Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, … Read Full Bio ↴Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
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.

Gypsy
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

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In a quaint caravan
There's a lady they call the Gypsy
She can look in the future
And drive away all your fears

Everything will go right
If you only believe the Gypsy
She could tell at a glance

That my heart was so full of tears

She looked at my hand and told me
My lover was always true
Then all at once I knew, dear
Somebody else was kissing you

But I'll go there again
'Cause I want to believe the Gypsy
That my lover is true
And will come back to me someday

She looked at my hand and told me
My lover was always true
Then all at once I knew, dear
Somebody else was kissing you

But I'll go there again
'Cause I got to believe the Gypsy
That my lover is true
And will come back to me someday

That my lover is true
And will come back to me someday

Overall Meaning

Louis Armstrong's song The Gypsy is a melancholic ballad that tells the story of a man seeking comfort from a Gypsy lady who possesses the gift of being able to look into the future. They meet in a small and cosy caravan, where the Gypsy reassures the man, telling him that everything will be all right if he believes in her. Despite the man's doubts and inner turmoil, the Gypsy convinces him that his lover is true and will eventually come back to him. However, as the song progresses, the man discovers that his lover is unfaithful, and someone else is kissing her.

The song's lyrics embody a sense of longing and heartache that is made even more poignant by Armstrong's heartfelt voice. The Gypsy is portrayed as a figure of wisdom and comfort, offering solace to those who seek her assistance. However, despite her ability to predict the future, she cannot change it, and the man is left with the harsh truth that his lover has moved on.

The song's melody is simple and evocative, and Armstrong's performance is both tender and unforgettable. The Gypsy is a song about the fleeting nature of love and the inevitability of heartbreak. Armstrong's masterful performance and its haunting lyrics combine to form an enduring masterpiece that continues to resonate with listeners over eight decades since its release.

Line by Line Meaning

In a quaint caravan
There is a simple, charming home on wheels

There's a lady they call the Gypsy
There is a woman known for her ability to see the future

She can look in the future
She possesses the power to see what is yet to come

And drive away all your fears
She can dispel your worries and concerns

Everything will go right
If you trust in the Gypsy, life will be good

If you only believe the Gypsy
If you have faith in her divination

She could tell at a glance
She could tell easily and quickly

That my heart was so full of tears
That I was deeply saddened

She looked at my hand and told me
She examined my palm and informed me

My lover was always true
My partner was steadfast and loyal to me

Then all at once I knew, dear
Suddenly I understood, my love

Somebody else was kissing you
Someone else was sharing intimate moments with you

But I'll go there again
I will return to consult with the Gypsy once more

'Cause I want to believe the Gypsy
Because I wish to trust her vision

That my lover is true
That my darling remains devoted

And will come back to me someday
And will one day return to my loving arms

That my lover is true
That my beloved is trustworthy

And will come back to me someday
And shall one day return to my side

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Reid

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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