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.
The Preacher
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bing Crosby
They used to call him the preacher, this was true
For, he would preach from his heart, 'bout the only way he knew
He'd stand up there in the pulpit, horn in his hand
And let that melody take you to the Promised land
I played one hymn for the ladies, one for the men
Then I would turn right around and play 'em both again
When they all got to singin' and clappin' hands
I had the swinginest convocation in the land
Gather 'round and hear the Preacher, hear the Preacher, hear the Preacher, Preacher man
Go, Preacher, go!
Go, Preacher, go!
Bing Crosby
Now the sermon was over, he'd leave the town
Louis Armstrong
And travel on to the next to lay his gospel down
Both
So, bow your head and we'll join in one mighty chord
To say a prayer for the Preacher, gone to his reward
Louis Armstrong
Yes, man
The song "The Preacher" is a classic jazz number, which is a tribute to the power of music and the spirit of preaching. The song features two legends in the genre, Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. The lyrics describe a preacher who uses his horn to bring the congregation to a spiritual high. The preacher is described as an expert in delivering his sermon from his heart.
The song opens with the line "Gather 'round and hear the Preacher", which is a call to the congregation to come and listen to the powerful words of the preacher. The line is repeated four times, with an increasing emphasis on the "hear the Preacher" line. The repetition is meant to create a sense of immediacy and excitement, building anticipation for the arrival of the preacher.
The second verse talks about how the preacher uses his horn to create a spiritual mood. The preacher plays hymns for both the ladies and the men and then plays them again. The congregation actively participates by clapping their hands and singing along. The preacher is credited with creating the "swinginest convocation in the land".
The song's chorus encourages the preacher to keep playing his horn and to keep preaching. The repetition of the lines "Go, Preacher, go!" is intended to emphasize the importance of the preacher's message. The final verse pays tribute to the preacher, who travels from town to town, bringing his gospel to the masses.
Overall, "The Preacher" celebrates the power of music to bring people together and heal their souls. The preacher is a symbol of this transformative power, and the song encourages us to listen and be moved by his message.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather 'round and hear the Preacher,
Come one, come all, and listen to the words that the preacher has to say
hear the Preacher,
Take a moment to listen to the voice that brings sermons to life
hear the Preacher,
Listen up! Don't miss out on what the preacher has to share with you
hear the Preacher,
Listen to the preaching of this man who speaks the Word of God
gather 'round and hear Preacher man
Gather around and listen to this man of the cloth who will enlighten you with his sermons
Now the sermon was over, he'd leave the town
After preaching his sermon to all who would listen, the preacher would move on to the next town
And travel on to the next to lay his gospel down
The preacher would travel to the next town to spread his message of the good news
So, bow your head and we'll join in one mighty chord
Let us come together and bow our heads in reverence to honor the memory of the preacher
To say a prayer for the Preacher, gone to his reward
Let us remember the preacher and pray for his soul as he is now with the Lord in eternal peace
Yes, man
Indeed, that's the way it was with the preacher who was loved and respected by all
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world