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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 76-100 of 770 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 140188 10-in. 12/17/1924 Screamin' the blues Maggie Jones Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140191 10-in. 12/17/1924 Good time flat blues Maggie Jones Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140226 10-in. 1/7/1925 Nobody knows the way I feel dis mornin' Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140227 10-in. 1/7/1925 Broken busted blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140241 10-in. 1/14/1925 St. Louis blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and organ instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140242 10-in. 1/14/1925 Reckless blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and organ instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140249 10-in. 1/14/1925 Sobbin' hearted blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140250 10-in. 1/14/1925 Cold in hand blues Louis Armstrong ; Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140251 10-in. 1/14/1925 You've been a good ole wagon Louis Armstrong ; Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140266 12-in. 1/17/1925 My John blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia 140267 12-in. 1/17/1925 Shipwrecked blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140491 10-in. 4/2/1925 Shipwrecked blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140492 10-in. 4/2/1925 Court house blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140493 10-in. 4/2/1925 My John blues Clara Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with instrumental trio instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140625 10-in. 5/26/1925 Nashville woman's blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140626 10-in. 5/26/1925 Careless love blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140629 10-in. 5/27/1925 J. C. Holmes blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140630 10-in. 5/27/1925 I ain't gonna play no second fiddle Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, cornet  
Columbia W140639 10-in. 5/29/1925 Sugar foot stomp Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142427 10-in. 7/13/1926 Gate mouth New Orleans Wanderers Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142428 10-in. 7/13/1926 Too tight New Orleans Wanderers Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142429 10-in. 7/13/1926 Papa Dip New Orleans Wanderers Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia W142436 10-in. 7/14/1926 Mixed salad New Orleans Bootblacks Jazz/dance band composer  
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  
(Results 76-100 of 770 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Armstrong, Louis," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101863.

Armstrong, Louis. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101863.

"Armstrong, Louis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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