Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971),
nicknamed Satchmo Satch, and Pops, was an American trumpeter, composer, singer
and occasional actor who was one of the most influential figures in jazz. His
career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in
the history of jazz. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall
of Fame.
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.[5] Around 1922, he followed
his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz
Band. In the Windy City, he networked with other jazz musicians, reconnecting
with his friend, Bix Beiderbecke, and made new contacts, which included Hoagy
Carmichael and Lil Hardin. He earned a reputation at "cutting
contests", and moved to New York in order to join Fletcher Henderson's
band.
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
very skilled at scat singing. Armstrong is renowned for his charismatic stage
presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet playing. Armstrong's
influence extends well beyond jazz, 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", that is, whose skin color became secondary to his music
in an America that was extremely racially divided at the time. 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 access to the upper echelons of
American society, then highly restricted for black men.