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.
Cake Walkin
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I wanna tell you 'bout a couple I know;
High steppin' pair,
Debonair,
When it comes for bus'ness not a soul can compare!
Here they come,
Look at 'em demonstratin',
Ain't they syncopatin'!
Talk o' the town,
Teasin' brown,
Pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down.
Dancin' fools, ain't they demonstratin'
They're a class of their own!
Now the only way to win is to cheat 'em,
You may tie 'em but you'll never beat 'em!
Strut your stuff,
They're cake walkin' babies from home.
Oh, here they come,
Look at 'em syncopatin',
Goin' some,
Ain't they demonstratin'!
Talk o' the town,
Teasin' brown,
They pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down.
Dancin' fools, ain't they syncopatin'
They in a class of their own!
Oh, the only way to win is to cheat 'em,
You may tie 'em but you'll never beat 'em!
Strut your stuff,
Strut your stuff,
Cake walkin' babies from home.
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "Walkin' in 2-3" are about a couple who are expert dancers, known for their high stepping and debonair style. They are the talk of the town and can pick up any dance and lay it down with ease. The lyrics suggest that they are skilled in the art of cake walking, a dance that originated in minstrel shows and was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The song celebrates the couple's skills and hints at the competitive nature of the dance scene at the time. The lyrics suggest that the only way to win against this dance duo is to cheat, highlighting the intense competitiveness and rivalry that existed within the dance world.
The lyrics also suggest that the couple has a distinct style and is in a class of their own. They are "dancin' fools" who are syncopatin' their way to success. The line "they're cake walkin' babies from home" emphasizes that their dance skills are innate and come from within, rather than being taught or learned.
Overall, the lyrics to "Walkin' in 2-3" celebrate the talent and skill of this legendary dance duo, while acknowledging the competitive nature of the dance scene at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Cake walkers may come, cake walkers may go,
There may be many cake walkers who come and go, but there's a couple I want to talk to you about.
But I wanna tell you 'bout a couple I know;
I want to introduce you to a specific couple.
High steppin' pair,
This couple is known for their high-stepping moves.
Debonair,
They are stylish and charming.
When it comes for bus'ness not a soul can compare!
In terms of dancing ability, no one can match them.
Here they come,
They're making their entrance.
Look at 'em demonstratin',
They're showing off their moves.
Goin' some,
They're really going at it with their dance moves.
Ain't they syncopatin'!
Their dance moves are rhythmically complex and unique.
Talk o' the town,
Everyone is talking about them.
Teasin' brown,
They are teasing and having fun while dancing.
Pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down.
Their moves are fast and precise as they pick up their feet and lay them back down in quick succession.
Dancin' fools, ain't they demonstratin'
They may seem foolish, but when they dance they truly shine.
They're a class of their own!
They can't be compared to anyone else because they are truly unique.
Now the only way to win is to cheat 'em,
If you want to beat them, you have to cheat because they are unbeatable otherwise.
You may tie 'em but you'll never beat 'em!
Even if you manage to tie them, you still won't come out as the winner because they are just that good.
Strut your stuff,
Show off what you've got.
They're cake walkin' babies from home.
They are experts at cake walking, a dance style that originated in the American South by African Americans.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CLARENCE WILLIAMS, CHRIS SMITH, HENRY TROY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vpo2g2
They should start every session of Congress with this......we'd have a better nation.
@andrewbarrett1537
vpo2g2 Yeah man!!!
@jazzguy1927
An old jazz magazine from the 1940’s and 1950’s had a poll of the greatest jazz record of all time and this record won the poll by a landslide. Got twice as many votes as the number two choice.
@fillra
Eva Taylor with Clarence Williams' Blue Five, January 8, 1925, New York, NY Taylor, Eva (Vocal) Armstrong, Louis (Cornet) Irvis, Charlie (Trombone) Bechet, Sidney (Soprano Sax) Williams, Clarence (Piano) Christian, Buddy (Banjo) Written by Eva's husband, Clarence Williams. Hot stuff. Pops is Tops. A fortnight earlier, Armstrong and Bechet recorded the same tune with the Red Onion Jazz Babies, featuring Alberta Hunter & C.Todd on vocals. (from the michaelminn/armstrong discography.)
@Palewriter
The singer here is definitely Eva Taylor. I was lucky enough to see her perform live at a jazz club (Stampen) in Stockholm in 1976, just a year before she passed away. This tiny old lady had to be assisted up on stage by two big "handlers," but then belted it out like a trooper. She never missed a beat. They don't make them like that anymore.
@frederickgriffith7004
You are absolutely right.I know she cut quite a few sides with the brilliant Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Clarence Williams.I distinctly remember my maternal grandparents playing these original 78s on two still playable wind up Victrolas on special occasions.Usually each year of their wedding anniversary.They were married in 1926.He was 19.She was 21.They especially loved Louis Armstrong because he was from New Orleans also.I am sure this recording was made in 1925.Both of them were Jazz Hounds.Lol they were still kicking it up on their 70th wedding anniversary in 1996.I remember two other titles with Eva Taylor and this outstanding trio.PICKANINNY ROSE and OF ALL THE WRONG YOU DONE TO ME.Oops i can't forget PAPA DE DA DA.
@rickos1915
This is the definitive version. Played on a great system it can't help but make you hope to live to one hundred.
@genesbeans
One of the great, maybe the greatest.
@martinnelson8382
These are without doubt the two greatest soloists of their generation. Just imagine Bach and Handel jamming together, or how it would sound if Clapton and Hendrix had managed to record something.
The difference is that this actually happened. Wow.
@j.w.2391
Im 400 ! Woke this morning, thinking how I havent early this piece of ages. Only the truest of hardcore Early BLACK Jazz aficionados can appreciate this this. And I see a fair amount do. Love the way Louis and the whole orchestra just let's it rip loose at :40 in.