Autobiographies armstrong became the first black jazz musician to publish an autobiography with his swing that music in 1936. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout makes for very good reading, at least for most of its almost 400 pages 475 with source notes and index. He knocked the beatles off the top of the charts, wrote the finest of all jazz autobiographies without a collaborator and created collages that have been compared to the art of romare bearden. Drawing on newly available primary sources, he weaves together a biography that is both illuminating and inspirational. Product description louis armstrong was the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century and a giant of modern american culture. He was when he celebrated the new year by running out on the street and firing a pistol that belonged to the current man in his mothers life. Terry teachout discusses his biography of jazz musician louis armstrong and his impact on the world. Louis armstrong loved the kids in his corona queens neighborhood. A life of louis armstrong paperback third place books. Louis armstrongs museum has gone silent, but pops is still. Product description louis armstrong was the greatest jazz musician of the twe. After all, i told myself, i played trumpet for a third of my life, have been a fan of jazz for nearly four decades, and actually own several albums of armstrong s solo and collaborative works.
At the colored waifs home for boys, he learned to play the bugle and. Offstage he was witty, introspective and unexpectedly complex, a beloved colleague with an explosive temper whose largerthanlife personality was tougher and more sharpedged than his worshipping fans ever knew. Louis armstrong is one of the most writtenabout musicians in history. Teachout delivers an entertaining yet factually rigid biography of louis armstrong, putting the past controversies in perspective, and codifying his life into a fairly straightforward whole. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout houghton mifflin harcourt, bostonnew york, 2009. That record infuses pops, a new biography of the jazz great. Pops advances armstrong scholarship, but not by leaps and bounds. Armstrongs contributions to jazz, pop culture, and breaking the color barrier are well told in a crisp, clean prose. This event was hosted by politics and prose in washington, dc. King of jazz famous african americans if i only had a horn. The genius of louis armstrong, and offering a stern rebuttal of james lincoln colliers patronizing 1983 book, louis. The book has revelations for those unfamiliar with armstrongs life and career.
Paperback 1072010 hardcover, large print, large print 512010. Louis armstrong was born on august 4, 1901, in new orleans, louisiana, u. Pops tells the life story of jazz great louis armstrong. Pops is a comprehensive life of the great man, leavened by much recent research on armstrong, and by newly accessible material created by him, both on tape and paper. Pops, terry teachouts biography of louis armstrong does that. According to that record, louis armstrong was born on august 4, 1901, the natural son of william armstrong known as willie, who spent most of his adult life working in a turpentine factory, and mary ann albert known as mayann, though her son spelled it different ways over the years, a fifteenyearold country girl who came to new orleans to. Despite his incalculable contributions to american culture, there has never been a fully adequate narrative biography of louis armstrong. Terry teachout has written an amazing biography of new orleans native son louis armstrong. With the skill of a fine writer, the accuracy of a fine journalist and the sensitivity of a musician all of which he is he approaches louis armstrong s innovative musical talent within the context of americas history. Several years ago, i gave a talk on the importance of male friendship to a group of high school seniors at a prestigious allmale school. Louis armstrongs museum has gone silent, but pops is. A life of louis armstrong, i tell the story of a beloved giant of jazz whose greathearted, largerthanlife personality shone through every record he made.
Louis in the late fifties an embarrassment, and, like me, wishes that ellington and armstrong had made more out of their one outing together, when all that happened was that ellington sat in on piano with louiss allstars. It is true that louis armstrongs fascinating story. Composed by armstrong, with, as teachout conjectures, assistance from his pianoplaying wife, lil, barbecue was brought to life at a monumental 1927 record session by armstrongs hot 5 ensemble. A life of louis armstrong journal of american history. Seemingly each passing year brings a new book on armstrong, ranging from general biographies to academic studies to works aimed at children.
Pops tells the story of his entire life from cradle to grave. He knocked the beatles off the top of the charts, wrote the finest of all jazz autobiographies and created collages that have been compared to the art of romare bearden. An extravagant life and armstrongs own indispensable satchmo, pops provides significant insights, but its unabashedly fawning tone and lack of spark prevent it from being definitive. Apr, 2020 in life, louis armstrong was affectionately known as pops, the alwayssmiling crowdpleaser whose trumpet and sandpaper voice dominated popular culture for half a century. Louis armstrong was a jazz louis armstrong was a jazz. With pops, his eloquent and important new biography of armstrong, the critic and cultural historian terry teachout restores this jazzman to his deserved place in the pantheon of american artists, building upon gary giddinss excellent 1988 study, satchmo. A life of louis armstrong louis armstrong was both a great artist and a popular success. The famous birthdate of july 4th 1900 pops is billed as the first biography of armstrong written by a musician terry teachout is the drama critic for the wall street journal.
Louis armstrong was a black man born at the turn of the century in the poorest quarter of new orleans, who, by the end of his life, was known and loved in every corner of the earth, terry teachout writes near the beginning of pops, the new biography of armstrong that doesnt completely tarnish the notion of the well loved armstrong, but. Dec 06, 2009 despite his incalculable contributions to american culture, there has never been a fully adequate narrative biography of louis armstrong. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout jazztimes. The louis armstrong story with reno wilson on apple.
It is true that louis armstrongs fascinating story, from his impoverished childhood in new orleans to his incredible achievement as a jazz innovator to his later success as a pop star and movie actor, has been covered in whole or in part by many other works, including james lincoln colliers. Mar 18, 2012 before long, however, this work tool became a plaything and, a couple of generations later, a treasure trove for terry teachout, author of the new and compelling biography pops. He played jazz professionally before becoming a a fulltime. Louis armstrong what a wonderful world original spoken. Terry teachout modestly describes pops as a synthesis of other scholars research p. Nov 29, 2009 the book has revelations for those unfamiliar with armstrongs life and career. If we subscribe to the theory that there should be at least one book on armstrong every decade, then this thoroughly researched tome is the one for the 2010s.
Over his lifetime, he became one of the most recognizable personalities on the planet. In life, louis armstrong was affectionately known as pops, the alwayssmiling crowdpleaser whose trumpet and sandpaper voice dominated popular culture for half a century. Taken alongside laurence bergreens louis armstrong. He knocked the beatles off the top of the charts, wrote the finest. Louis armstrong was both a great artist and a popular success. Apr 07, 2010 terry teachout discusses his biography of jazz musician louis armstrong and his impact on the world. Those recordings served as the basis for terry teachouts new biography of the legendary musician, pops. He helped create that most american of music genres. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout louis armstrong goes for a stroll with a pet schnauzer and neighborhood kids in queens in 1970. Of all louis armstrongs records, this is the one i love best. May 29, 2019 from a dirtpoor boy raised amid the hustlers, pimps, and whores of turn of thecentury new orleans, louis armstrong mastered his music and became a figure larger than life.
Pops by terry teachout houghton mifflin harcourt 512 pp. With his great sensitivity, technique, and capacity to express emotion, armstrong led in the development of jazz into a fine art. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout popmatters. A life of louis armstrong houghton mifflin harcourt. Louis armstrong biography childhood, life achievements. Programs happen on the corona armstrong campus and beyond. From a dirtpoor boy raised amid the hustlers, pimps, and whores of turnofthecentury new orleans, louis armstrong mastered his music and became a figure larger than life. A life of louis armstrong houghton mifflin harcourt, 2009. Louis armstrong was an american jazz trumpeter and singer who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. At the colored waifs home for boys, he learned to play the bugle and the clarinet and joined the homes brass band. His father abandoned the family when louis was young, and his mother often had to resort to prostitution to provide for the family. Louis armstrong is widely known as the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century. A life of louis armstrong by terry teachout goodreads.
A life of louis armstrong hardcover third place books. Wall street journal arts columnist terry teachout has drawn on new. In reading pops, i figured that i was going to fill in some of the few gaps of my personal knowledge of louis armstrong. Pops 21st century kids is the way we continue to insure that his music, life story and legacy inspire and impact a diverse generation of young people and their families who might be unfamiliar with his music, his rise to world fame, and his artistic legacy. Louis armstrong, the leading trumpeter and one of the most influential artists in jazz history.
Before long, however, this work tool became a plaything and, a couple of generations later, a treasure trove for terry teachout, author of the new and compelling biography pops. In pops, his solid if atypically cautious biography of louis armstrong, terry teachout doesnt make too much of struttin with some barbecue. Terry teachout talked about his biography of louis armstrong called pops. Louis armstrong was the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century and a giant of modern american culture. He was also a bandleader, singer, film star, and comedian. The genius of louis armstrong, and offering a stern rebuttal of james lincoln colliers. He was a phenomenally gifted and imaginative artist, and an entertainer so irresistibly magnetic that he knocked the beatles off the top of the charts four decades after he cut his first record. With the skill of a fine writer, the accuracy of a fine journalist and the sensitivity of a musician all of which he is he approaches louis armstrongs innovative musical talent within the context of americas history. Teachout believes that few outside the jazzstudies world recognize armstrongs talent as a writer he was the. After all, i told myself, i played trumpet for a third of my life, have been a fan of jazz for nearly four decades, and actually own several albums of armstrongs solo and collaborative works.
Hardcover 1212009 hardcover, large print, large print 512010. Terry teachout is the drama critic of the wall street journal and the chief culture critic of commentary. Louis armstrong grew up poor in a singleparent household. Dec 17, 2009 teachout delivers an entertaining yet factually rigid biography of louis armstrong, putting the past controversies in perspective, and codifying his life into a fairly straightforward whole. Louis armstrong was one of the most important musicians in american history. Dec 02, 2009 according to that record, louis armstrong was born on august 4, 1901, the natural son of william armstrong known as willie, who spent most of his adult life working in a turpentine factory, and. The ranks of his admirers included johnny cash, jackson pollock and orson welles.
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