Louis Armstrong short biography. Louis Daniel Armstrong: short biography Louis armstrong biography

13.06.2019

Louis Armstrong is a man made of contradictions. A lifelong lover of music, created to conquer heights, he was often forced to be content with second roles. One can argue and say that he himself, single-handedly, created his image of the great “King of Jazz”, that all his glory is the result of long and hard work. Of course, this is true, but only partly. The racial prejudices that reigned at that time simply would not have allowed Armstrong to ascend to the top of Olympus alone. He did a lot by stepping on the throat of his song, guided by the role imposed on him by numerous impresarios. But they were white, and he was not, so Armstrong had to do the incredible - to be a stage star, a top-class artist, included in elite houses - and at the same time create not only to please the public, but also for future generations, creating brilliant compositions , undying for decades.

Brief biography

Little Louis was born in the Battlefield area of New Orleans. Constant clashes between bandits and shootouts were an integral feature of local life, which, of course, left its mark on the little boy. The poorest area of Louisiana was simply a collection of bars, saloons, criminals and women inhabiting it easy virtue. Stabbing and shooting were so common that they were perceived as something natural. There is still controversy regarding the date of his birth. The generally accepted date is 1900, July 4th. But there is another date - 1901, August 4. And the musician himself always said that he saw the world already in 1890. These discrepancies perfectly illustrate the plight of Armstrong's family, who did not even bother to register his birth.

His mother Mary Elbert was only 16 years old when she gave birth to Louis. In infancy, the parents separated, and the boy was left in the care of Josephine, the boy's grandmother. True, after 5 years his mother took him in again; by that time Louis had already started going to school.

He was able to get a job in a quartet of boy vocalists who performed for alms. At the same time, Louis meets the Karnovsky family - Latvian-Jewish immigrants. He began working for them, delivering coal, and gradually became a very close member of the family.

A key event for the boy happened in 1913, when all of New Orleans was immersed in the New Year holiday. Having stolen a pistol from another of his mother’s friends, Louis fired just one shot. A police officer suddenly appeared nearby and took the teenager into custody. For such a relatively innocent offense, Armstrong was given a severe punishment - serving a prison term in the colony of Captain Joseph Jones. However, for the boy this was happiness - in the settlement he was dressed and well fed. So we can only thank the unknown judge who sent Armstrong away from home and gave him a chance at a new life.

In the correctional institution there was a small vocal group and orchestra conducted by Peter Davies. Davis agreed to take the boy into the orchestra and first put him on a tambourine, a simple musical instrument. Quite quickly, the boy was entrusted with an altohorn - a low-sounding wind instrument that plays harmonic parts. Since Armstrong had already learned to perform various voices by ear while singing in the choir, he had no problems with the new instrument. The boy's talent was obvious, and Davis first began to teach the boy to play the bugle, and then the cornet. As a result, Armstrong becomes the best musician in the orchestra.

The musician was taken from the colony by his father, but at the first opportunity Armstrong escaped and returned back to his mother. Karnovsky's help came at a very opportune time - they gave him a new cornet, on which he could start making money. From that moment on, Armstrong's creative and concert activities began.

In 1918, Louis got a job on a river boat in an orchestra entertaining the public. Mellophonist David Jones taught Armstrong how to read music on one of his cruises. In 1922 he moved to Chicago, where at that time he had practically no equal. Being out of competition, he soon becomes a star, making each of his performances a bright and spectacular show.

In 1925, he performed at the Dreamland Cafe, got a job in Fletcher Henderson's orchestra and worked part-time in Erskine Tate's orchestra. In 1929 he moved to New York, where he devoted himself entirely to music. Being very famous by this time, he did not lack money, giving an incredible number of concerts.

Until 1946, Armstrong lived an active concert life, acted in films and recorded his own records. In 1947, the All Stars ensemble, created on Glaser’s initiative, appeared, including the most eminent masters of jazz. Armstrong and his ensemble give countless concerts and continue to act in films. Since 1950, he begins to perform more as a vocalist. His deep hoarse voice and snow-white smile were his business card, his pass to any place where he wanted to perform. He lived for music, for playing the trumpet, and he didn’t need anything else. July 6, 1970 greatest jazzman in the entire history of mankind has passed away.

Interesting facts

He was first arrested at the age of 11.
The conditions in the ghetto where little Louis lived were incredibly terrible. The boy had to do terrible things to survive: look for food in garbage cans, beg and commit petty thefts.
Due to a constant lack of money, Armstrong had to quit school. During his life he never received a real education.

At the age of 14, Armstrong was already playing in an orchestra, without knowing how to read music and relying only on hearing.
From the beginning of his concert activities until his death, Armstrong practically did not interrupt his performances.
When his mother, Elbert, died in 1942, it was the only time in his entire life, according to his recollections, that he cried.
In 1918, cornetist Joe Oliver left his place in Kid Ory's orchestra, and the 18-year-old jazzman was hired to take his place. Oliver taught him the basic rules of breathing, staging, and taught him a little musical notation.
Upon learning of his father’s death, he refused to go to his funeral, saying: “The man who left me and my mother to starve is nothing to me.”
The jazzman’s opinion regarding Buddy Bolden, the “king of the cornet” of New Orleans, one of the founders of “classical” black jazz, is interesting. Bolden received the nickname “The King” for his services and had a significant influence on subsequent generations of jazzmen, including Armstrong, who listened to him live with early childhood. He said: “I wouldn’t have enough lungs to blow through his cornet. Although everyone considered him great, he blew too much into it, and most likely in the wrong way. Remember he went off the rails at the end, don't lose sight of that."
In 1926 there was a complete abandonment of the cornet and a transition to pipe . Apparently, this was influenced by the design of the tools. After all, on a cornet with a wide bell, the sound was too soft, and Armstrong’s playing style required a sharper sound. In addition, the cornet stood out too much from the general sound of orchestras of that time.

Armstrong has over 60 hits that have become immortal jazz classics. He recorded them with his Hot Five ensemble in just 3 years.
Armstrong always kept the Star of David with him, as a memory of the Jewish Karnovsky family, which became practically his own.
He was the first jazz musician of color to write an autobiography.
Having avoided politics all his life, he once broke this rule. During the Little Rock school crisis, nine African Americans were banned from attending classes. This situation infuriated him so much that he said: “The way the government treats my countrymen, they should go to hell.” He was sharply criticized for this phrase, but never changed his mind. This statement regarding President Eisenhower is considered the most courageous act of the musician’s entire life.
He was disliked by many of his young compatriots, who believed that he should use his position to improve the lives of people of color. However, Armstrong never did this.
At one time, Armstrong experimented with playing the trombone, but it was nothing more than a hobby.
Armstrong was barren, but he loved children very much.

He was a sponsor for the amateur baseball team Armstrong's Secret Nine.
At one time, at the peak of its popularity, cigars were produced under the name “Louis Armstrong”.
He frequently used recreational drugs and was once convicted of marijuana possession.
Louis adopted the child of his cousin, who died shortly after giving birth - the boy Clarence. Unfortunately, he suffered a head injury as a child and became developmentally delayed. However, Armstrong cared for him throughout his life.
A reviewer once made a derogatory review of Louis's performance. This so hurt the musician, who by that time had world fame that he simply fell into despair. Despite his popularity, the jazzman was a very impressionable person.
Once in England, speaking to members of the royal family, Armstrong violated unspoken rule, which prohibits contacting royals directly. Looking at George V, the jazzman said: “I’m performing it especially for you, Rex!” - and started playing solo.
He had a watch with an engraving “to the greatest trumpeter in the world”, received from admirers of his talent.
He had a nickname - Satchmo, which he often signed and used in the titles of his songs and albums.

Not every concert was outstanding. Often, especially in recent years life, he played mechanically, only on willpower. However, this does not mean that he played poorly. Even his shortest performance was always on point. He simply did not allow himself anything else.
Towards the end of his life, Armstrong began to have problems with his labial apparatus and fingers. Because of this, he almost completely switched to singing, playing the trumpet only short phrases and rarely using fast tempos in improvisations.
The jazzman's funeral was shown in live throughout the USA. Many newspapers around the world, including Izvestia Soviet Union, reacted to the death of the musician, condoling and mourning the loss. Many spoke at the funeral famous musicians and singers of that time: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and many others.

The best songs that became famous throughout the world

Being a truly inexhaustible source of ideas, Louis Armstrong gave the world a large number of works during his life that have become truly significant and iconic in the world of jazz. His style of playing and performing vocal techniques, his chic “voice with sand” became a kind of canon of the era.

The most famous compositions, recorded by Armstrong, can rightfully be considered “ Hello Dolly!», « Go down Moses" (better known as "Let My people go") and " What a Wonderful World" Today almost everyone knows them, and their sound is associated only with Armstrong’s voice.

Contrary to popular belief, the composition “ Hello Dolly!"was written not by Armstrong, but by Jerry Herman. But its performance by a 63-year-old jazzman was able to accomplish the impossible - the song took first place on the charts, knocking the Beatles themselves off the top! But they confidently held the first three places on the chart for 3 whole months. In 1965, Armstrong received a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for this song.

"Hello, Dolly!" "(listen)

Song " Go down Moses“Thanks to Armstrong, she began a new life. It was he who significantly reworked it in 1958, re-arranged it and gave it a fresh sound. His famous trumpet solo has become canon jazz music, forever securing this composition for Armstrong as a brilliant performer.

"Go down Moses" (listen)

In 1967 they composed the song “ What a Wonderful World" Its authors, Bob Thiel and George Weiss, thought for a long time about which one popular singers it could be offered for performance and in the end they settled on Armstrong. He was just selecting compositions for his new album, and a fresh song came at the right time.

“What a Wonderful World” (listen)

Unfortunately, Armstrong's compatriots did not appreciate the song and its performance. “How can you sing about the beauty of the world and nature, looking at what is happening around you?” - that was their only question. Only a year later, in 1968, the song took first place in the UK charts. Since then, the composition has been covered several times by various performers, but no one has been able to cover Armstrong’s canonical performance. After all, it is his voice that we hear in our heads when we see the title of a song.

Filmography of the musician

Armstrong starred in a huge number films, series and television shows, even more than that of another actor. In many ways, this was done for the sake of popularizing the musician himself, and, naturally, for the sake of money. His impresario, Joe Glaser, created a unique image for Armstrong that had nothing to do with Louis’s inner world, and which he had to adhere to in order to remain at the zenith of fame. Glaser's favorite phrases were: "Smile, damn it, smile!" and “Make a face!”

Thus, Glaser was able to get significantly rich on the name of his ward, but it was not just profit - it was a kind of symbiosis. After all, being “colored,” Armstrong could never have achieved the kind of fame that he received with the help of Glaser. This followed from the realities of the time in which he lived, where whites had an initial advantage over blacks. So, being a realist, Armstrong simply played his role, followed the traditions accepted in his time.

Armstrong acted throughout his life, from 1930 to 1971. His first film was “ Ex-Flame"(Explosive), filmed in 1930. A simple story about a wife blinded by jealousy, as a result of which she lost not only her home, but also her son. In this film, Louis starred as himself, which did not require any special effort from him. The last film he starred in, in 1969, was the musical adventure comedy " Hello Dolly!", lasting 2 hours 26 minutes. In it, Armstrong starred as orchestral conductor. The film won 3 Oscars and received 13 nominations.

In total, Louis starred in 28 films where he played other characters, and in 10 films where he portrayed himself. In addition, for many years he took part in 13 television shows and starred in 10 TV series.

After his death, films continued to be made about him, almost in greater numbers than during his life. 21 new films and 10 TV series were released: documentary, biographical and popular.

Personal life of a jazzman

The relationship with his mother and the musician’s morally free childhood significantly influenced his relationship with the fairer sex. Seeing his mother's wild life every day, he subconsciously came to the conclusion that there was no such thing as serious attachment to the weaker sex, much less love.

During his life, he changed many women, was married as many as 3 times, in addition, he often had affairs on the side while married. He was not shy about flirting with women, and since he was rich, he enjoyed wild success.

In 1918, he met the first woman for whom he felt something resembling love. Her name was Daisy Parker. Sweet and interesting at first glance, inside she was a real devil in a skirt - lack of education, wild jealousy, constant quarrels, screaming and irrepressible pugnacity. The woman's intolerable character caused a divorce, after which Daisy soon died.

The musician was luckier with his second wife. We can say that it was she who chose Armstrong, and not vice versa. Lil Hardin got pretty decent music education, played the piano excellently, dressed tastefully and was quite educated. At first she had a very low opinion of Louis, considering him a provincial, uneducated man, but over time his talent, snow-white smile and charm melted her heart.

Lil began to make a star out of Armstrong. It was her obsessive desire and Armstrong could not resist it. She forced him to go on a diet, thanks to which he lost 20 kilograms, bought new beautiful clothes and instilled a sense of taste. In addition, she taught him social manners and the basics musical culture.

Hardin forced Armstrong to move to New York. There she took it seriously and here the first problems appeared. Louis remained a provincial and simple man at heart. He did not understand why alcohol and weed were so condemned and did not see anything wrong with their use. Lil didn't think so, and they often quarreled over this issue. In the end, Hardin decided to divorce. She approached him creatively and thoroughly, leaving Armstrong penniless and taking over the luxurious house they bought together. Lil survived her ex-husband, but only slightly, dying on stage in 1971 from a heart attack.

His third wife was Lucille Wilson, born in New York. Finally, a woman was found who fell in love with Armstrong not for money, but for his character. A dancer who received a musical education, she completely satisfied Louis with her character, being a soft and compliant woman. During quarrels, she could always find a compromise, and they lived together happy marriage as much as 30 years.

Difficult relationships with managers

Armstrong had no luck with money all his life. No, he knew their value, but he managed his income completely illiterately. Beggars of all stripes constantly circled around him, numerous “friends” invited him to bars, but were in no hurry to pay the bills. Therefore, it is not surprising that Armstrong often had problems with managers who first tried to somehow control the musician, and then began to take advantage of their position and shamelessly rob.

Louis's first manager was Johnny Collins, an unscrupulous deceiver who took every opportunity to take the bulk of the money from Armstrong's fee. At the same time, he did not even bother to document this - the musician was absolutely helpless in the bureaucracy and never checked his accounts and fees. Louis's constant quarrels with the manager led to nothing - the money was still flowing away, it was unclear where and for what.

In the 1930s, Armstrong had serious problems with his rivals. mafia clans, controlling nightlife London. As a result, he had to hide in California. As soon as he tried to return to Chicago, the mafia ordered him to get out of the city. Johnny Collins left Armstrong in 1934, refusing further cooperation. At the same time, he takes almost all the musician’s money for himself.

In 1935, the jazzman, completely disappointed in people, does not know what to do, but suddenly meets Joe Glaser, who in a short time (in just 3-4 months) solves all his problems. He becomes the jazzman's new manager. At the same time, he was quite close to the gangster Al Capone and had authority among the criminal world. This tough and even cruel man had great connections. He quickly paid off all of Armstrong's debts, scared away his former girlfriends and mistresses who threatened to sue him, and put his accounts in order.

Glaser became Armstrong's powerful patron for many years. An interesting thing happened. As you know, many people did not respect the jazzman: some for refusing to promote the equality of “coloreds,” others for being too gullible. Many did not like him for the obedience that he expressed to the “white masters.” And a principled man with criminal inclinations, Joe Glaser, sincerely respected the musician. Perhaps, deep down, he understood that he was dealing with a genius, with a talent that he would never achieve, with a person who had no equal in terms of performance and skill. Until the very end of his life, he protected Armstrong and he considered him his friend. In part, that was the case.

In 1969, Glaser suddenly suffered a severe attack. They decided not to say anything to Armstrong, but by coincidence, Glazer was taken to the same hospital where the musician had been taken shortly before due to heart problems. Louis demanded to be allowed to see his friend, asked to be taken to him, even on a gurney. In the end, he was allowed. He came out depressed and shocked, beside himself with grief. His friend and patron did not even recognize his ward...

On July 4, 1969, Glaser died without ever regaining consciousness. The death of a man with whom Louis had worked for many years left a heavy imprint on him and undermined his health. He tried to show everyone that nothing had changed, but this was the beginning of the end.

Louis Armstrong was a genius ahead of his time. His talent did not fit within the existing framework, did not fit into them, and he had to limit himself in order to always be the first, the best, the only... This was especially noticeable in the second half of his life. Cheerful and charismatic, he was the life of any company, but we will never be able to know what was going on inside him.

Armstrong is a phenomenon of musical culture. The musician’s difficult childhood left its mark on him, but could not break his character. Throughout his life he carried his charm, enchanting smile and kindness. The most complex virtuoso technique easily coexisted in his music with spoken recitative. The deep, soulful sound of the trumpet and the indescribable voice easily coexisted together, making any composition a masterpiece. Although he was considered the greatest musician of our time, he had a low opinion of himself. He lived for performances, concerts and public applause. Just before his death, he refused to go to the hospital. Being in terrible physical condition, exhausted, he could not refuse people who bought tickets to his performance. That’s how he was - great and at the same time simple, the “King of Jazz”...

Video: listen to Louis Armstrong

ARMSTRONG, LOUIS DANIEL(Armstrong, Louis Daniel) (Louis, "Satchmo") (1900/1901–1971), African American jazz musician, trumpeter, singer.

Born in New Orleans on July 4, 1900 (or August 4, 1901). It is reliably known that Armstrong's mother worked as a servant; he was raised by his grandmother, who still remembered the times of slavery. Like any other southern port city, New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century. there was a lot of music, Louis Daniel himself (he did not mind being called “Louis” in the Creole manner) not only delivered coal, but also sang for pennies on the street. However, on the first day of 1913, he was arrested for firing a revolver (this is how he decided to celebrate the New Year) and spent more than a year in the Correctional Institution for Colored Teenagers, where he received his first lessons in playing the cornet and quickly took the place of leader in the prison brass band. After his release, he easily found work in Storyville, the red-light port district, and when he turned 18, the highly respected local trombonist Kid Ory took him into his ensemble. But Armstrong considered cornetist Joe “King” Oliver to be his real teacher. In 1922, Oliver moved to Chicago, inviting Louis to play the role of second cornetist (although the presence of two identical instruments in one ensemble was considered an excess in early jazz). A year later, the first recordings of Oliver's Creole Jazz Band were made.

In 1924, the ensemble's pianist Lil Hardin, who by that time had become Armstrong's wife, convinced him to start an independent career. Armstrong accepted the invitation of the leader of the New York orchestra, Fletcher Henderson. At the same time, Armstrong recorded records, including with blues singer Bessie Smith.

In 1925, Armstrong organized his “Hot Five” (in 1927 they became the “Hot Seven”) - the first group of jazz improvisers in the full sense of the word. Numerous recordings of those years are true jazz classics; Armstrong’s solos transform solo improvisation from a chain of standard two-bar “breaks” into a single line with development, culmination and ending in full accordance with the laws of classical musical form.

Then Armstrong began to sing. Once, having dropped a piece of paper with words while recording, he ended the song with an onomatopoeic set of syllables - the so-called. scat. Although several vocalists disputed the priority in the “invention” of scat, only Armstrong could give his voice exactly the same jazz intonation that distinguished his playing as a trumpet player. Over time, he also became a pop singer.

In the 1930s, Armstrong toured a lot, including in Europe. One English journalist, not hearing Armstrong's childhood nickname Satchelmouth ("wallet mouth", "mitten mouth"), called him "Satchmo", and this nickname became the musician's stage name. In the 1930s, the trumpeter performed a lot with fashionable big bands, but he began to have problems with his lips and had to sing more than play. After the collapse of the swing big bands in the 1940s, Armstrong organized the All Stars ensemble, in fact the first “jazz team”. He was accompanied by trombonist Jack Teagarden, trumpeter Bobby Hackett, drummer Sid Catlett, and trombonist Taieri Glenn. Of course, not everyone in this group was at the same high creative level, however, programs dedicated to composer William Handy (author St.Louis Blues) in 1953 and pianist-composer Fats Waller in 1955, are in no way inferior to the classics of the 1920s. His recording of a Gershwin opera made with Ella Fitzgerald Porgy and Bess(the singer and singer performed almost all the arias in a duet) is considered ideal; modeled after Armstrong–Fitzgerald, Gershwin's opera was recorded at least three times (including by Ray Charles with British singer Clio Lane). Armstrong's last hit was the song What A Wonderful World. For Louis Armstrong's 100th birthday, almost all of his records, including classics from the 1920s, have been reissued on CD.

Louis Armstrong biography briefly will tell you about the life of an American trumpeter, vocalist and creator of his own ensemble, the founder of jazz. They will help you compose a message about Louis Armstrong.

Louis Armstrong biography and creativity

Louis Armstrong's life began on August 4, 1901 in the poorest area of New Orleans in the family of a mine worker.

The boy's childhood could not be called happy; he grew up in an area where only black families lived. His father left the family and left the city, his mother was forced to become lung woman behavior in order to feed Louis and his older sister Beatrice. The children's grandmother, having learned what their mother is doing, takes the children to her place.

At the age of 7, Louis' childhood ended. To help his grandmother, he decides to find a job. He earned his first income by delivering newspapers. Then he got a job as a coal delivery driver.

Once, having got a job with a family of rich Jews, the Karnovskys liked him so much that they began to consider the hardworking guy their adopted son. For Louis's birthday, they gave him a cornet, the first musical instrument in his life.

Being in seventh heaven, the guy gets a job in the drinking establishments of Storyville, playing instruments. In parallel with this, he begins to take part in ensembles.

For a misdemeanor in 1913, Louis Armstrong was sent to a correctional boarding camp. Here the young man received a musical education and gained experience. In a couple of years, he masterfully learned to play the tambourine and alto horn, improving his playing of the cornet. Louis got a job in the ensemble. He earned his living by performing marches and polkas.

One day, while performing at a club, King Oliver noticed him and offered Armstrong cooperation. It was short but fruitful.

In 1918, King advised Louis to another respected person in the world of music - Kid Ory. He made the guy a member of the Tuxedo Brass Band.

Later, Louis met an expert in the field of art and music, Marable. Thanks to this man, Armstrong received a decent musical education and is making attempts to independently compose music on the cornet.

In 1922, former musical partner King Oliver invited Armstrong to join the Creole ensemble, the Creole Jazz Band. The cornetist and his ensemble travel around the country and gain their first fans.

After some time, he moved to New York and got a job in the orchestra of Fletcher Henderson, a master of jazz. Louis adopted knowledge from Fletcher and developed as a musician with his own unique and vibrant style of playing the cornet. It was for this that fans from all over the world fell in love with Louis Armstrong.

Since 1925, the musician has been recording his famous compositions: “Go Down Moses”, “Heebie Jeebies”, “What a Wonderful World”, “A Rhapsody in Black and Blue”, “Hello Dolly”. He starts recording with famous composers and performers.

On stage last time Armstrong appeared on February 10, 1971. A heart attack confined him to bed. In March, Louis got back on his feet and, together with his All Stars ensemble, gave concerts in New York. A repeated heart attack again confined him to a hospital bed. 2 months later, on July 6, 1971, after the last rehearsal, the founder of jazz music died from heart failure and kidney failure.

Louis Armstrong personal life

Armstrong was married four times, but had no children.

He first married very early on to prostitute Daisy Parker. But those around the gifted and talented musician kept telling him that tomorrow he would wake up famous. And such a person should not be together with a woman who did depraved things. This forced Armstrong to divorce her in 1923.

In 1924 he met pianist Lil Hardin. After some time, he marries her. It was at the insistence of his wife that he took up solo career. But at the end of the 1920s they divorced.

His third marriage was to Alpha Smith, which lasted only four years.

In 1938, Louis Armstrong married for the fourth (and last) time to dancer Lucille Wilson, with whom he lived until the end of his days.

Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong is believed to have been born on August 4, 1901. At the same time, the musician himself did not know exactly when he was born, and chose US Independence Day - July 4, 1900 - as his birthday.

The family into which Louis Armstrong was born can hardly be called prosperous. The father abandoned them immediately after the birth of their second child - younger sister Beatrice, and Mayann's mother, who did not own any craft, worked as a laundress. The black boy grew up in complete poverty, like many in the disadvantaged area of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Childhood years

The mother was constantly busy, so most of the time the abandoned children were with their grandmother Josephine. As soon as Louis entered junior school, life became especially difficult, because the mother’s craft almost ceased to generate income. Then the boy began to look for all sorts of part-time jobs in order to at least eat tolerably.

Louis Armstrong did not know the exact date of his birth

He had to work as a newspaper delivery boy, a salesman, he transported coal to the red light district, which was famous for its bars, cafes and restaurants, where you could always meet many musicians. It was then that Louis became interested in music.

At the age of 7, the boy worked for a Jewish family who treated him like their own son. Until his death, Armstrong remembered their kindness, and in memory of them he wore a Star of David around his neck.

Louis Armstrong in his living room

Having reached the age of 11, the boy, in love with music, dropped out of school and together earned his living by performing simple melodies. Louis learned to play the trumpet very quickly. He repeated almost all the compositions he heard, since he was absolutely not trained in musical notation.

According to Louis Armstrong himself, he owed his amazing learning ability to the complete deprivation of life in New Orleans. In order not to find yourself without food, without a roof over your head, or to avoid being caught by local merchants for stealing food, you had to spin around and come up with tricks.

The youth of Louis Armstrong

The teenager was not at all of a gentle disposition, so he often ended up in the police station. One day, because of his recklessness, he ended up in jail right on New Year's Eve 1913. The reason was a fleeting desire to shoot with the pistol he found from his mother. This prank served as a reason for Louis to be sent to a boarding school for troubled teenagers.

Louis Armstrong grew up as a difficult teenager

Louis didn’t worry about this for long, because now he had enough free time to devote himself entirely to his favorite pastime. It was then that he began performing in a brass band, playing the cornet, tambourine and alto horn, and firmly decided to become a musician.

Debut on the jazz stage

After returning to the city, the first thing he learned was musical notation, touring on ships in summer time years - the musicians willingly agreed to help the aspiring trumpeter. Since 1918, he actively played in various musical groups in New Orleans and Chicago.

Successful career the great Satchmo began in King Oliver's orchestra

In 1922, the talented boy was invited to the most popular Chicago jazz band as a second cornetist. Participation in King Oliver's orchestra was a powerful impetus to success for Louis Armstrong.

In 1932, Louis was invited to perform at the Palladium Theater in London. There he had a chance to meet the editor of the English magazine Melody Maker, Mathieson Brooks. Unknowingly, the journalist distorted Armstrong's New Orleans nickname Satchelmouth and called him Sachmo. The jazzman was not upset at all; on the contrary, he liked the new one more than the old one.

Personal life of Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong with his second wife Lil Hardin

Louis's personal life was very eventful. First he married a Creole prostitute, Daisy Parker, but this marriage did not last long, until 1924. Having barely reached the age of 23, he threw in his lot with his jazz band colleague Lil Hardin. Later, this strong-willed woman insisted on a solo career as a musician.

In 1938, at the peak of his career, he married dancer Lucille Wilson, with whom he lived until his death.

Solo career

Arriving in New York, Louis achieved a special style of playing the trumpet - precise passages and lively improvisations made him one of the most sought-after musicians. In addition, his raspy voice became the most recognizable in New Orleans. Armstrong is a pioneer of scat - vocal improvisation using the voice as a musical instrument.

Armstrong with his Hot Five quintet

They started talking about him as a rising star. Already at the age of 24 he recorded his first album Hot Five, inviting talented jazz performers to collaborate - trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, banjo player Johnny St. Cyr and pianist Lil Hardin. These recordings have become classics of jazz music. A year later, Armstrong already led his own orchestra, which performed repertoire in the style of hot jazz.

At the age of 26, Louis began a life of touring - a series of European tours starting in 1933 made him a world-class star. He was invited to act in films, participate in television programs and speak on the radio. In 1947, the vocalist sang on the same stage with Louis Armstrong in the musical New Orleans: performing with her idol was a long-time dream of the singer.

Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday

Health problems and death

In 1936, Louis Armstrong's autobiography, Swing That Music, was published, in which the most famous jazz trumpeter spoke about his difficult life, the hardships he endured and his first success on the jazz stage.

At the same time, he underwent surgery on his upper lip - the musician’s professional activities led to deformation and tissue rupture. In addition, in an attempt to remove the hoarseness from his voice, Louis Armstrong underwent surgery on his vocal cords.

Louis Armstrong and Barbra Streisand

Even after suffering a heart attack in 1959, Louis Armstrong did not stop his concert activities, but he still began to perform less often. During this period, he took part in the musical “Hello, Dolly!” (Hello, Dolly) along with . Their composition of the same name reached number one in the American charts.

Louis Armstrong is an American jazz performer and vocalist who has had a huge influence in the world of jazz.

Armstrong often claimed that he was born in July 1900, the date given in many biographies. And only in the 1980s the true date of birth of the musician was revealed - 08/04/1901.

Louis was born in poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana. The grandson of African slaves spent his childhood and youth in an area where prostitution was legalized, and main problem were poverty and drugs.

The boy's father, William Armstrong (1881-1933), left for another woman when Louis was not even a year old. The future artist's mother, Mary "Mayanne" Albert (1886-1927), later left little son and his sister Beatrice Armstrong Collins in the care of grandmother Josephine Armstrong and uncle Isaac. At the age of five, the boy returned to his mother, who subsequently managed to change several “stepfathers.”

Schoolboy Armstrong had to start working early: the boy sold newspapers, delivered coal, sang on the streets at night, but there was not enough money in the family, and Louis’ mother began to engage in prostitution.

Music came into Armstrong’s life early: he often hung out near dance halls near his home, and he often had to bring coal to brothels and concert halls where Joe "King" Oliver and other famous musicians performed.

At the age of 11, the boy dropped out of school and, together with three of his friends, began performing on the streets of the city. Armstrong never called this period of his life the worst - in fact, Louis drew inspiration from remembering the years in “good old New Orleans”, when he clearly realized the purpose of his life.

As a teenager, Louis worked part-time for the Karnofsky family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, who were in the garbage business. Knowing that the boy was growing up without a father, the Karnofskys took care of Louis as if they were their own son. It was these “parents” who gave the “impatient child” his first cornet.

Music

At age 13, Armstrong began performing with the orchestra at the Home for Colored Waifs reform school, where he was sent for shooting his stepfather with his pistol during a New Year's celebration. Armstrong's group appeared in various establishments in the city, and Louis attracted the attention of the public for the first time.

During these years, Louis was able to learn a lot from older musicians, including Bunk Johnson, Kid Ory and King Oliver, who acted as a mentor to the young musician. Louis also had the opportunity to perform on river cruises - Armstrong described his fruitful work on the ship with the famous group “Fate Marable” as “studying at university.”

In 1919, Oliver left town, leaving his position to Armstrong. By the age of 20, Louis became one of the first jazz performers who decided to show their individuality in solo parts. Louis began using the "scat" technique - a type of singing when a set of words was added to the melody as a kind of additional accompaniment.

In 1922, Oliver in Chicago needed a second cornetist in his Creole Jazz Band, and he invited Louis. Oliver's group was incredibly popular in the 20s in Chicago, which in turn was the center of the jazz world.

Soon Armstrong turned from a poor boy into a rich and famous young man who lived in own apartment with his own bathroom (which was the first time in his life). However, Louis did not embrace " star fever- He continued to keep in touch with childhood friends from his hometown.

As part of the group, Louis recorded his first record, which included his solo parts. In 1924, Armstrong's second wife, pianist Lil Hardin, persuaded Louis to move to the next stage of his career. The couple moved to New York, where Louis began performing with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. Jazz fans often came to listen to the young artist’s “hot solos” - this is how Armstrong gained fame.

Upon returning to Chicago, Louis and famous groups“Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” recorded such works as “Muggles” (a slang term for marijuana cigarettes) and “West End Blues”, in which the artist’s own style was clearly visible - bright, improvisational, inventive.

In 1926, Louis became a soloist in Carroll Dickerson's orchestra, and then led for some time own group"Louis Armstrong And His Stompers".

In 1929, Louis moved again to New York, where he worked in the musical Hot Chocolate, in which all the performers were black. Over the next few years, Louis toured a lot, worked with popular big bands, starred in films, performed on radio and appeared on Broadway. In the pre-war period, Armstrong managed to tour European countries and North Africa, which brought the musician widespread fame abroad.

Later, Louis had to undergo several operations on his lip, torn due to the pressure of the mouthpiece, and on his vocal cords: the musician wanted to get rid of the hoarseness that had become his hallmark (which he realized much later).

In the 1940s, public tastes changed, dance halls began to close, and big bands began to face greater competition. It was no longer possible to finance a 16-piece touring band. When, in May 1947, Louis successfully performed at a jazz concert in New York as part of a small group, it was decided to create a jazz sextet, “Louis Armstrong and His All Stars,” which, in addition to Louis, included Earl Hines and other famous musicians.

During these years, Armstrong recorded several records and starred in more than 30 Hollywood films, and in February 1949 became the first jazz performer, whose photo was placed on the cover of the reputable Time magazine.

By the 1950s, Armstrong was a jazz music icon with fans in the millions. In 1958, the musician recorded the spiritual "Go Down Moses", a song that was previously considered the anthem of American slaves - and today Armstrong's performance of this song is considered the best.

In 1964, after a two-year hiatus due to a heart attack, Armstrong covered the song "Hello, Dolly!" singer Carol Channing. Louis' version stayed at number one on the Hot 100 for 22 weeks, longer than any other song that year. 62-year-old Louis became the oldest artist whose song took the leading position. Armstrong also managed to dislodge the Beatles from first place, which they had occupied for 14 weeks in a row.

In the 60s, Armstrong successfully toured Europe, Africa and Asia, and in 1965 he visited the countries of the Eastern Bloc. The musician even received the unofficial nickname “The Ambassador of Jazz” and inspired composer Dave Brubeck to write the musical “The Real Ambassadors”. In 1967, Louis recorded one of his most famous songs– “What A Wonderful World,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame almost 30 years later.

Armstrong recorded his last album in 1968.

Personal life

In March 1918, 16-year-old Louis tied the knot with Daisy Parker, who was a prostitute in Louisiana. The young couple adopted 3-year-old Clarence, whose mother, cousin artist Flora, died after childbirth. The child was mentally retarded (due to a head injury received in infancy). Armstrong and Parker divorced in 1923.

On February 4, 1924, Louis married Lil Hardin, with whom he lived until 1931. After a divorce in 1938, the artist married his longtime friend Alpha Smith. The marriage with the third wife lasted 4 years. In October 1942, Louis married the singer of the famous Cotton Club nightclub, Lucille Wilson, and the musician lived with her until his death.

Armstrong has no children, but in December 2012, Sharon Preston-Folta announced that she is the daughter of Armstrong and Lucille "Sweet" Preston, a Cotton Club dancer. The woman’s words were confirmed by a letter from 1955, in which Louis asked his manager Joe Glaser to pay Preston and her child, whom he considered his own, a monthly allowance of $400.

In 2016 in Russian music show The “voice” was performed by someone who introduced himself as the grandson of the great musician. It quickly became clear that the artist had nothing to do with Louis, but was performing at social events with his songs and imitates the singing style of the great musician.

Armstrong was always concerned about his health, controlled his weight using laxatives, but at the same time he loved to eat and even reflected this love in several songs.

Louis was a daily marijuana user for nearly his entire life, and in 1930 he spent nine days in jail after being arrested for drug possession. Armstrong considered marijuana “a thousand times better than whiskey.”

Armstrong loved to play baseball and founded the Raggedy Nine baseball team in New Orleans, which later became Secret Nine Baseball.

Armstrong loved to write down everything that happened to him every day. In his letters and diaries, he described music, sex, food, childhood memories, the effects of “medicinal” marijuana and even his bowel movements. Louis peppered all his recordings with obscene jokes and limericks.

Armstrong was not a Freemason, as is often claimed in the media. Although he is listed on the rolls of New York's Montgomery Lodge No. 18, no such lodge ever existed. However, Armstrong indicated in his autobiography that he was a member of the Knights of Pythias, but the organization is not Masonic.

Louis had several nicknames - Satchmo (short for "satchel mouth" - the musician was called so because of his large mouth), Dipper (from "Dippermouth Blues", the first recorded song of the Creole Jazz Band) and Pops (the nickname came from Armstrong's tendency to forget people's names and simply call them "pops" - "old man" or "father").

Death

Despite his doctor's warnings, Armstrong decided to perform in March 1971 in concert hall the fashionable Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan. At the end of the show, the musician was hospitalized with a heart attack. In May, the artist left the hospital with the intention of resuming concerts, but on July 6, 1971, 69-year-old Louis died of heart failure.

The musician is buried in Flushing Cemetery in New York. Many people attended the artist's funeral famous personalities- (with whom he recorded the imperishable hit “Summertime”), Dizzy Gillespie, Ed Sullivan, Alan King and others.