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 Walking BabiesFrom Home
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 of "Cake Walking Babies From Home" by Louis Armstrong & The Red Onion Jazz Babies speak about a highly skilled couple of cake walkers who are unmatched in their ability to do business. Cake walking was a form of dance that originated in the American South in the late 19th century, and it was popular among African Americans. The dance move involved exaggerated leg and foot movements, and couples would compete in dance contests known as cake walks. In the song, the high-stepping, debonair couple are described as going some and syncopating, or exaggerating the rhythm of the music, and picking them up and laying them down, which could refer to their skillful leg movements.
The lyrics also suggest that the cake walkers are the talk of the town and are teasing the audience, which may be made up of predominantly white people. The final verse of the song implies that the only way to win against the cake walking babies is to cheat them, but tying them would not be enough. The concluding lines of the song urge listeners to strut their stuff like the cake walking babies from home, suggesting that their skill and confidence is something to be emulated.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a celebration of the black cultural form of cake walking and the skill and prowess of those who performed it. It also hints at the racial tension that existed in American society at the time, with the cake walking babies portrayed as confident and skilled performers who are nevertheless vulnerable to cheating by others.
Line by Line Meaning
Cake walkers may come, cake walkers may go,
Cake walk dancers may appear and disappear,
But I wanna tell you 'bout a couple I know;
Let me tell you about a particular dancing couple that I am familiar with;
High steppin' pair,
They are a dancing couple who take big steps;
Debonair,
They have a sophisticated and charming style;
When it comes for bus'ness not a soul can compare!
No one can compete with their dance skills!
Here they come,
Here they come,
Look at 'em demonstratin',
Watch their impressive demonstration,
Goin' some,
They are moving energetically,
Ain't they syncopatin'!
Aren't they brilliant at syncopation!
Talk o' the town,
Everyone is talking about them,
Teasin' brown,
The female partner is teasing her male partner,
Pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down.
They are lifting their feet in a rhythmic style.
Dancin' fools, ain't they demonstratin'
They are crazy for dancing, and their moves are splendid,
They're a class of their own!
They are unmatched in their performance.
Now the only way to win is to cheat 'em,
The only way to defeat them is by cheating,
You may tie 'em but you'll never beat 'em!
Tieing them is achievable, but beating them is impossible!
Strut your stuff,
Show off your skills,
They're cake walkin' babies from home.
But remember, they are the best of cake walkers from their town!
Oh, here they come,
Oh, here they come,
Look at 'em syncopatin',
Behold their syncopation,
Goin' some,
They are moving fast,
Ain't they demonstratin'!
Aren't they impressively demonstrating their talents!
Dancin' fools, ain't they syncopatin'
Indeed, dancing is their passion, and they are the masters of syncopation!
They in a class of their own!
They are unrivaled in their art.
Oh, the only way to win is to cheat 'em,
Oh, one can only defeat them by cheating,
You may tie 'em but you'll never beat 'em!
It's impossible to beat them; tying with them is the furthest you can go!
Strut your stuff,
Display your dancing skills,
Strut your stuff,
Show off your talents,
Cake walkin' babies from home.
Just don't forget that they are the best cake walkers from their hometown!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: 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.