We chose to do our presentation on Louis Armstrong, he is an artist we like, and the

sequence we did on jazz and soft power made us want to learn more about who he is
and his life. Firstly we will look at his biography. Then his musical, cinematographic
and literary work. And finally his opinion on segregation that affected the United
States at that time.

I) Biography
A. Career

Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901 and died on July 6,
1971 in New York. He grew up in a poor part of the city that was so rough that it was
nicknamed "The Battleground." As a boy, life was tough for Louis. His father wasn't around
and his mother couldn't take care of him. He lived with his grandmother or his uncle most of
the time.
He has several nicknames such as: Satchmo, Pops, Dippermouth (The nickname Satchmo:
When Louis was young, he had a lot of nicknames that referred to his wide mouth. One of
them was "Satchelmouth." When he visited England, the nickname was shortened to
"Satchmo" and the name stuck. )

In his early teens, Armstrong was already a great horn player. He played in local New
Orleans jazz bands where he met his mentor, a jazz musician named Joe Oliver. Joe
took Louis under his wing and helped him along in the music world. Armstrong
played in various bands in New Orleans such as Kid Ory's Band and the Tuxedo Brass
Band. Chicago and New York In 1922, Armstrong moved to Chicago to join Joe
Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. It was the start of the "Roaring Twenties" and Chicago was
becoming the home to jazz. Armstrong began to make a name for himself as one of
the best horn players around. He developed a unique style and played amazing solos
that people loved to hear. A few years later, Armstrong moved to New York City where
he played in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. It was during this time that he
switched from playing the cornet to playing the trumpet. Eventually, Armstrong ended
up moving back to Chicago. He started up his own band and made several
recordings. He was now a famous musician. Louis also began singing. He had a
unique sounding gravelly voice that people loved. He spent the 1930s touring around
the world. And he often worked as the featured soloist in big bands.

In the 1940s, Armstrong formed a small jazz band called Louis Armstrong and his All
Stars. The group is composed of six members including Armstrong. Some of the
members are famous jazz musicians such as Barney Bigard, Trummy Young or Jack
Teagarden. He toured with the All Stars for the rest of his career.

B. Personal life

When giving a concert in a small town’s bar in Louisiana, he will meet his first wife who at
the time was a prostitute. Her name was Daisy Parker. Together they adopted a
three-year-old child who was actually the son of Armstrong’s cousin Flora who had died
soon after giving birth. The child whose name was Clarence was mentally disable because
of a head injury that happened when he was younger. The marriage between Armstrong and
Parker will last for four years. In February 1924 he married the pianist Lil Hardin and she
helped him have an even bigger career but their marriage didn’t last for too long as they
separated in 1931 and divorced in 1938. Louis then had another wife: Alpha Smith with
whom he stayed only four years after which he married Lucille Wilson with whom he
remained married until the end of his life. Even though Armstrong was married quite a few
times in his life he never had any children. However, in 2012, Sharon Preston-Folta claimed
to be Armstrong’s daughter. He agreed to give her a monthly allowance of $400.

II) Music but also Movies and Books

Louis Armstrong recorded a number of hit songs throughout his career. Some of the
most famous include What a Wonderful World, Hello Dolly!, West End Blues, Heebie
Jeebies, and Ain't Misbehavin'. He made the vocal style of "scat" singing popular with
the recording of Heebie Jeebies. The recording was partially a mistake where the
sheet music fell on the floor and Armstrong began scatting (making up words). It
sounded so good, they kept the scat version and it was a hit.

The song “What a Wonderful World” was recorded in 1967 by Bob Thiele and George
David. At that time, Armstrong was settled in a calm family friendly and cosmopolitan
area of New York. He lives happily with his wife, he has a garden and all this
happiness inspired the two writers to write a beautiful hymn to love, happiness and
peace. The song was a total hit and still to this day a lot of other artists are covering
the song (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s medley of the song and Over the Rainbow, Joey
Ramone’s punk version…). The song also appeared in a lot of movies, some ads in
France etc.

Throughout his career, Armstrong also starred in several movies and wrote 2 books. The
movies included Rhapsody in Black and Blue, New Orleans, Hello Dolly!, and High Society.
In these films Louis Armstrong plays himself. For example Rhapsody in Black and Blue is a
short ten-minute film that was created and released in 1932, starring Sidney Easton and
Fanny Belle DeKnight. It is an early example of a "music video", showcasing the tunes I'll Be
Glad When You Are Dead You Rascal You and Shine,sung and played by Louis Armstrong.
The film was directed by Aubrey Scotto and the screenplay was written by Phil Cohan.
It tells the story of a Husband who would rather listen to jazz than mop the floor. He is
whacked over the head with the mop by his wife when she hears him listening to I’ll Be Glad
When You Are Dead You Rascal You. He falls into a dream in which he is the king of
"Jazzmania," sitting on a royal throne with servants to fan him. In the dream Louis Armstrong
plays and sings jazz for him while dressed in a leopard print caveman outfit. When he wakes
up and sees his flustered wife still standing over him, he smiles and breaks a vase over his
own head.

In Hello Dolly!, Dolly Gallagher Levi, the widow of the love of her life, feels that she
has cried enough and wants to return to the world, but above all to marry Horace
Vandegelder, a prosperous and terribly rude grocer, as a second husband. He, too,
wants to marry, but does not consider Dolly, who has been hired for her professional
talents. In this film Louis Armstrong plays himself and sings alongside Barbara
Streisand who plays Dolly in the film.
Armstrong became the first black jazz musician to publish an autobiography with his
Swing That Music in 1936. In 1954, Armstrong produced his masterpiece, Satchmo:
My Life in New Orleans, the final story of his early years in the city where he was
born... But much has been written about Armstrong criticizing his supposed
"commercial" turn and the impression that he was soft on racial issues. Which brings
us to our third and final part…

III) Segregation/ Racism

Growing up in the early 1900s, Louis had to deal with racism. During this time there were
racist laws in some states called Jim Crow laws. These laws separated black people and
white people and made it difficult for black people to succeed. Louis didn't let this stop him,
however. He focused on his music and would one day become one of the most famous
musicians in the world.

Until the age of 57 Louis never spoke publicly about politics. He always refused to militate or
even to condemn racial segregation. His prestige as a musician was so immense that he
even benefited from privileges normally reserved for whites when asked about the subject,
he simply replied "I don't feel concerned by politics, I just blow my trumpet".

But on September 17, 1957 he received an interview by a twenty-one-year-old

journalism student and jazz buff at the University of North Dakota named Larry
Lubenow. The first question was about jazz, then the journalist, despite the
instructions of his editor, asked him about the events in Little Rock, in the capital of
Arkansas, where the national guard sent by the governor prevented nine black
students from entering a high school that had been reserved for whites. And this in
spite of the abolition of the racial segregation decreed one year before. Larry's
question triggers an anger never seen before in Louis Armstrong he says "the
situation becomes so bad that a coloured man does not have any more country".
“When I see on television and read about a crowd in Arkansas spitting on a little
colored girl, I think I have a right to get sore.”

He then went on to accuse US President Dwight Eisenhower of having two faces and lacking
guts, and ended by announcing that he would not be going on a tour of the Soviet Union
organised by the State Department, “the government can go to hell" he concluded. This
interview, published the day after the article, caused a shock in the country and the black
community applauded. Seven days later, the government decided to send the military to
Little Rock to escort the nine black students to the high school.