Louis Armstrong
By Sophie Taylor
Biography
Significance to our Culture
Songs by Louis Armstrong
What a Wonderful World
Recorded in 1967, it became Armstrong's first song without him playing his trumpet. Although it wasn't popular in the USA, it became a #1 hit in countries all over the World, such as England and South Africa. Even though it wasn't promoted when Armstrong was alive, it became his most well known song when it was used in the 1986 film Good Morning, Vietnam.
Hello, Dolly!
This upbeat jam was published in 1963. This song was extremely popular in his group of songs because it actually wasn't his song. it was originally sung by Carol Channing, who stared in the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! The songs publisher thought it would bring publicity to the show, so he recorded it and put it on his latest album at the time.
Summertime
This song was put on an album that was made in a collaboration with the talented Ella Fitzgerald. All of the songs on this album, Porgy and Bess, are songs from the opera of the same name.
Louis Armstrong Compared to Wynton Marsalis
Louis Armstrong and Wynton Marsalis were both born in New Orleans. In a documentary, Marsalis said that Armstrong was his greatest inspiration. They also have extremely similar playing styles. Marsalis once said that although he has tried to play some of Armstrong's solos, he cannot because Armstrong put all of his soul into his music.