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.
When the Saints Go Marchin
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of those who've gone before
But we'll all be reunited
On a new and sunlit shore
O when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
And when the sun begins to shine
And when the sun begins to shine
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed
When the revelation comes
When the revelation comes
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in
Louis Armstrong’s song, “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In" pays tribute to those who came before us, those saints who have left their footsteps for the current generation to follow. The song speaks to the hope of reuniting with those who have passed on, on a new and sunlit shore. The song also touches on the themes of revelation and redemption, longing for the day when the new world will be revealed, and justice will be served. The repetition of the lyrics, “O Lord, I want to be in that number” appears several times, emphasizing the desire to be among those who will march in the procession of saints when the trumpet sounds.
The song was originally a gospel hymn, an adaptation of a traditional African American spiritual. However, over time, it has been performed by various artists across different genres, including Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. The song has become an anthem of sorts, often played at funerals, parades, and sporting events. Additionally, the song has a strong connection to New Orleans, where it is often played during funerals and political rallies.
Line by Line Meaning
We are traveling in the footsteps
We are following the path of those who have come before us
Of those who've gone before
Of the people who have already passed away
But we'll all be reunited
But we will all come together again
On a new and sunlit shore
In a new and bright place
O when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the holy people come together
When the saints go marching in
When the holy people come together
O Lord, I want to be in that number
Oh Lord, I want to be among them
And when the sun begins to shine
And when everything becomes brighter
When the sun begins to shine
When everything becomes brighter
O when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the holy people come together
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon becomes bloody red
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon becomes bloody red
On that hallelujah day
On that joyful day
On that hallelujah day
On that joyful day
O when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh, when the trumpet is blown
O when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh, when the trumpet is blown
Some say this world of trouble
Some people think this world is full of difficulties
Is the only one we need
Is the only world we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
But I am waiting for that day
When the new world is revealed
When a new and better world is revealed
When the revelation comes
When the moment of truth arrives
When the revelation comes
When the moment of truth arrives
When the rich go out and work
When wealthy people start working hard
When the rich go out and work
When wealthy people start working hard
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is clean and fresh
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is clean and fresh
When we all have food to eat
When we all have enough food to eat
When we all have food to eat
When we all have enough food to eat
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders become more empathetic
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders become more empathetic
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRED MCDOWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BuddyBrownMusic
He truly was and is the spirit of New Orleans. God Bless this legend!
@peaceman4u
Buddy Brown u ain't lying
@troyandrew6154
Buddy Brown new Orleans? I'd say all of Louisiana
@rosettaquartz6012
Troy Andrew Yea!
@WilhelmWilder
Even though the man who wrote it was from arkansas
@TheModShopCO
Garrett Baker he, meaning Louis Armstrong. Forget this particular song, Louis is the embodiment of Louisiana Soul.
@hicow6075
The woman singing along side Louis is Jewel Brown. She's still alive at 85 years old and is very well renowned within the jazz and blues world as a singer!
@joecox6931
Thanks for that information......she is wonderful ......💎💎💎
@williammallory5553
Old Satchmo was a slick old dog. Lol
@user-nt1ik5tm7y
Thank you so much. Leon