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. 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 (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
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 severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
Beale Street Blues
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs
You'll meet honest men and pick-pockets skilled
You'll find that business never closes
Till somebody gets killed
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to take their beds and walk
And the blind man on the corner
Who sings the Beale Street Blues
He said, "I'd rather be there than anyplace I know
Yes, I'd rather be here, than anyplace I know
It's gonna take the Sergeant, for to make me go"
I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by
Yes, I'm goin' to the river and there's a reason why
Because the river's wet and Beale Street's done gone dry
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song Beale Street Blues paints a vivid picture of the bustling atmosphere of the Beale Street, a historic street located in Memphis, Tennessee. The lyrics describe the diverse range of people who frequent the street - from the elegantly dressed to those who wear hand-me-downs, from honest men to skillful pick-pockets. These lines suggest that Beale Street is a place where anything can happen - a place where business never closes, at least, not until somebody gets killed.
The second verse of the song talks about the particular challenges that married men face in Beale Street. The lyrics suggest that if Beale Street could talk, married men would have to take their beds and walk. This paints Beale Street as a place of temptation, where married men are likely to give in to their vices, except for a select few who never drink booze. The verse ends with a reference to a blind man on the corner, who sings the Beale Street Blues. This blind man's presence adds to the charm of the street, suggesting that music is an important part of the Beale Street experience.
The final verse of the song talks about the singer's desire to leave Beale Street and head to the river. The lyrics suggest that Beale Street has gone dry, and the river, which is wet, is the perfect antidote to the dryness of Beale Street. The mention of the sergeant further reinforces the idea that Beale Street is a slightly dangerous place to be, where even those who are not looking for trouble may find themselves embroiled in it.
Overall, the lyrics of Beale Street Blues paint a picture of a lively and exciting place, where anything can happen, and where music seems to be a constant presence.
Line by Line Meaning
You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns
You will see African American women dressed elegantly in colorful gowns.
You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs
Some African American men will be dressed in expensive tailor-made clothes while others will wear used clothing handed down from others.
You'll meet honest men and pick-pockets skilled
You will encounter both honest people and individuals who are skilled at stealing from others.
You'll find that business never closes
The businesses on Beale Street are open all day and night.
Till somebody gets killed
The businesses only close when a serious crime, such as a murder, occurs.
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
If Beale Street had a voice and could speak, it would have many stories to tell.
Married men would have to take their beds and walk
If the street could speak, it would reveal the infidelity of married men who come to Beale Street and have to leave their wives behind in shame.
Except one or two, who never drink booze
There are a few men who don't drink alcohol on Beale Street.
And the blind man on the corner who sings the Beale Street Blues
There is a blind man on the street corner who sings sad songs about the struggles and hardships that people face on Beale Street.
He said, "I'd rather be there than anyplace I know
The blind man on the corner prefers to be on Beale Street despite its difficulties.
Yes, I'd rather be here, than anyplace I know
He finds Beale Street to be a more welcoming and accepting place than anywhere else he knows.
It's gonna take the Sergeant, for to make me go"
Even the police would struggle to make the blind man leave Beale Street, as it has become his home and source of belonging.
I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by
I am planning to go to the river soon, but not right away.
Yes, I'm goin' to the river and there's a reason why
There is a specific reason why I am going to the river.
Because the river's wet and Beale Street's done gone dry
I am going to the river because the street has become dry and lacking in life, while the river represents a source of replenishment and refreshment.
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eugene
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to take their beds and walk
Except one or two, who never drink booze
And the blind man on the corner
Who sings the Beale Street Blues
He said, "I'd rather be there than anyplace I know
Yes, I'd rather be here, than anyplace I know
It's gonna take the Sergeant, for to make me go"
I LOVE IT :)
My perfect life. Kids & cats.
Was reading “Great Gatsby” and came here to get a feeling of the atmosphere 🎷🥂
anmol bhatti
How you doing now? I'm reading the great Gatsby right now
Sean Lynch
Absolutely why im here too. A level
William Heyman
I have this recording somewhere in the stacks that I had hoped to document. Anyway, in the recording notes, W.C. Handy, who was then blind, says that Louis played it very well, (something like that) and Louis said, something to the effect that "Mr. Handy, you wrote it so well that the notes just played themselves." The recording also has an aside when Louis told a joke about growing up in Louisiana, "and my momma told me to go to the river and draw some water, and they was this alligator there, and I told my momma, and she said, Louis, that alligator is as afraid of you as you is of him, and I said, mamma, if that alligator is as afraid of me as I is of him, then that water ain't fit to drink."
John Barone
I was in New Orleans and took a trip to a bayou Parish. I noticed a lot of alligators. When I got to a settled landing I saw a lot of boys jumping off the docks. I asked an old Cajun if that was dangerous. He said no, "De alligators don't come near the landing" I said you heard a alot about attacks in Florida. He said, "Dose be Florida Alligators" When i asked why not he told me that Louisiana alligators had a natural enemy, I asked what that was. He replied, "Da Cajun". Apparently after years of being hunted, trapped, skinned and eaten the gators gained a healthy rear of humans.
oneofspades
Jazz in all its glory. Authentic and All - American as it can get.
Ryanchungus
It has blues in its name
Jack Shaffer
This is not jazz
Elis
@Ryanchungus many of the early jazz and dixie tunes do
Eugene
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk
Married men would have to take their beds and walk
Except one or two, who never drink booze
And the blind man on the corner
Who sings the Beale Street Blues
He said, "I'd rather be there than anyplace I know
Yes, I'd rather be here, than anyplace I know
It's gonna take the Sergeant, for to make me go"
I LOVE IT :)