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.
Jerry
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Great God almighty was the workin' man's friend
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
I gotta pull this timber 'fore the sun go down
Headed cross that river 'fore the [bad word] 'round
Drag it on down that dusty [bad word] on Jerry let's tote that load
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Did you hear about Jerry,
Well my old Jerry is a crkansas mule
Been everywhere and he ain't no fool
Work get heavy old Jerry get slow
Pull so much he won't pull no mo'
Cry timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Well the boss kicked Jerry and he made him jump
Jerry ridin' kick that boss on [bad word] My old Jerry is a good old mule
Had-a been me Lord, I'd a kill that fool
Cry timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Well the boss tried to shoot old Jerry in the head
Jerry ducked the bullet and he stomped him dead
Stomped that boss 'til I wanted to scream
Should-a killed him 'cause he's so [bad word] mean
Cry timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "Jerry" tell the story of a working man's friend named Jerry. The repetition of the phrase "Did you hear about Jerry" emphasizes the significance of this character. The lyrics describe Jerry as a reliable and hardworking individual who is respected by the working class. The line "Great God almighty was the workin' man's friend" further underscores Jerry's importance.
The song highlights Jerry's role in pulling timber. The lyrics depict him as a strong and reliable Arkansas mule, capable of handling heavy loads. However, as the work gets tougher, Jerry begins to slow down and eventually stops pulling altogether. This change is reflected in the line "Pull so much he won't pull no mo'."
The lyrics also depict a conflict between Jerry and the boss. The boss mistreats Jerry, kicking him and trying to shoot him. Jerry retaliates by kicking the boss and ultimately stomping him to death. This violent act is portrayed as a reaction to the boss's cruelty and meanness.
Overall, "Jerry" is a song that celebrates the resilience and strength of a working-class hero who stands up against mistreatment. It portrays Jerry as a symbol of empowerment for the working class, someone who fights back against injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you hear about Jerry,
Have you heard the news about Jerry?
Great God almighty was the workin' man's friend
Jerry was a great help and support to the working class
I gotta pull this timber 'fore the sun go down
I need to move this timber before it gets dark
Headed cross that river 'fore the [bad word] 'round
Going to cross the river before it becomes dangerous
Drag it on down that dusty [bad word] on Jerry let's tote that load
Pull the timber down the rough road with Jerry's help
Well my old Jerry is a crkansas mule
Jerry is a reliable mule from Arkansas
Been everywhere and he ain't no fool
Jerry has traveled far and is experienced
Work get heavy old Jerry get slow
Jerry slows down when the work becomes too difficult
Pull so much he won't pull no mo'
Jerry has reached his limit and can no longer pull
Cry timber, timber, Lord this timber's gotta roll
Declare that the timber needs to be moved urgently
Well the boss kicked Jerry and he made him jump
The boss kicked Jerry and startled him
Jerry ridin' kick that boss on [bad word]
Jerry retaliated by kicking the boss in a sensitive area
My old Jerry is a good old mule
Jerry is a reliable and trustworthy mule
Had-a been me Lord, I'd a kill that fool
If it were me, I would have killed that foolish boss
Well the boss tried to shoot old Jerry in the head
The boss attempted to shoot Jerry in the head
Jerry ducked the bullet and he stomped him dead
Jerry dodged the bullet and then trampled the boss to death
Stomped that boss 'til I wanted to scream
Jerry continued to stomp the boss relentlessly
Should-a killed him 'cause he's so [bad word] mean
He should have killed the boss because he was extremely cruel
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rozwyatt
This amazing singer, Miss Jewel Brown still performs and she is still a joy to hear even at 79 years old. Her voice is still awesome and she's an old school, "command the stage" singer. She tells wonderful stories about her her travels all over the world with Louis Armstrong.
Juliana Barrera
Increíble... Me dejó sin palabras...
kitchudub
Para todos, que magia!!! que viva el oldschool!!!
João Perigo
Que fenomeno......Deusa!!!!
Paul Gleitman
Wonderful,just wonderful.Different from the more known Harry Belafonte version.Marvellous !!!!!
JingoLoBa57
Awesome mates. Thanks for posting. A classic make ya wriggle!
Leonard Orji Offor
Waoh what a wonderful and amazing singer Jewel Brown were back in the days, I love everything about her singing and presentation
Welsba
Ridiculously amazing.
JazzmanBerlin
Jewel Brown is her name, one of the few videos of this lovely singer with the "All-Stars" of Satchmo. Great performance, a wonderful concert in Australia. I enjoy this, thanks for posting.
Patrick Dobeson
awesome!