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: âYou canât play nothing on modern trumpet that doesnât 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.
Rockin' Chair )
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fetch me that gin, son, 'fore I tan your hide
Can't get from this cabin, goin' nowhere
Just set me here grabbin' at the flies 'round this rockin' chair
My dear old aunt Harriet--in Heaven she be
Send me, sweet chariot, for the end of the trouble I see
Old rockin' chair gets it--Judgement Day is here
Old rockin' chair's got me, son, (rocking chair got you, father)
My cane by my side, (Yes, your cane by your side)
Now fetch me a little gin, son (ain't got no gin, father)
What? 'Fore I tan your hide, now, (you're gonna tan my hide)
You know I can't get from this old cabin (What cabin? Joking)
I ain't goin' nowhere (Why ain't you goin' nowhere?)
Just sittin' me here grabbin' (grabbin')
At the flies round this old rockin' chair (rockin' chair)
Now you remember dear old aunt Harriet (aunt Harriet)
How long in Heaven she be? (She's up in Heaven)
Send me down, send me down, sweet (sweet chariot) chariot
End of this trouble I see (I see, daddy)
Old rockin' chair gets it, son (rocking chair get it, father)
Judgement Day is here too (your Judgement Day is here)
Chained to my rockin', old rockin' chair
The lyrics of "A Rockin' Chair" by Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five convey a feeling of being trapped and isolated. The singer is stuck in his cabin with his old rocking chair, unable to go anywhere or do anything. He requests for some gin to ease his frustration but threatens to harm his son if he doesn't comply. He reflects on his mortality, anticipating "Judgement Day" and hoping for his troubles to end.
The mention of the singer's Aunt Harriet who is now in heaven, and his request for a sweet chariot to take him there at the end of his troubles, suggests a kind of resignation to his circumstances. The rocking chair becomes a symbol of his old age, solitude, and impending death. The imagery of the flies buzzing around him also reinforces the feeling of being stagnant and stuck.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Rockin' Chair" paint a vivid picture of a man coming to terms with his isolation and mortality while seeking some kind of solace through companionship or escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Old rockin' chair's got me, son,
The father is trapped and controlled by his old rocking chair.
My cane by my side,
He keeps his cane by his side for support and safety.
Now fetch me a little gin, son
He requests alcohol to alleviate his troubles or pain.
What? 'Fore I tan your hide, now,
He threatens his son with punishment if he doesn't comply with his request.
You know I can't get from this old cabin
He is physically limited and unable to leave his home.
I ain't goin' nowhere
He has no plans or ability to travel or explore outside of his cabin.
Just sittin' me here grabbin' (grabbin')
He is idle and bored, with nothing to do but swat at flies around him.
At the flies round this old rockin' chair
He is surrounded by pests and discomfort in his environment.
Now you remember dear old aunt Harriet
He recalls his past and family members who have passed on.
How long in Heaven she be?
He wonders how long ago his aunt passed away and entered Heaven.
Send me down, send me down, sweet (sweet chariot) chariot
He longs for death to relieve him of his suffering and bring him to a better place.
End of this trouble I see
He believes that death will bring an end to his hardships and problems.
Old rockin' chair gets it, son
He knows that his rocking chair is a symbol of his mortality and eventual death.
Judgement Day is here too
He knows that his time to face judgment and reckon with his deeds is coming.
Chained to my rockin', old rockin' chair
He is bound and trapped by his attachment to his belongings and his physical limitations.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Johnnycdrums
I was unaware of that.
Did Jack Teagarden front a big band for a TV special, or TV series?
I seem to remember something like from my childhood.
Another question; Why don't we ever see Louie Armstrong and Red Allen together?
They both were great and from the same era, and when it comes right down to it, I'll take Red Allen, but then again, I'm not a trumpet man.
On another note; In my opinion, Roy Eldridge of The Gene Krupa Band performed the best version of "Rockin' Chair", by far, but it is an instrumental and because of that fact, does not have the same impact or gravitas of Armstrong and Teagarden, except for me, It's that good.
You appreciate Eldridge more after hearing it sung, although I fell in love with the Roy Eldridge iteration way before hearing Louis and Jack, or Hoagy sing it.
@robertpea124
Two gentlemen who had the utmost respect for each other let us enjoy their duet with pure improvisation. Priceless
@bigchungus2063
Nothing better than Louis and Jack â€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
@paulgibby6932
Epic duo
@bobdillaber1195
I was 16 years old when fate gave me the opportunity to see Louis perform in person at a concert at Notre Dame Univesity. That was in 1956. Something I have never forgotten and never will.
@63Baggies
It's been said by a greater writer than I, that Louis Armstrong was one of the few artists who could record a smile
@wonderwen
So true ! There was such a warmth and joy to his singing ! â€ïž
@Timathos
I read your message 8 years later and it will stick with me the rest of my life. You can definitely hear his smile on my old 78âs
@jameswalton3930
@@Timathos A World treasure, America 's "Kang Louie" R.I.P. Mr. Louis Armstrong, you and Gabriel would be a perfect cutting match. đ
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@Bfdasmith
Beautiful! Thanks!
@knaziringram4589
"You know you don't drink water father..." great song performed by two truly amazing beings