Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), nicknamed Satchmo[1] or Pops, was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who was one of the most influential figures in jazz and in all of American popular music. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in jazz.[2]
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.[3] With his instantly recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing.
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin color was secondary to his music in an America that was racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation in the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society which were highly restricted for black men of his era.
Discography
editSingles
edit| Year | Title(s) | Label | Credit (if not Louis Armstrong) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | "Froggie Moore" / "Chimes Blues" | Gennett 5135 | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band |
| 1923 | "Mandy Lee Blues" / "I'm Going Away to Wear You off My Mind" | Gennett 5134 | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band |
| 1923 | "Riverside Blues" / "Mabel's Dream" [Take 1] | Claxtonola 40292 | King Oliver's Jazz Band |
| 1924 | "Prince of Wails" [Take 2] / "Mandy Make Up Your Mind" [Take 2] | Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra | |
| 1926 | "Gut Bucket Blues" / "Yes! I'm in the Barrel"[4] | OKeh 8261 | Louis Armstrong's Hot Five |
| 1926 | "Oriental Strut" / "You're Next"[5] | OKeh 8299 | Louis Armstrong's Hot Five |
| 1926 | "Muskrat Ramble" / "Heebie Jeebies"[5] | OKeh 8300 | Louis Armstrong's Hot Five |
| 1926 | "Georgia Grind" / "Come Back, Sweet Papa"[6] | OKeh 8318 | Louis Armstrong's Hot Five |
| 1926 | "Dropping Shucks" / "Who'sit"[7] | OKeh 8357 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1927 | "Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa" / "Sweet Little Papa"[8] | OKeh 8379 | |
| 1927 | "King of the Zulus" / "Lonesome Blues"[8] | OKeh 8396 | |
| 1927 | "Big Butter and Egg Man from the West" / "Sunset Cafe Stomp"[8] | OKeh 8423 | |
| 1927 | "You Made Me Love You" / "Irish Black Bottom"[9] | OKeh 8447 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1927 | "Skid-Dat-De-Dat" / "Jazz Lips"[10] | OKeh 8436 | |
| 1927 | "Wild Man Blues"[11] / "Gully Low Blues"[12] | OKeh 8474 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven |
| 1927 | "Alligator Crawl" / "Willie the Weeper"[13] | OKeh 8482 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven |
| 1927 | "Keyhole Blues" / "Melancholy Blues"[14] | OKeh 8496 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven |
| 1927 | "Potato Head Blues" / "Put 'Em Down Blues"[15] | OKeh 8503 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven |
| 1927 | "Weary Blues" / "That's When I'll Come Back to You"[16] | OKeh 8519[17] | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1928 | "Hotter Than That" / "Savoy Blues"[18] | OKeh 8535 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1928 | "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" / "Once in a While"[19] | OKeh 8566 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1928 | "West End Blues" / "Fireworks"[20] | OKeh 8597 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1928 | "A Monday Date" / "Sugar Feet Strut"[21] | OKeh 8609 | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |
| 1929 | "Ain't Misbehavin'"[22] | OKeh 8714[23] | Louis Armstrong Orchestra |
| 1930 | "I Ain't Got Nobody (And Nobody Cares for Me)" / "Rockin' Chair" | OKeh 8756 | |
| 1930 | "If I had a Talking Picture of You" / "Saint Louis Blues"[24] | OKeh | |
| 1930 | "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas" / "I'm in the Market for You" | Odeon 36141 | |
| 1930 | "Song of the Islands" / "Blue Turning Grey Over You" | Odeon 36039 | |
| 1931 | "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" / "I’ll Be Glad When Your Dead, You Rascal You" | OKeh 41504 | Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra |
| 1933 | "Laughin' Louie" / "Tomorrow Night"[25] | Bluebird B-5363 | Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra |
| 1938 | "Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Generosity" / "Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Throwing Stones" | Decca 15043 | |
| 1938 | "Shadrack" / "Jonah and the Whale" | Decca 1913 | |
| 1939 | "Jeepers Creepers" / "What Is This Thing Called Swing?" | Decca 2267 | |
| 1940 | "Marie" / "Sleepy Time Gal" | Decca 3291 | Louis Armstrong and Mills Brothers / Mills Brothers |
| 1946 | "Endie" / "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" | RCA Victor 20-2087 | |
| 1949 | "Blueberry Hill" / "That Lucky Old Sun" | Decca 24752 | |
| 1950 | "La Vie en rose" / "C'est si bon" | Decca 27113 | |
| 1951 | "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" / "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" | Decca 27720 | |
| 1952 | "It Takes Two to Tango" / "I Laughed at Love" | Decca 28394 | |
| 1962 | "Mack the Knife" / "The Faithful Hussar" | CBS CA 281.144 [France] | |
| 1964 | "Hello, Dolly" / "A Lot of Livin' to Do" | Kapp KL-1364 [US] | |
| 1967 | "What a Wonderful World" / "Cabaret" | ABC 10982 [7-inch vinyl] | |
| 1968 | "What a Wonderful World" / "Cabaret" | His Master's Voice [Great Britain] | |
| 1968 | "I Will Wait for You" / "Talk to the Animals" | [7-inch vinyl] | |
| 1969 | "We Have All the Time in the World" / "We Have All the Time in the World" | IME – 269870 [7-inch vinyl] |
Original albums
editThese LPs and EPs were released during Armstrong's lifetime and contained original studio and/or live recordings. The year and label information is for the first vinyl release, unless otherwise noted. Additional information such as number of tracks is given only when necessary to distinguish between different releases under the same title. In most cases, the number of CD releases listed is limited, with preference given to the label that originally released the album.
| Year | Title | Label | CD release(s) | Credit (if not Louis Armstrong) and additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Jazz Classics | Brunswick B-1016 | ||
| 1951 | Satchmo at Symphony Hall | Decca DL 3087/8038 | 2-LP set; concert recorded November 30, 1947 | |
| 1951 | Satchmo at Pasadena | Decca | ||
| 1952 | Satchmo Serenades | Decca DL 5401 | ||
| 1954 | Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy | Columbia CL 591 (11 tracks) | Columbia: 1986 (12 tracks), 1997 (16 tracks), 1999 (16 tracks, SACD) | composer W. C. Handy |
| 1954 | Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers, Volume One | Decca ED 2113 (4 tracks) | Louis Armstrong & The Mills Brothers | |
| 1955 | Satch Plays Fats: A Tribute to the Immortal Fats Waller | Columbia CL 708 (9 tracks) | Columbia: 2000 (SACD); Legacy: 2008 (CD); Sony Music: 2009 (CD) BBC Music Magazine. |
composer Fats Waller |
| 1955 | Louis Armstrong at the Crescendo, Vol. 1 | Decca | ||
| 1955 | Satchmo Sings | Decca DL 8126 | ||
| 1956 | Louis Armstrong and Eddie Condon at Newport | Columbia CL-931 | Louis Armstrong & Eddie Condon | |
| 1956 | Satchmo the Great | Columbia: 1994, 2000 BBC Music Magazine. |
songs are introduced by excerpts from interviews with Edward R. Murrow | |
| 1956 | An Evening with Louis Armstrong and His All Stars..Vols 1 & 2 | In Concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium | ||
| 1956 | Louis Armstrong and His All Stars – Ambassador Satch |
Columbia CL 840 | 2009 Legacy: 88697492022 BBC Music Magazine. |
December 1955 tour of Western Europe, concert recordings Amsterdam, Milan |
| 1956 | Ella and Louis | Verve MG V-4003 | Verve: 1985, 2000, 2002 (SACD) | Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong |
| 1957 | Ella and Louis Again | Verve MGV 4006-2 [double LP] | Verve: 2003 | Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong |
| 1957 | Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson | Verve [12 tracks] | Verve: 1997 (16 tracks) | Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson |
| 1957 | Louis Under the Stars | Verve MGV 4012 | ||
| 1957 | Louis and the Angels | Decca | Universal/MCA: 2000; Verve: 2001 | |
| 1958 | Porgy & Bess | Verve MGV 4011-2 [double LP] | Verve: 1986; Verve Music Group: 2008; Essential Jazz Classics | Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong |
| 1958 | Louis and the Good Book | Decca DL 8741 [12 tracks] | MCA [France]: 1987, 1992; Verve [Germany]: 2001 (20 tracks) | |
| 1959 | Satchmo in Style | Decca | ||
| 1959 | The Five Pennies | London SAH-U 6044 | Danny Kaye & Louis Armstrong | |
| 1959 | Satchmo Plays King Oliver | Audio Fidelity ST-91058 | Louis Armstrong | |
| 1960 | I've Got the World on a String | [10 tracks] | ||
| 1960 | Bing & Satchmo | MGM E3882P | DRG: 2009 | Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong |
| 1961 | Recording Together for the First Time | Roulette SR52074 [10 tracks] | Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington | |
| 1961 | The Great Reunion | Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington | ||
| 1962 | The Real Ambassadors | Columbia OL 5850 [15 tracks] | CBS: 1990 [20 tracks], 1994 [20 tracks]; Poll Winners: 2012 [25 tracks] | with Dave Brubeck, Carmen McRae, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross |
| 1964 | Hello, Dolly! | Kapp KL-1364 [mono], KS-3364 [stereo] | MCA: 2000 | |
| 1968 | Here's Louis Armstrong | MCA & MCA Coral | Cat# VL7-3851 | |
| 1968 | Disney Songs the Satchmo Way | Buena Vista STBV 4044 | Walt Disney: 1996, 2001 | |
| 1968 | I Will Wait for You | Brunswick BL 754136 | ||
| 1968 | What a Wonderful World | ABC ABCS 650 | ||
| 1969 | The One and Only | Vocalion VL 73871 | ||
| 1970 | Louis 'Country & Western' Armstrong | Avco Embassy Records IT 80 959 | ||
| 1971 | Louis Armstrong and His Friends | Flying Dutchman Records AM 12009 |
Posthumous releases
editThese LPs and CDs were released after Armstrong's 1971 death.
- Louis Armstrong in Prague Lucerna Hall 1965 (Panton, 1979) – reissued on CD in 2000 by Columbia
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: 1923-1934 (Legacy / Columbia, 1994; Sony Music, 2001)
- Louis Armstrong's All Time Greatest Hits (MCA, 1994)
- 16 Most Requested Songs (Columbia/Legacy, 1994)
- Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions
- Hot Fives & Sevens (JSP, 1998)
- The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings (Columbia/Legacy)
- Struttin' (Drive Archive, 1996) – 8 February 1947 concert with Edmond Hall's All-Stars
- The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (1997) – repackaging of Ella and Louis, Ella and Louis Again, and Porgy and Bess
- rereleases of Together For The First Time and The Great Reunion
- The Great Summit: The Master Takes (2001)
- Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington: The Great Summit/Complete Sessions (2000) – includes additional CD of alternate takes
- The Legendary Berlin Concert (Jazzpoint, 2000) – 22 March 1965 concert with Billy Kyle, Tyree Glenn, Eddie Shu, Arvell Shaw and Danny Barcelona
- The Katanga Concert (Milan, 2000) – previously unreleased November 1960 concert in Katanga, Africa with Trummy Young, Barney Bigard, Billy Kyle, Arvell Shaw, Danny Barcelona and Velma Middleton. Also contains 17 tracks that were previously issued on one of two earlier Milan CDs, Blueberry Hill (Recorded 17 May 1962 in Nice, France) and What a Wonderful World: The Elizabethtown Concert (Recorded November 1960 in Elisabethville, Africa)
- The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/Verve, 2006)
- Live in Amsterdam 1959 (Ais Records, 2011)
- The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (Mosaic Records, 1993)[26]
- The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions 1935–1946 (Mosaic Records, 2009)[27]
- The Columbia & RCA Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong & The All-Stars (Mosaic Records, 2013)[28]
- The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia & RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946–66 (Mosaic Records, 2021)[29]
- Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule (Verve Records/UMe, 2022)[30]
- Louis In London (Verve Records/UMe, 2024)[31]
List of songs recorded
editChronology of the recordings of Armstrong's songs:
References and sources
editReferences
edit- ^ For "satchel-mouth."
- ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. pp. 18-19. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
- ^ Laurence Bergreen, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, 1997, p.1
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 23 Jan 1926.
- ^ a b "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 17 Apr 1926.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 12 Jun 1926.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 27 Nov 1926.
- ^ a b c "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 29 Jan 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 2 Apr 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 9 Apr 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 16 Jul 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 23 Jul 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 3 Sep 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Richmond Planet. 1 Oct 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Richmond Planet. 29 Oct 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 24 Dec 1927.
- ^ "advertisement". Crowley (Louisiana) Post-Signal. 20 Jan 1928.
- ^ "advertisement". New York Age. 25 Feb 1928.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 12 May 1928.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 18 Aug 1928.
- ^ "advertisement". Pittsburgh Courier. 29 Sep 1928.
- ^ "A short history of ... "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Fats Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf, 1929)". 18 April 2017.
- ^ "OKeh matrix W402534. Ain't misbehavin' / Louis Armstrong Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings".
- ^ "advertisement". Richmond Planet. 1 Mar 1930.
- ^ "Bluebird B-5363 (10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong - Complete Decca Studio Recordings". Mosaic Records. 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong - 1935-1946 Decca Sessions". Mosaic Records. 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ^ "Louis Armstrong - Live Recordings With The All-Stars". Mosaic Records. 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ^ "Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia & RCA Sessions - Mosaic Records". Mosaic Records - Home for Jazz fans!. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ^ "First-Ever Official Christmas Album From the Legendary Louis Armstrong, "Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule," Set for Release October 28 Via Verve Reocrds/UMe". PR Newswire. Verve/UMe. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "Verve Records Announces Louis Armstrong's 'Louis In London,' Share Live Version Of 'Hello Dolly'". udiscovermusic.com. Verve/UMe. 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-08-09."archived". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.1
- ^ a b c Willems p.2
- ^ a b c d e f g h Willems p.158
- ^ Willems p.3
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ Willems p.4
- ^ Willems p.7
- ^ Willems p.8
- ^ Willems p.9
- ^ Willems p.10
- ^ Willems p.11
- ^ Willems p.14
- ^ a b Willems p.15
- ^ a b Willems p.16
- ^ Willems p.17
- ^ Willems p.18
- ^ Willems p.21
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b Willems p.22
- ^ Willems p.23
- ^ Willems p.24
- ^ Willems p.25
- ^ Willems p.29
- ^ a b Willems p.30
- ^ a b c Willems p.56
- ^ a b c d e f g h Willems p.31
- ^ a b c Willems p.32
- ^ a b c d e f Willems p.33
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ Willems p.45
- ^ a b c d e f Willems p.44
- ^ a b c d Willems p.46
- ^ a b Willems p.48
- ^ a b c d Willems p.49
- ^ a b c d Willems p.51
- ^ a b c Willems p.52
- ^ a b Willems p.53
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.59
- ^ a b c Willems p.60
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b Willems p.61
- ^ I Went Down to St. James Infirmary; by Robert W. Harwood, p.139
- ^ a b Willems p.62
- ^ a b c d Willems p.63
- ^ a b c Willems p.66
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.67
- ^ a b Willems p.69
- ^ a b c Willems p.70
- ^ a b c Willems p.170
- ^ a b c Willems p.73
- ^ a b Willems p.74
- ^ a b "Louis Armstrong". Billboard.
- ^ a b c d Willems p.76
- ^ a b c d Willems p.77
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Willems p.146
- ^ a b c d Willems p.78
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b Willems p.83
- ^ a b c d Willems p.80
- ^ a b c Willems p.81
- ^ Willems p.82
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b c d Willems p.84
- ^ a b c d Willems p.86
- ^ a b c Willems p.87
- ^ a b c Willems p.88
- ^ a b c d e f g Willems p.147
- ^ a b c d e f Willems p.148
- ^ a b c d Willems p.149
- ^ a b c Willems p.159
- ^ a b c d e f Willems p.163
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.164
- ^ a b c Willems p.165
- ^ Willems p.167
- ^ Willems p.166
- ^ a b Willems p.168
- ^ a b c Willems p.172
- ^ Willems p.173
- ^ a b c d e f Willems p.175
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.177
- ^ a b c d Willems p.179
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.180
- ^ a b c d e Willems p.182
- ^ a b c d Willems p.183
- ^ a b c d "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b c "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ Ella Fitzgerald: An Annotated Discography; Including a Complete Discography ... By J. Wilfred Johnson, p.67
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ a b "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ a b "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ a b "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ Louis Armstrong: The Life, Music, and Screen Career; by Scott Allen Nollen, p.142
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "Jimmie Rodgers & Louis Armstrong: Blue Yodel #9". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
- ^ a b "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years; by Ricky Riccardi, p.51
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net.
- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24.
Sources
edit- Willems, Jos, All of Me : The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong, Scarecrow Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0810857308
External links
edit- Louis Armstrong discography at Discogs