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.
I’m A Ding-Dong Daddy
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just got here today
My home is way down in a little town
It's not so far away
Everybody for miles around
Calls me by my name
Now that I am in your fair town
You must do the same
Ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a clean cut fellow from Horner's Corner
Your ought to see me strut
I'm a caper cuttin' cutie
Got a gal called Katie
She's a little heavy laden but I call her "Baby"
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a ping pong papa from Pitch Fork Prairie
You ought to see me strut
I'm a ding dong daddy
Got a whiz bang momma
She's a Bear Creek baby and a wampus kitty
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a popcorn popper and a big apple knocker
You ought to see me strut
I'm a mamma makin' man
And I just made Mary
She's a big blonde baby from Peanut Prairie
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a peach-pie papa from Jackson's Hollow
You ought to see me strut
I'm a honey dippin' daddy
Got a hard hearted baby
She's a sheik shakin' Sheba but she can't shake me
'Cause I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a jug jugglin' Jasper
From Flat Fork Flats, and
You ought to see me strut
I'm a corn-huskin' huskie
Got a gal called Cleta
She's a flip flop flapper
But her brains are in her fee
Oh, I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
I'm a cider sipper
From Corn Cob Center
You ought to see me strut
I'm a high powered papa
Got a gal called Susie
She's a fast movin' mamma
But she can't love me, 'cause
I'm a ding dong daddy from Dumas
You ought to see me do my stuff
The song "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy in Dumas" is a lively and whimsical tune that showcases Louis Armstrong's ability to improvise and entertain his audience. The song is about a man who arrives in a town called Dumas and proclaims himself a "ding dong daddy," which seems to be a term for a confident and charismatic man who is good at attracting attention. The man goes on to describe himself, boasting about his abilities and his various romantic conquests.
The lyrics are light-hearted and humorous, and they paint a picture of a man who is full of himself but also charming and likable. The song has a catchy and upbeat melody, and it features Louis Armstrong's signature scatting and improvisation, making it an enjoyable and entertaining listen. Overall, the song is a fun and lighthearted tribute to confidence and self-assurance.
Line by Line Meaning
I reckon you all don't know me at all
I'm not well-known here.
I just got here today
I arrived here recently.
My home is way down in a little town
My home is in a smaller town, far from here.
It's not so far away
It's not extremely distant, but it's not close.
Everybody for miles around calls me by my name
I'm very popular and well-known there.
Now that I am in your fair town, you must do the same
Since I'm here now, I expect to be addressed with the same familiarity.
For I'm a Ding dong daddy from Dumas
I'm a confident and proud person from the town of Dumas.
You ought to see me do my stuff
You should observe me showing my swagger.
I'm a clean cut fellow from Horner's Corner
I'm a fashionable man from Horner's Corner with good grooming habits.
You ought to see me strut
You should witness me strutting confidently.
I'm a caper cuttin' cutie
I'm a charming and entertaining man.
Got a gal called Katie
I have a companion named Katie.
She's a little heavy laden but I call her 'Baby'
My partner, despite being overweight, is endearingly called Baby.
I'm a ping pong papa from Pitch Fork Prairie
I'm a ping pong expert from Pitch Fork Prairie.
I'm a ding dong daddy, got a whiz bang momma
I'm a proud and entertaining man, with a flashy partner.
She's a Bear Creek baby and a wampus kitty
My partner has come from Bear Creek, and she's very dynamic and fun-loving.
I'm a popcorn popper and a big apple knocker
I'm a showman who can do numerous intriguing things.
I'm a mamma makin' man, and I just made Mary
I'm skilled at seducing women, and I recently seduced Mary.
She's a big blonde baby from Peanut Prairie
Mary is a large and fair-haired individual from Peanut Prairie.
I'm a peach-pie papa from Jackson's Hollow
I'm an excellent cook of peach pies from Jackson's Hollow.
I'm a honey dippin' daddy, got a hard-hearted baby
I'm a sweet and charming man, but my partner is distant and unfeeling.
She's a sheik shakin' Sheba but she can't shake me
My partner is an expert in seduction, but she can't bewitch me.
I'm a jug jugglin' Jasper from Flat Fork Flats
I'm a skilled jug juggler, and I come from Flat Fork Flats.
I'm a corn huskin' huskie, got a gal called Cleta
I'm a proficient corn husker with a girlfriend named Cleta.
She's a flip flop flapper but her brains are in her feet
My partner is somewhat scatterbrained, with her mind frequently wandering.
I'm a cider sipper from Corn Cob Center
I'm a connoisseur of ciders from Corn Cob Center.
I'm a high-powered papa, got a gal called Susie
I'm an influential and important man with a companion named Susie.
She's a fast-movin' mamma but she can't love me
Susie is a speedy and busy woman, but she doesn't have romantic feelings for me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PHIL BAXTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tangogrrl
It's so great to find this! Our dad sang the lyrics... long before we accidentally found ourselves driving thru Dumas, TX in a tornado studded Griswold - style family road trip, in a station wagon . We thought he made it up!
@rogerofford8601
i love this recording so much-great to hear it one more time
@theblueriverjazzbandmusic2540
One of Louis’s really great ones out of SO many great ones! That SOLO! “Salt Peanuts!!”
@JS-dt1tn
Wow
@bobboscarato1313
Great tune again by Louis and others!!!
@homzymusic
Lawrence Brown sounds great -
@cornellwaters9089
💨 Music!
@iamjuliaboyle
Fall out for you
@marchost8563
my dad, as a famous trumpeter, in the '80 's, wanted to make a double trumpets piece to play togheter, but live decided otherwise 🥲
@marcuscampbell2805
Louis he forget the words