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
Louis Armstrong's "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy" is a jazzy and upbeat song that tells the story of a man, who has just arrived in a new town and wants to make himself known. The lyrics start by highlighting how nobody in the town knew him since he had just arrived and claims that his home was located in a small village not too far away. He then introduces himself as a "Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas" and boasts about his identity and capabilities.
Throughout the rest of the song, the singer introduces different personas or aspects of his personality, such as being a "clean cut fellow," "ping pong papa," "popcorn popper," "jug jugglin' Jasper," and "honey dippin' daddy." He also mentions the women in his life, such as "gal called Katie," "whiz-bang momma," "big blonde baby from Peanut Prairie," and "hard hearted baby." The chorus is repeated throughout the song, and the singer invites the listeners to witness his skills and abilities confidently.
The song is a fun, playful, and upbeat tune that showcases Armstrong's ability to create a cheerful mood using his voice and the instrumentation. The lyrics are humorous, and the constant repetition of the chorus with an added twist keeps the song interesting and engaging.
Line by Line Meaning
I reckon you all don't know me at all
I don't think any of you know who I am
I just got here today
I arrived in town today, I'm new here
My home is way down in a little town
I come from a small town far away
It's not so far away
It's not too far from here
Everybody for miles around
Everyone in my hometown
Calls me by my name
Knows me by name
Now that I am in your fair town
Since I'm in your town now
You must do the same
You should call me by my name too
For I'm a
Because I am a
Ding dong daddy from Dumas
Someone who struts their stuff and represents the town of Dumas as an outgoing person who loves to party and have fun
You ought to see me do my stuff
You should see me show off my skills and personality
I'm a clean cut fellow from Horner's Corner
I am a neat and polite person from Horner's Corner
Your ought to see me strut
You should see me walk with confidence and style
I'm a caper cuttin' cutie
I am a funny and energetic person
Got a gal called Katie
I have a girlfriend named Katie
She's a little heavy laden but I call her "Baby"
She's a little overweight but I still call her baby as a term of endearment
I'm a ping pong papa from Pitch Fork Prairie
I'm from Pitch Fork Prairie and I love to play ping pong
I'm a ding dong daddy
I am a fun-loving and outgoing person
Got a whiz bang momma
I have a cool girlfrined
She's a Bear Creek baby and a wampus kitty
She's from Bear Creek and is feisty and fun
I'm a popcorn popper and a big apple knocker
I love to cook popcorn and like to knock apples
I'm a mamma makin' man
I love attractive women
And I just made Mary
I just started dating a girl named Mary
She's a big blonde baby from Peanut Prairie
Mary is a tall, blonde woman from Peanut Prairie
I'm a peach-pie papa from Jackson's Hollow
I am from Jackson's Hollow and love peach pie
I'm a honey dippin' daddy
I love women and dating
Got a hard hearted baby
I am dating a tough and independent woman
She's a sheik shakin' Sheba but she can't shake me
She's a cool girl but I am not easily affected by her behavior
I'm a jug jugglin' Jasper
I love juggling jugs and am from Flat Fork Flats
I'm a corn-huskin' huskie
I enjoy husking corn
Got a gal called Cleta
I am dating a girl named Cleta
She's a flip flop flapper
She loves to dance and have fun
But her brains are in her fee
She's not very smart
I'm a cider sipper
I love to drink cider
From Corn Cob Center
I am from Corn Cob Center
I'm a high powered papa
I am a powerful man who knows what he wants
Got a gal called Susie
I am dating a girl named Susie
She's a fast movin' mamma
She's always on the run
But she can't love me, 'cause
But she can't love me because
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