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 Saint Louis Blues
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down
Cause ma baby, he done lef' dis town.
Feelin' tomorrow lak ah feel today,
Feel tomorrow lak ah feel today,
I'll pack my trunk, make ma git away.
Saint Louis woman wid her diamon' rings
'Twant for powder an' for store-bought hair,
De man ah love would not gone nowhere, nowhere.
Got de Saint Louis Blues jes as blue as ah can be.
Dat man got a heart lak a rock cast in the sea.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me. Doggone it!
I loves day man lak a schoolboy loves his pie,
Lak a Kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye.
I'll love ma baby till the day ah die.
Been to de gypsy to get ma fortune tole,
To de gypsy, done got ma fortune tole,
Cause I'm most wile 'bout ma Jelly Roll.
Gypsy done tole me, "Don't you wear no black."
Yes, she done told me, "Don't you wear no black.
Go to Saint Louis, you can win him back."
Help me to Cairo, make Saint Louis by maself,
Git to Cairo, find ma old friend Jeff,
Gwine to pin maself close to his side;
If ah flag his train, I sho' can ride.
Got de Saint Louis Blues jes as blue as ah can be.
Dat man got a heart lak a rock cast in the sea.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me. Doggone it!
I loves day man lak a schoolboy loves his pie,
Lak a Kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye.
I'll love ma baby till the day ah die.
You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine,
Lak he owns de Dimon' Joseph line,
He'd make a cross-eyed o'man go stone blin'.
Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce,
Blackest man in de whole of Saint Louis,
Blacker de berry, sweeter am de juice.
About a crap game, he knows a pow'ful lot,
But when worktime comes, he's on de dot.
Gwine to ask him for a cold ten-spot,
What it takes to git it, he's cert'nly got.
Got de Saint Louis Blues jes as blue as ah can be.
Dat man got a heart lak a rock cast in the sea.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me. Doggone it!
I loves day man lak a schoolboy loves his pie,
Lak a Kentucky Col'nel loves his mint an' rye.
I'll love ma baby till the day ah die.
Extra choruses:
A black-headed gal makes a freight train jump the track, said a black-headed
Gal makes a freight train jump the track,
But a long tall gal makes a preacher ball the jack.
Lawd, a blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town, I said
Blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town,
But a red-headed woman makes a boy slap his papa down.
Oh, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, I said ashes to ashes and dust to dust,
If my blues don't get you, my jazzing must.
Louis Armstrong's "The Saint Louis Blues" is a song about heartbreak and longing. The singer hates to see the evening sun go down because his lover has left town. He feels as though he'll be sad tomorrow just like he is today and decides to leave town. He describes the Saint Louis woman with her diamond rings and how she pulls the man around by her apron strings. He is blue because the man he loves has a heart like a rock cast in the sea.
The singer goes to the gypsy to have her fortune told about his lover, but all she tells him is to not wear black and to go to Saint Louis to win him back. He decides to go to Saint Louis by himself and find his old friend Jeff. He plans to flag his train to get a ride to Saint Louis. He also talks about his lover's features and how he has a powerful knowledge of the crap game. The lyrics also contain extra choruses about different types of women and how they affect men.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see de ev'nin' sun go down,
The sunset makes me sad because my baby left this town.
Feel tomorrow lak ah feel today,
I'll still feel the same tomorrow and pack my trunk to leave.
Saint Louis woman wid her diamon' rings
A woman from St. Louis with lots of jewelry.
'Twant for powder an' for store-bought hair,
It's not her beauty products that keep her man around.
Got de Saint Louis Blues jes as blue as ah can be.
I feel so sad since my man left.
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me. Doggone it!
He wouldn't have left if he truly loved me.
I loves day man lak a schoolboy loves his pie,
I love my man with all my heart and soul.
Been to de gypsy to get ma fortune tole,
I went to a fortune teller to see if I can get my lover back.
Gypsy done tole me, "Don't you wear no black."
The fortune teller told me to avoid wearing black.
Go to Saint Louis, you can win him back."
Go to St. Louis and there's a chance you can win him back.
You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine,
You should see how handsome my man is.
Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce,
He's got very dark complexion and very bright teeth.
About a crap game, he knows a pow'ful lot,
He's very skilled at playing craps and other games.
Got de Saint Louis Blues jes as blue as ah can be.
I still feel sad since my man left.
I'll love ma baby till the day ah die.
I'll love my man forever.
A black-headed gal makes a freight train jump the track,
A black-haired girl is very attractive.
Lawd, a blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town,
Blonde women can be irresistible.
Oh, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, I said ashes to ashes and dust to dust,
Life is fleeting and time is precious.
If my blues don't get you, my jazzing must.
My music will touch your soul.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertmickleburgh1092
My Dad played trombone for Louis on a few occasions when Louis came to England and called Dad up to play and once in Nice jazz festival. He said to Dad ' you play just like my boy Jack' (Teagarden). This comment from Louis was probably the highlight in Dad's jazz career of approximately 70 years. Dad is now 96 and is currently recovering from double pneumonia in hospital with the help of great nursing at Bath Royal United hospital, antibiotics for the body and lashings of Louis being played in his ear for the soul ! Thanks Louis for literally bringing Dad back from the precipis. miracles do happen!
@GReYSTOKE2012
lOUIS SAYS ..YOU'RE WELCOME!
@Django44
Your father could not have had a stronger tribute. God speed his recovery - Pops' music will help him along the way.
@ellenmarysullivan6993
god bless him. hope he is doing better
@vova47
Robert Mickleburgh - High praise indeed! Here's to your father's speedy recovery, Robert!
@stanvanderlugt8271
Great story
@hillbillyhippie4235
63 years old, been enjoying this music for 50 years it does not get any better eh ?
@judithrawlins3732
This is fabulous I am very old now but was a vocalist professionaly Al my life fromthe age of 17 and loved to be able to sing to thislouis Armstrong St Louis I've been in heaven today xxxxx
@Gerardnolan191
Smiles, hi Judith🙂
@VoodooDewey69
Louis is the undisputed King of Jazz.. Everyone needs to go to the french quarter at least once in their life Go down to Jackson square and hear all the brass bands .Theres no place in the world like it ..While your there get a bowl of real Nola gumbo .😎