaker, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 101-125 of 780 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia W142437 10-in. 7/14/1926 I can't say New Orleans Bootblacks Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142438 10-in. 7/14/1926 Flat foot New Orleans Bootblacks Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142439 10-in. 7/14/1926 Mad dog New Orleans Bootblacks Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W146194 10-in. 4/25/1928 Dipper mouth blues Johnnie Miller's New Orleans Frolickers Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W151442 10-in. 3/19/1931 Sugar foot stomp Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W151885 10-in. 11/4/1931 Star dust Louis Armstrong Orchestra Dubbed recording : Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, vocalist  
Columbia W152057 10-in. 11/5/1931 You can depend on me Louis Armstrong Orchestra Dubbed recording : Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader  
Columbia W152058 10-in. 11/6/1931 I got rhythm Louis Armstrong Orchestra Dubbed recording : Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader  
Columbia W152086 10-in. 1/25/1932 Between the devil and the deep blue sea Louis Armstrong Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia W152092 10-in. 1/27/1932 All of me Louis Armstrong Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia W152093 10-in. 1/27/1932 Home Louis Armstrong Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet  
OKeh 8392 10-in. 6/22/1923 Sweet lovin' man King Oliver’s Jazz Band Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 8401 10-in. 6/23/1923 Where did you stay last night? King Oliver’s Jazz Band Jazz/dance band composer  
OKeh 8402 10-in. 6/23/1923 Dipper mouth blues King Oliver’s Jazz Band Jazz/dance band composer  
OKeh 8476 10-in. October 1923 Tears King Oliver’s Jazz Band Jazz/dance band composer  
OKeh 9456 10-in. 11/9/1925 Low land blues Louis Armstrong ; Bertha Chippie Hill ; Richard M. Jones Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9457 10-in. 11/9/1925 Kid man blues Louis Armstrong ; Bertha Chippie Hill ; Richard M. Jones Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9458 10-in. 11/9/1925 Lazy woman's blues Blanche Calloway Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9459 10-in. 11/9/1925 Lonesome lovesick Louis Armstrong ; Blanche Calloway ; Richard M. Jones Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9471 10-in. 11/11/1925 Gambler's dream Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9472 10-in. 11/11/1925 Sunshine baby Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9473 10-in. 11/11/1925 Adam and Eve had the blues Louis Armstrong's Jazz Four ; Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9474 10-in. 11/11/1925 Put it where I can get it Louis Armstrong's Jazz Four ; Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9475 10-in. 11/11/1925 Wash woman blues Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh 9476 10-in. 11/11/1925 I've stopped my man Hociel Thomas Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
(Results 101-125 of 780 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Armstrong, Louis," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101863.

Armstrong, Louis. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101863.

"Armstrong, Louis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101863

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