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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 201-225 of 780 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
OKeh W80838 10-in. 5/6/1927 Have you ever been down? Sippie Wallace Female vocal solo, with clarinet, cornet, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80839 10-in. 5/6/1927 Lazy man blues Sippie Wallace Female vocal solo, with clarinet, cornet, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80840 10-in. 5/6/1927 The flood blues Sippie Wallace Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80847 10-in. 5/7/1927 Willie the weeper Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80848 10-in. 5/7/1927 Wild man blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, composer, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80851 10-in. 5/9/1927 Chicago breakdown Louis Armstrong ; Earl Hines ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80854 10-in. 5/10/1927 Alligator crawl Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80855 10-in. 5/10/1927 Potato head blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, composer, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80862 10-in. 5/11/1927 Melancholy blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80863 10-in. 5/11/1927 Weary blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80864 10-in. 5/11/1927 Twelfth Street rag Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80876 10-in. 5/13/1927 Keyhole blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo (scat) vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80877 10-in. 5/14/1927 Gully low blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, lyricist, composer, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W80884 10-in. 5/14/1927 That's when I'll come back to you Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with female-male vocal duet leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W81126 10-in. 5/13/1927 S. O. L. blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, trumpet, cornet  
OKeh W81302 10-in. 9/2/1927 Put 'em down blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo leader, composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, cornet, vocalist  
OKeh W81310 10-in. 9/2/1927 Ory's Creole trombone Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W81317 10-in. 9/6/1927 The last time Louis Armstrong ; Hot Seven Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82037 10-in. 12/9/1927 Struttin' with some barbecue Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance ensemble leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82038 10-in. 12/9/1927 Got no blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance quintet leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82039 10-in. 12/10/1927 Once in awhile Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance quintet leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82040 10-in. 12/10/1927 I'm not rough Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance quintet, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82055 10-in. 12/13/1927 Hotter than that Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance sextet, with male vocal solo vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W82056 10-in. 12/13/1927 Savoy blues Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five Jazz/dance sextet leader, instrumentalist, cornet  
OKeh W152087 10-in. 1/25/1932 Kickin' the gong around Louis Armstrong Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, trumpet  
(Results 201-225 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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