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.
Weary Blues
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I know that you're the one to blame
When you broke my heart and made me cry
I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
Weary blues have made me cry
Well, these weary blues I'm gonna bid goodbye
I know, I won't forget you but I'll try
Well, I know that things won't be the same
And I know that you're the one to blame
When you broke my heart and made me cry
I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
Weary blues have made me cry
Well, these weary blues I am gonna bid goodbye
I know, I won't forget you but I'll try
I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "Weary Blues" reflect the pain of a heartbroken man who has been left by the person he loved. He acknowledges that things will never be the same again, and that the person who caused him this heartbreak is the one to blame. The song is a farewell to the blues that have made him cry and suffer. He knows that he won't be able to forget the person who hurt him, but he will try to let go of the pain and bid his weary blues goodbye.
The lyrics convey a sense of acceptance and determination to move on from the pain of heartbreak. The reference to "weary blues" is a metaphor for the emotional exhaustion caused by the pain and suffering of a broken heart. The repetition of the phrase "I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye" emphasizes the importance of letting go of the past and moving forward.
Louis Armstrong's "Weary Blues" is not only a reflection on lost love, but also a tribute to the unique sound of blues music. The song is considered a classic example of the blues genre, which originated in African American communities in the Southern United States. The combination of melancholic lyrics and soulful music became a defining characteristic of the blues.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I know that things won't be the same
I am aware that my life has changed and will never be like it was before.
And I know that you're the one to blame
I acknowledge that you are responsible for the pain and suffering I feel.
When you broke my heart and made me cry
Your actions shattered me emotionally and caused me to weep.
I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
I will no longer allow my melancholic feelings to control my life.
Weary blues have made me cry
My saddened state of mind has brought tears to my eyes.
I know, I won't forget you but I'll try
I am aware that forgetting you is not possible, but I will endeavor to move forward.
You know I am gonna bid my weary blues goodbye
I am declaring that I am ready to let go of my despondency and embrace a more positive outlook on life.
Well, these weary blues I'm gonna bid goodbye
I am determined to release the emotional pain that has burdened me for far too long.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE CATES, MORT GREENE, ARTIE MATTHEWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trygve Hernæs
The transfer is State Of The Art, the best I have heard, and the pressing is brilliant. The music is outstanding. No one matches Armstrong. Interesting to see the label indicates Hot Five, when The Hot Seven is actually performing.
Miguel Leiton
Desde nlño,allá por 1950 éste Blues acompañó mis horas de inicio en la música de Jazz...Gracias !!!!
Larry R.
This is great! If you ever watch the John Sayles movie EIGHT MEN OUT, the Mason Daring soundtrack is inspired by this style of jazz. The score during the World Series games (when the Sox are winning) sounds exactly like this!
Mick Carlon
Johnny Dodds was always magnificent, too.
bill291212
I’ve been DVRing Ed Sullivan shows on METV and saw Armstrong on a 1965 show and I needed to hear when he was rocking like the Stones were earlier in the show. We all lose it a little, we all become caricatures
Stellan Öbert
Very good sound! It has not beeing played much?
kerry fwolfe
Kid Ory and Lil Hardin and Baby Dodds also ! This jazz at it's very best !
Ken Milne
NB This is not Kid Ory as on the Hot Five sessions, but one John Thomas. He's OK, but I prefer Kid Ory.
MrJimmienoone
That sounds as if Armstrong had switched back to cornet from trumpet for a change. He did that occasionally.
Sophia N
Just a head’s up, these photos are VERY anachronistic to the music. The song is from the late 1920’s, the photos are anywhere from the 1870’s-1890’s.