Louis Armstrong
Biography
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly recognizable deep and distinctive 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 greatly 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 amazing talent in an America that was severely racially divided. It allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a person of color. While he rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, he was privately a huge supporter of the Civil Rights movement in America.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (46)
Deadly Melody
Music (Sound)
2025
Memories
Music (Sound)
2025
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
as Self (archive footage)
2024
Espetáculo
Music (Sound)
2023
Coldplay: Music of the Spheres - Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires
as Self (voice) (archive sound)
2022
The Sound of 007
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Dark Eyes
as Self (archive footage)
2021
Tight Shoes
Compositor (Crew)
2021
Louis Armstrong in Concert
as Self - Performer (archive footage)
2021
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
Songs (Sound)
2019
The Jazz Ambassadors
as Self (archive footage)
2018
Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Jazz Legends in Their Own Words
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Ella and Louis & Ella and Louis Again
as Self
2013
…Sings Musicals
as Self (archive footage)
2012
The Best Of Louis Armstrong: Satchmo At His Best
as Self
2009
Jazz Evolution
as Self - Trumpet
2008
Good Evening Ev'rybody: In Celebration of Louis Armstrong
as Self
2008
Music Inn
as Himself (archive footage)
2007
Louis Armstrong - Live In Stockholm 1962
as Self
2007
Louis Armstrong: Live in '59
as Trumpet, Vocal
2006
Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer
as Self (archive footage)
2006
Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection
as Himself
2005
Året var 1955
as Self (archive footage)
2005
Louis Armstrong: The Louis Armstrong Show
as Trumpet/Vocals
2005
The Story Of The Blues
as Self
2004
The Harlem Renaissance
as Self (archive footage)
2004
Cole Porter in Hollywood: True Love
as Self (Archive Footage)
2003
It's Black Entertainment
as Self (archive footage)
2002
Swing With Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Tony Bennett
2001
Louis Armstrong: 100th Anniversary 1901-2001
as Himself (archive footage)
2001
Louis Armstrong & Benny Goodman - Sounds in Motion
2000
The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong
as Self (archive footage)
1999
Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the Glory
1997
Benny Goodman - Adventures In The Kingdom Of Swing
as Self (archive footage)
1993
Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music
as Self (archive footage)
1993
The Best Of Danny Kaye - The Television Years
as Self (archive footage)
1993
Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong
as Self (archival footage)
1992
The Magic of Bing Crosby
as Self (archive footage)
1991
Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet
as Self
1982
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
1976
On the Road with Duke Ellington
as Self
1974
Why America
as Self (archive footage)
1970
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Songs (Sound)
1969
Hello, Dolly!
as Orchestra Leader
1969
