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.
Lucky Old Sun
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
Fuss with my woman toil for my kids
Sweat 'til I'm wrinkled and gray
While that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
Tears all in my eyes
Send down that cloud with a silver linin'
Lift me to paradise
Show me that river
Take me across and wash all my troubles away
Like that lucky old sun, give me nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
Up in the mornin' out on the job,
Work like the devil for my pay
But that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
Fuss with my woman toil for my kids
Sweat 'til I'm wrinkled and gray
While that lucky old sun has nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
Good Lawd above, can't you know I'm pinin'
Tears all in my eyes
Send down that cloud with a silver linin'
Lift me to paradise
Show me that river
Take me across and wash all my troubles away
Like that lucky old sun, give me nothin' to do
But roll around heaven all day
The lyrics of "Lucky Old Sun" by Louis Armstrong express the feeling of a man who is tired of working hard every day and doesn't feel appreciated. He wakes up in the morning and goes to work, but he sees the sun rolling around free in heaven with nothing to do, while he has to work hard to get by. He works hard to take care of his family, but it seems like he is never able to get ahead. He looks up to the sky and asks God to send him a sign, something to lift him up and take away the burdens of his daily life. He longs for a better place, a paradise where he can roll around with the sun in heaven all day.
The song is a reflection of the struggles that people face on a daily basis, especially those who work in jobs that don't pay enough or don't fulfill them. It's a cry for help, a call for something to give the singer a reason to keep going in life. The song is a reminder that even though life can be tough, there is always hope for something better. The imagery of the sun rolling around in heaven all day is a powerful symbol of freedom and joy, and the singer longs to join it in its carefree existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in the mornin' out on the job, work like the devil for my pay
I wake up early and go to work where I work very hard for my salary.
But that lucky old sun has nothin' to do But roll around heaven all day
The sun does not have to work, it can just move around the sky all day with nothing to worry about.
Fuss with my woman toil for my kids Sweat 'til I'm wrinkled and gray
I constantly worry and work hard for my family, to ensure they have everything they need, even if it takes a toll on me.
While that lucky old sun has nothin' to do But roll around heaven all day
Meanwhile, the sun has no responsibilities or worries like mine, it just rolls around the sky without any worries.
Good Lawd above, can't you know I'm pinin' Tears all in my eyes
Oh dear God, can't you see how much I am struggling? I am so sad, it makes me cry.
Send down that cloud with a silver linin' Lift me to paradise
I am wishing for a way out of my struggles and hoping for a change to a better, happier place.
Show me that river Take me across and wash all my troubles away
I am hoping to find a solution to all of my problems and to be taken away from my struggles and washed clean.
Like that lucky old sun, give me nothin' to do But roll around heaven all day
I wish to be carefree like the sun without any worries or responsibilities, and just enjoy life all day every day.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mystii
He was the best trumpet player, and blues singer I've heard. May he rest in peace! 😭
HelenaVanCity
"Born poor, died rich, and never hurt anyone along the way." Don't remember who said it, but darn well said! I love you, Louis!!!!!
Josh .Mizruchi
Duke Ellington said that if I recall correctly.
Debra Taylor
I got a red persoan cat years AGO and named him Satchmo. He is now with his namesake. O how I luved my beautiful cat and Louis. Btw. I took really good care of my Satchmo. He lived til almost 19
Dave Marowitz
@Josh .Mizruchi Yes, it was Duke Ellington who said that.
jwmc41
Yes and worked hard all his life with humility and dignity.
HelenaVanCity
@jwmc41 Absolutely!
tafi mutekwe
Louis Armstrong's version of this timeless classic is up there with the very best versions performed.
tubeboob
i know it, incredible
lindsey607
No doubt about that Boss.