Coordinates	38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N
Holiday name	Yule
Observedby	Northern Europeans and Various Anglosphereans
Date	December 25. Various celebrations also occur on the winter solstice.
Celebrations	Festivals, Burning Yule Logs, Feasting, Caroling, Being with Loved Ones.
Type	Cultural, Pagan then Christian
Significance	Winter Festival.
Relatedto	Christmas, The Solstice, Quarter days, Wheel of the Year, Winter Festivals
Nickname	Yuletide, Yulefest, Yules, Jul, Juletid, Julfest, Jül, Jól, Jol, Joul, Joulu, Jõulud, Joelfeest, Géol, Feailley Geul, Midwinter, The Winter Solstice }}

Yule or Yuletide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to "Yule" are used in the Nordic Countries for the Christian Christmas (with its religious rites), but also for other holidays of the season. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule. In modern times, Yule is in the Nordic Countries becoming more of a pure cultural festival equivalent to the Midsummer celebration. A number of Neopagans have introduced their own rites.

Etymology

''Yule'' is the modern English representative of the Old English words ''ġéol'' or ''ġéohol'' and ''ġéola'' or ''ġéoli'', with the former indicating "(the 12-day festival of) Yule" (later: "Christmastide") and the latter indicating "(the month of) Yule", whereby ''ǽrra ġéola'' referred to the period before the Yule festival (December) and ''æftera ġéola'' referred to the period after Yule (January). Both words are thought to be derived from Common Germanic *''jeχʷla-'', and are cognate to Gothic ''(fruma) jiuleis'' and Old Norse (Icelandic) ''jól'' (Danish and Swedish ''jul'' and Norwegian ''jul'' or ''jol'') as well as ''ýlir''. The etymological pedigree of the word, however, remains uncertain, though numerous speculative attempts have been made to find Indo-European cognates outside the Germanic group.

Germanic Paganism

Attestations

Gothic and Old English

Yule is attested early in the history of the Germanic peoples; from the 4th century Gothic language it appears in the month name ''fruma jiuleis''.

About AD 730, the English historian Bede wrote that the Anglo-Saxon calendar included the months ''geola'' or ''giuli'' corresponding with either modern December or December and January. He gave December 25 as the first day of the heathen year and wrote that the Anglo-Saxons celebrated all night long to honor the Germanic divine "mothers":

They began the year with December 25, the day some now celebrate as Christmas; and the very night to which we attach special sanctity they designated by the heathen term ''Mōdraniht,'' that is, the mothers' night — a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the ceremonies they performed while watching this night through.

Old Norse

In chapter 55 of the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Skáldskaparmál'', different names for the gods are given. One of the names provided is "Yule-beings." A work by the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir that uses the term is then quoted, which reads:

:Again we have produced Yule-being's feast [mead of poetry], our rulers' eulogy, like a bridge of masonry.

''Ynglinga saga'', the first book of ''Heimskringla'', first mentions a Yule feast in 840. ''Saga of Hákon the Good'' credits King Haakon I of Norway with the Christianization of Norway, as well as rescheduling the date of Yule to coincide with Christian celebrations held at the time. The saga states that when Haakon arrived in Norway he was confirmed a Christian, but since the land was still altogether heathen and they retained their practices, Haakon hid his Christianity to receive the help of "great chieftains." In time, Haakon had a law passed that established that Yule celebrations were to take place at the same time as when the Christians held their celebrations, "and at that time everyone was to have ale for the celebration with a measure of grain, or else pay fines, and had to keep the holiday while the ale lasted."

Yule had previously been celebrated on midwinter night for three nights, according to the saga. Haakon planned that when he had solidly established himself and held power over the whole country, he would then "have the gospel preached." According to the saga, the result of this was that his popularity caused many to allow themselves to be baptized, and some people stopped making sacrifices. Haakon spent most of this time in Trondheim, Norway. When Haakon believed that he wielded enough power, he requested a bishop and other priests from England, and they came to Norway. Upon their arrival, "Haakon made it known that he would have the gospel preached in the whole country." The saga continues describing the reactions of various regional things as they differ the matter to one another.

A description of "heathen" Yule practices is provided (notes are Hollander's own):

It was ancient custom that when sacrifice was to be made, all farmers were to come to the heathen temple and bring along with them the food they needed while the feast lasted. At this feast all were to take part of the drinking of ale. Also all kinds of livestock were killed in connection with it, horses also; and all the blood from them was called ''hlaut'' [ sacrificial blood ], and ''hlautbolli'', the vessel holding the blood; and ''hlautteinar'', the sacrificial twigs [ aspergills ]. These were fashioned like sprinklers, and with them were to be smeared all over with blood the pedestals of the idols and also the walls of the temple within and without; and likewise the men present were to be sprinkled with blood. But the meat of the animals was to be boiled and served as food at the banquet. Fires were to be lighted in the middle of the temple floor, and kettles hung over them. The sacrificial beaker was to be borne around the fire, and he who made the feast and was chieftain, was to bless the beaker as well as all the sacrificial meat.

The narrative continues that toasts were to be drunk. The first toast was to be drunk to Odin "for victory and power to the king", the second to the gods Njörðr and Freyr "for good harvests and for peace", and thirdly a beaker was to be drunk to the king himself. In addition, toasts were drunk to the memory of departed kinsfolk. This toast was called "''minni'' [memorial toast]".

The ''Svarfdæla saga'' records a story in which a berserker put off a duel until three days after Yule to honor the sanctity of the holiday. The ''Grettis Saga'' refers to Yule as a time of "greatest mirth and joyance among men." This saga is set soon after Iceland converted to Christianity and identifies Yule with Christmas: "No Christian man is wont to eat meat this day'' [Yule Eve], ''because that on the morrow is the first day of Yule," says she, "wherefore must men first fast today."

Theories

Customs

thumb|400px|Midvinterblot. Painting by Carl Larsson in the Swedish National museum's stairway (detail march 2008). Yule was an indigenous midwinter (winter solstice) festival celebrated by the pagan Scandinavian and other Germanic people people also called ''Jul'', midvinterblot, ''Julblot'', ''jólablót'', and ''julofferfest''. Yule was progressively absorbed into the Christian observations surrounding Christmas. Simek says that the Yule feast "had a pronounced religious character", and Simek cites section 7 of ''Gulaþingslög'', where Yule is described as celebrated "for a fertile and peaceful season" and consists of a fertility sacrifice. Simek says that focus was not on the gods of the Vanir, but instead the god Odin, and he notes that one of Odin's many names is ''Jólnir'' (Old Norse "yule figure"). Simek says that Odin was associated with Yule, and that the tradition of the Wild Hunt undoubtedly contributed to the association of the two. According to Simek "it is uncertain whether the Germanic Yule feast still had a function in the cult of the dead and in the veneration of the ancestors, a function which the mid-winter sacrifice certainly held for the West European Stone and Bronze Ages." The traditions of the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar (''Sonargöltr'') reflected still in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule customs, and Simek says these customs "indicate the significance of the feast in pre-Christian times."

Dating

Specific dating is problematic. In the 13th century, the Old Norse month name ''ýlir'' (attested once) refers to the period of time between 14 November and 13 December. Rudolf Simek says that the Old Norse timing "offers no point of reference for the sacrificial feast" and that "the identification with the mid-winter time of sacrifice is most likely." According to authors Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick, the Yule feast may have originated from the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia.

Contemporary traditions

Denmark

Danes celebrate on December 24, which is called ''Juleaftensdag'' (literally, Yule Eve Day), or simply ''Jul''. An elaborate dinner is eaten with the family in the evening, consisting of roast pork, roast duck or roast goose with plain potatoes,caramelized potatoes, red cabbage and gravy. For dessert is rice pudding with a cherry sauce, traditionally with an almond hidden inside. The lucky finder of this almond is entitled to a small gift. After the meal is complete, the family gather around the ''Juletræ'' to sing Christmas carols and dance hand in hand around the tree. Then the children often hand out the presents which are opened immediately. This is followed by candy, chips, various nuts, clementines, and sometimes a mulled and spiced wine with almonds and raisins called ''Gløgg'' is served hot in small cups. Following the main celebration of ''Jul'' or ''Juleaften'' on December 24, December 25 and December 26 are, respectively, celebrated as ''Første Juledag'' (the first day of/after Christmas) and ''Anden Juledag'' (the second day of/after Christmas), both holidays, and are generally filled with relaxed familial socializing and the enjoying of leftovers from the ''Juleaften'' meal. Some Danish families also celebrate December 23 as ''Lillejuleaften'' (Little Christmas Eve). Traditions for this day might include decoration of the ''Juletræ'', enjoying roast duck, and caroling. Throughout December it's a tradition to send a serialized "julekalender", directly translated ''Christmas calender'', with one episode of a story each day for 24 days. It's such a big tradition, that every child knows that one of the two major television channels sends an episode at 6:00 pm, and the other send one at 8:00 pm, and then there's a "julekalender"-episode for teenagers and grown-ups at late night, that is more fun and satirical and/or violent. The most popular "julekalender" is the one with the nisse called Pyrus who live together with two other "nisser" under the National Archives of Denmark located in Copenhagen. The serie about ''Pyrus'' contains 4 different "julekalendere" and the first one from 1994 was called ''Alletiders Jul'' (Great Christmas) followed by ''Alletiders Nisse'' (Great Nisse), 1995, ''Alletiders Julemand'' (Great Santa Claus), 1997, and ''Alletiders Eventyr'' (Great Fairytale) from 2000. Everyone of them has been repeated on television in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom and other parts of the Anglophone world, the modern ''Yule'' or ''Yuletide'' is commonly associated with Christmas (along with Christmastide) which generally supplanted it around the 11th century other than in North East England where it remained the usual word (and had the variants of ''yel'' and ''yul''), possibly being reinforced by the Norse influence (see Danelaw) on that region. It was revived in regular use in standard English during the 19th century however the name Yule log was recorded earlier in the 17th century.

Estonia

"Jõul" (singular), more commonly used in plural as "jõulud". Celebrated in line with the Finnish customs. The old tradition of celebrating the winter solstice has nowadays been predominantly replaced or mixed with Protestant or secularised Christmas holidays. Traditional "jõul" celebrations can still be encountered.

Traditionally, "jõulud" were sacred days marking the end of one season and the beginning of the new one. The Earth turned herself towards light, warmth, food and life. It was believed that one's behaviour in the times of jõul determined the good fortune of oneself and the whole household. The souls of deceased relatives were awaited back home; they were seen having a great deal of influence on the fortune of the living. The household was thoroughly cleaned, decorated and the most abundant dishes of the year were prepared. Dried straws were laid across the cleaned floors to signify the start of "jõulud". During the Yule time from 21 to 27 December a light had to be on at all times. Also, it had to be made sure light would not escape the house through the windows, so the latter were carefully covered.

It was a peaceful time for reflection and family, hence games and riddles were played.

Finland

On the eve of the Finnish Joulu, children are visited by ''Joulupukki'', a character similar to Santa Claus. The word ''Joulupukki'' means "Yule Goat" and probably derives from an old Finnish tradition where people called ''nuuttipukki''s dressed in goat hides circulated in homes after Joulu, eating leftover food. Joulupukki visits people's homes and rides a sleigh pulled by a number of reindeer. He knocks on the front door during ''Jouluaatto'', rather than sneaking in through the chimney at night. When he comes in, his first words are usually "''Onkos täällä kilttejä lapsia?''", "Are there (any) good (well-behaved) children here?". Presents are given and opened immediately. He usually wears red, warm clothes and often carries a wooden walking stick. His workshop is in Korvatunturi, Lapland, Finland, rather than at the North Pole like Santa Claus, or in Greenland. He is married to Joulumuori (tr. ''Mother Yule'').

Typical Finnish yule dishes include ham, various root vegetable casseroles, beetroot salad, gingerbread and star-shaped plum-filled pastries. Other traditions with a non-Christian yule background include ''joulukuusi'' ("Yule spruce") and ''joulusauna'' ("yule sauna").

Iceland

The peak of Icelandic jól is when presents are exchanged on ''aðfangadagskvöld'', the evening of December 24, then the gifts are given. It is a custom to eat hamborgarhryggur (smoked pork loin) or rock ptarmigan. Before Christmas some people cut patterns into laufabrauð (e. leaf bread) and bake piparkökur (e. ginger biscuits).

On Þorláksmessa (mass of Saint Thorlakur), December 23, there is a tradition (originally from the Westfjords) to serve fermented skate with melted tallow and boiled potatoes. Boiling the Christmas hangikjöt (smoked leg or shoulder of lamb) on Þorláksmessa evening is said to dispel the strong smell which otherwise tends to linger around the house for days. The hangikjöt and laufabrauð are usually served at Christmas Day, December 25.

Unlike other countries there are 13 traditional jólasveinar ''Yule Lads'' that play the same role as the Santa Claus. The first one comes to town from the mountains December 11 and the last one arrives 13 days later on December 24. Children leave their shoe in the window and the Yule Lads leave something in the shoe when they arrive in town. If the children are naughty they might get a potato but if they are nice they might get something good, like candy, clementines or a toy. The Yule Lads all carry a specific name that describes his actions. For instance, the sixth one is Pot-Scraper and what he does best is to scrape leftovers from pots.

December 26 is generally reserved for family gatherings. It involves a lot of eating with relatives, usually with cousins and aunts and uncles.

Norway

Although Yule proper starts with the chiming of the church-bells in the afternoon of ''julaften''/''joleftan'' ("Yule Eve" or "Christmas Eve") on December 24, the previous day ''lillejulaften'' (little Christmas Eve), when the tree is put up and decorated, is increasingly the actual start date for the 13 day long Yule celebration in Norway.

''Julaften'' remains the main event, with a traditional lunch, dinner and the exchange of gifts. Traditional dishes vary by region, but ''ribbe'' (pork ribs), and ''pinnekjøtt'', some places also codfish are eaten. As a continuation of older beliefs, a bowl of "rice porridge" ''(julegrøt)'' is sometimes left outside for the ''nisse'' that evening.

Throughout December many gather for a julebord, Christmas parties sponsored by companies and institutions for their employees and associates to eat and drink traditional dishes.

The time period between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, is called ''romjul''. Occasionally children dress up in costumes and visit neighbours, where they sing Yuletide carols and receive treats like candy, nuts and clementines. This tradition is called ''julebukk''.

In the old days in certain areas, primarily Setesdalen, adults commonly went from house to house drinking, an event called ''Toftirus'', during the 13 days surrounding Christmas eve. Although increasingly rare and localized, this tradition had developed into today's ''Drammebukk'', where adults visit neighbors in the evening.

For some it is a tradition to watch television shows on Yule Eve. The popular shows are "Tre Nøtter Til Askepott" (Three Nuts for Cinderella), a Czech-German fairy-tale, and "Reisen til Julestjernen", a Norwegian film.

Shetland Islands

In the Shetland Islands of Scotland the Yules are considered to last a month beginning on December 18 and ending January 18. The main ''Yules'' celebration occurs on December 31. The rest of Scotland eventually adopted "Hogmanay" (the name of the New Years presents) as the name for the festival.

Sweden

As in many other countries in northern Europe Jultomten brings gifts on ''julafton'' ("Yule Eve"), December 24, the day generally thought of as the main jul celebration. Many Swedes watch ''Kalle Anka och hans vänner'' (lit. Donald Duck and his friends), a compilation of Disney shorts that broadcast at 3pm on the public service television.

Almost all Swedish families celebrate with a ''julbord'' (variety of ''smörgåsbord''), which traditionally includes ''julskinka'' (baked ham), ''sill'' (pickled herring), ''janssons frestelse'', and a collection of meatballs, sausages, meats and patés. The julbord is traditionally served with beer, ''julmust'', ''grog'' (a mix of beer, liquor and soft drinks) and snaps. The dishes vary throughout the country. Businesses invite staff to a julbord dinner or lunch in preceding weeks, and people go privately to restaurants offering julbord during December. Swedes also enjoy ''glögg''. Glögg is a mulled wine (with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange) often "topped" with some vodka and then served hot with raisins and almonds. Yulegifts are distributed either by Jultomten (usually from a sack) or from under the Christmas tree. In older days a ''julbock'' (yule goat, still used in Finland called Joulupukki) was an alternative to Jultomten; now it is used as an ornament, ranging in size from 10 cm to huge constructions like the Gävle goat. The following day some people attend a julotta mass in a church - prefferably on a horsesled. These days even more people venture to the movies as December 25 is a day of big premieres.

Neopaganism

As forms of Neopaganism can be quite different and have very different origins, these representations can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources including Germanic.

Germanic Neopaganism

In Germanic Neopagan sects, ''Yule'' is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. Further attempts at reconstruction of surviving accounts of historical celebrations are often made, a hallmark being variations of the traditional. Groups such as the Asatru Folk Assembly in the US recognize the celebration as lasting 12 days, beginning on the date of the winter solstice.

Wicca

In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for this sabbat varies by practitioner. Some have private ceremonies at home, while others do so with their covens. Yule festivities for modern Wiccans and neopagans involve the burning of the Yule log on an open fire to honour the lord Cernunnos or the Horned God; the log is decorated with holly and other symbolic paraphernalia.

Also during the many Wiccan Yule rituals, the Holly King dies and the Oak King is born. This signifies the changes from the dark half of the year to the light half of the year.

See also

Winter solstice observances

Notes

References

Barnhart, Robert K. (1995). ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology''. ISBN 0-06-270084-7.

Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. * Northcote (1898). ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). ''Edda''. Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.

Hoad, T. F. (1996). ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-283098-8.

Hollander, M. Lee (Trans.) (2007). ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway''. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-73061-8

Jones, Prudence. Pennick, Nigel (1995). ''A History of Pagan Europe''. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-09136-5.

Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2.

Orel, Vladimir (2003). ''A Handbook of Germanic Etymology''. Leiden: Brill Publishers. pg. 205. ISBN 90-04-12875-1.

Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D.S. Brewer ISBN 0-85991-513-1

Category:December observances Category:Germanic paganism Category:English folklore Category:Neopagan holidays Category:Scottish folklore Category:Northumbrian folklore Category:Winter holidays Category:Secular holidays Category:Christmas-linked holidays Category:Christmas nomenclature and language Category:German holidays Category:Holidays in Norway Category:Holidays in the United States Category:Norse history and culture Category:Holidays in the United Kingdom

af:Joelfees ang:Ȝēol be:Ёль be-x-old:Ёль cs:Yule de:Julfest es:Fiesta de Yule eo:Julo fr:Yule gl:Festas de Jól id:Yule it:Yule lb:Julfest lt:Jolė nl:Joelfeest ja:ユール no:Yule nn:Yule pl:Jul pt:Yule ro:Yule ru:Йоль sco:Yuil simple:Yule fi:Yule sv:Julblot

Coordinates	38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N
name	Louis Armstrong
alt	A picture of Louis Armstrong. Short-haired black man in his fifties blowing into a trumpet. He is wearing a light-colored sport coat, a white shirt and a bow tie. He is faced left with his eyes looking upwards. His right hand is fingering the trumpet, with the index finger down and three fingers pointing upwards. The man's left hand is mostly covered with a handkerchief and it has a shining ring on the little finger. He is wearing a wristwatch on the left wrist.
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Louis Armstrong
born	August 4, 1901New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
died	July 06, 1971Corona, Queens, New York City, U.S.
instruments	Trumpet, cornet, vocals
genre	Dixieland, jazz, swing, traditional pop
occupation	Musician
spouse	Daisy Parker
years active	c. 1914–71
associated acts	Joe "King" Oliver, Ella Fitzgerald, Kid Ory, Bobby Hackett
website	}}

Louis 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 strong supporter of the Civil Rights movement in America.

Biography

Early life

Armstrong often stated that he was born on July 4, 1900, a date that has been noted in many biographies. Although he died in 1971, it was not until the mid-1980s that his true birth date of August 4, 1901 was discovered through the examination of baptismal records.

Armstrong was born into a very poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana, the grandson of slaves. He spent his youth in poverty, in a rough neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans, known as “Back of Town”, as his father, William Armstrong (1881–1922), abandoned the family when Louis was an infant and took up with another woman. His mother, Mary "Mayann" Albert (1886–1942), then left Louis and his younger sister Beatrice Armstrong Collins (1903–1987) in the care of his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong, and at times, his Uncle Isaac. At five, he moved back to live with his mother and her relatives, and saw his father only in parades.

He attended the Fisk School for Boys. It was there that he likely had his first exposure to Creole music. He brought in some money as a paperboy and also by finding discarded food and selling it to restaurants, but it was not enough to keep his mother from prostitution. He hung out in dance halls close to home, where he observed everything from licentious dancing to the quadrille. For extra money he also hauled coal to Storyville, the famed red-light district, and listened to the bands playing in the brothels and dance halls, especially Pete Lala's where Joe "King" Oliver performed and other famous musicians would drop in to jam.

After dropping out of the Fisk School at age eleven, Armstrong joined a quartet of boys that sang in the streets for money. But he also started to get into trouble. Cornet player Bunk Johnson said he taught Armstrong (then 11) to play by ear at Dago Tony's Tonk in New Orleans, although in his later years Armstrong gave the credit to Oliver. Armstrong hardly looked back at his youth as the worst of times but instead drew inspiration from it, “Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans...It has given me something to live for.”

He also worked for a Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant family, the Karnofskys, who had a junk hauling business and gave him odd jobs. They took him in and treated him as almost a family member, knowing he lived without a father, and would feed and nurture him. He later wrote a memoir of his relationship with the Karnofskys titled, ''Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., the Year of 1907.'' In it he describes his discovery that this family was also subject to discrimination by "other white folks' nationalities who felt that they were better than the Jewish race. I was only seven years old but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the White Folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for." Armstrong wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life and wrote about what he learned from them: "how to live—real life and determination." The influence of Karnofsky is remembered in New Orleans by the Karnofsky Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to accepting donated musical instruments to "put them into the hands of an eager child who could not otherwise take part in a wonderful learning experience."

Armstrong developed his cornet playing seriously in the band of the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he had been sent multiple times for general delinquency, most notably for a long term after firing his stepfather's pistol into the air at a New Year's Eve celebration, as police records confirm. Professor Peter Davis (who frequently appeared at the Home at the request of its administrator, Captain Joseph Jones) instilled discipline in and provided musical training to the otherwise self-taught Armstrong. Eventually, Davis made Armstrong the band leader. The Home band played around New Orleans and the thirteen year old Louis began to draw attention by his cornet playing, starting him on a musical career. At fourteen he was released from the Home, living again with his father and new stepmother and then back with his mother and also back to the streets and their temptations. Armstrong got his first dance hall job at Henry Ponce’s where Black Benny became his protector and guide. He hauled coal by day and played his cornet at night.

He played in the city's frequent brass band parades and listened to older musicians every chance he got, learning from Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Kid Ory, and above all, Joe "King" Oliver, who acted as a mentor and father figure to the young musician. Later, he played in the brass bands and riverboats of New Orleans, and began traveling with the well-regarded band of Fate Marable, which toured on a steamboat up and down the Mississippi River. He described his time with Marable as, "going to the University," since it gave him a much wider experience working with written arrangements.

In 1919, Joe Oliver decided to go north and resigned his position in Kid Ory's band; Armstrong replaced him. He also became second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band, a society band.

Career

On March 19, 1918, Louis married Daisy Parker from Gretna, Louisiana. They adopted a 3-year-old boy, Clarence Armstrong, whose mother, Louis's cousin Flora, died soon after giving birth. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled (the result of a head injury at an early age) and Louis would spend the rest of his life taking care of him. Louis's marriage to Parker failed quickly and they separated. She died shortly after the divorce.

Through all his riverboat experience Armstrong’s musicianship began to mature and expand. At twenty, he could read music and he started to be featured in extended trumpet solos, one of the first jazzmen to do this, injecting his own personality and style into his solo turns. He had learned how to create a unique sound and also started using singing and patter in his performances. In 1922, Armstrong joined the exodus to Chicago, where he had been invited by his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to join his Creole Jazz Band and where he could make a sufficient income so that he no longer needed to supplement his music with day labor jobs. It was a boom time in Chicago and though race relations were poor, the “Windy City” was teeming with jobs for black people, who were making good wages in factories and had plenty to spend on entertainment.

Oliver's band was the best and most influential hot jazz band in Chicago in the early 1920s, at a time when Chicago was the center of the jazz universe. Armstrong lived like a king in Chicago, in his own apartment with his own private bath (his first). Excited as he was to be in Chicago, he began his career-long pastime of writing nostalgic letters to friends in New Orleans. As Armstrong’s reputation grew, he was challenged to “cutting contests” by hornmen trying to displace the new phenom, who could blow two hundred high C’s in a row. Armstrong made his first recordings on the Gennett and Okeh labels (jazz records were starting to boom across the country), including taking some solos and breaks, while playing second cornet in Oliver's band in 1923. At this time, he met Hoagy Carmichael (with whom he would collaborate later) who was introduced by friend Bix Beiderbecke, who now had his own Chicago band.

Armstrong enjoyed working with Oliver, but Louis's second wife, pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, urged him to seek more prominent billing and develop his newer style away from the influence of Oliver. Armstrong took the advice of his wife and left Oliver's band. For a year Armstrong played in Fletcher Henderson's band in New York on many recordings. After playing in New York, Armstrong returned to Chicago, playing in large orchestras; there he created his most important early recordings. Lil had her husband play classical music in church concerts to broaden his skill and improve his solo play and she prodded him into wearing more stylish attire to make him look sharp and to better offset his growing girth. Lil’s influence eventually undermined Armstrong’s relationship with his mentor, especially concerning his salary and additional moneys that Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members. Armstrong and Oliver parted amicably in 1924. Shortly afterward, Armstrong received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the top African-American band of the day. Armstrong switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. His influence upon Henderson's tenor sax soloist, Coleman Hawkins, can be judged by listening to the records made by the band during this period. Armstrong quickly adapted to the more tightly controlled style of Henderson, playing trumpet and even experimenting with the trombone and the other members quickly took up Armstrong’s emotional, expressive pulse. Soon his act included singing and telling tales of New Orleans characters, especially preachers. The Henderson Orchestra was playing in the best venues for white-only patrons, including the famed Roseland Ballroom, featuring the classy arrangements of Don Redman. Duke Ellington’s orchestra would go to Roseland to catch Armstrong’s performances and young hornmen around town tried in vain to outplay him, splitting their lips in their attempts.

During this time, Armstrong also made many recordings on the side, arranged by an old friend from New Orleans, pianist Clarence Williams; these included small jazz band sides with the Williams Blue Five (some of the best pairing Armstrong with one of Armstrong's few rivals in fiery technique and ideas, Sidney Bechet) and a series of accompaniments with blues singers, including Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter.

Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1925 due mostly to the urging of his wife, who wanted to pump up Armstrong’s career and income. He was content in New York but later would concede that she was right and that the Henderson Orchestra was limiting his artistic growth. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as “the World’s Greatest Trumpet Player”. At first he was actually a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife. He began recording under his own name for Okeh with his famous Hot Five and Hot Seven groups, producing hits such as "Potato Head Blues", "Muggles", (a reference to marijuana, for which Armstrong had a lifelong fondness), and "West End Blues", the music of which set the standard and the agenda for jazz for many years to come.

The group included Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), wife Lil on piano, and usually no drummer. Armstrong’s bandleading style was easygoing, as St. Cyr noted, "One felt so relaxed working with him and he was very broad-minded ... always did his best to feature each individual." His recordings soon after with pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines (most famously their 1928 ''Weatherbird'' duet) and Armstrong's trumpet introduction to "West End Blues" remain some of the most famous and influential improvisations in jazz history. Armstrong was now free to develop his personal style as he wished, which included a heavy dose of effervescent jive, such as "whip that thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr. Johnny Dodds, Aw, do that clarinet, boy!"

Armstrong also played with Erskine Tate’s Little Symphony, actually a quintet, which played mostly at the Vendome Theatre. They furnished music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical music, such as “Madame Butterfly,” which gave Armstrong experience with longer forms of music and with hosting before a large audience. He began to scat sing (improvised vocal jazz using non-sensical words) and was among the first to record it, on "Heebie Jeebies" in 1926. So popular was the recording the group became the most famous jazz band in the USA even though they as yet had not performed live to any great degree. Young musicians across the country, black and white, were turned on by Armstrong’s new type of jazz.

After separating from Lil, Armstrong started to play at the Sunset Café for Al Capone's associate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, with Earl Hines on piano, which was soon renamed ''Louis Armstrong and his Stompers'', though Hines was the music director and Glaser managed the orchestra. Hines and Armstrong became fast friends as well as successful collaborators.

Armstrong returned to New York, in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra of the successful musical ''Hot Chocolate'', an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and pianist/composer Fats Waller. He also made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of "Ain't Misbehavin'", his version of the song becoming his biggest selling record to date.

Armstrong started to work at Connie's Inn in Harlem, chief rival to the Cotton Club, a venue for elaborately staged floor shows, and a front for gangster Dutch Schultz. Armstrong also had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of famous songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael. His 1930s recordings took full advantage of the new RCA ribbon microphone, introduced in 1931, which imparted a characteristic warmth to vocals and immediately became an intrinsic part of the 'crooning' sound of artists like Bing Crosby. Armstrong's famous interpretation of Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong's unique vocal sound and style and his innovative approach to singing songs that had already become standards.

Armstrong's radical re-working of Sidney Arodin and Carmichael's "Lazy River" (recorded in 1931) encapsulated many features of his groundbreaking approach to melody and phrasing. The song begins with a brief trumpet solo, then the main melody is stated by sobbing horns, memorably punctuated by Armstrong's growling interjections at the end of each bar: "Yeah! ..."Uh-huh" ..."Sure" ... "Way down, way down." In the first verse, he ignores the notated melody entirely and sings as if playing a trumpet solo, pitching most of the first line on a single note and using strongly syncopated phrasing. In the second stanza he breaks into an almost fully improvised melody, which then evolves into a classic passage of Armstrong "scat singing".

As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong's vocal innovations served as a foundation stone for the art of jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gritty coloration of his voice became a musical archetype that was much imitated and endlessly impersonated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist. His resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences on sides such as "Lazy River" exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as Bing Crosby.

The Depression of the early Thirties was especially hard on the jazz scene. The Cotton Club closed in 1936 after a long downward spiral and many musicians stopped playing altogether as club dates evaporated. Bix Beiderbecke died and Fletcher Henderson’s band broke up. King Oliver made a few records but otherwise struggled. Sidney Bechet became a tailor and Kid Ory returned to New Orleans and raised chickens. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 to seek new opportunities. He played at the New Cotton Club in LA with Lionel Hampton on drums. The band drew the Hollywood crowd, which could still afford a lavish night life, while radio broadcasts from the club connected with younger audiences at home. Bing Crosby and many other celebrities were regulars at the club. In 1931, Armstrong appeared in his first movie, ''Ex-Flame''. Armstrong was convicted of marijuana possession but received a suspended sentence. He returned to Chicago in late 1931 and played in bands more in the Guy Lombardo vein and he recorded more standards. When the mob insisted that he get out of town, Armstrong visited New Orleans, got a hero’s welcome and saw old friends. He sponsored a local baseball team known as “Armstrong’s Secret Nine” and got a cigar named after himself. But soon he was on the road again and after a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, Armstrong decided to go to Europe to escape.

After returning to the States, he undertook several exhausting tours. His agent Johnny Collins’ erratic behavior and his own spending ways left Armstrong short of cash. Breach of contract violations plagued him. Finally, he hired Joe Glaser as his new manager, a tough mob-connected wheeler-dealer, who began to straighten out his legal mess, his mob troubles, and his debts. Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. As a result he branched out, developing his vocal style and making his first theatrical appearances. He appeared in movies again, including Crosby's 1936 hit ''Pennies from Heaven''. In 1937, Armstrong substituted for Rudy Vallee on the CBS radio network and became the first African American to host a sponsored, national broadcast. He finally divorced Lil in 1938 and married longtime girlfriend Alpha.

After spending many years on the road, Armstrong settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of Tin Pan Alley and the gangster-ridden music business, as well as anti-black prejudice, he continued to develop his playing. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael's Rockin' Chair for Okeh Records.

During the subsequent thirty years, Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a year. Bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public tastes: ballrooms closed, and there was competition from television and from other types of music becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible under such circumstances to support and finance a 16-piece touring band.

The All Stars

Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17, 1947, featuring Armstrong with trombonist/singer Jack Teagarden, Armstrong's manager Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947 and established a six-piece small group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other top swing and dixieland musicians, most of them ex-big band leaders. The new group was announced at the opening of Billy Berg's Supper Club.

This group was called Louis Armstrong and his All Stars and included at various times Earl "Fatha" Hines, Barney Bigard, Edmond Hall, Jack Teagarden, Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw, Billy Kyle, Marty Napoleon, Big Sid Catlett, Cozy Cole, Tyree Glenn, Barrett Deems and the Filipino-American percussionist, Danny Barcelona. During this period, Armstrong made many recordings and appeared in over thirty films. He was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of ''Time Magazine'' on February 21, 1949.

In 1964, he recorded his biggest-selling record, "Hello, Dolly!" The song went to #1 on the pop chart, making Armstrong (age 63) the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat. In the process, Armstrong dislodged The Beatles from the #1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.

Armstrong kept up his busy tour schedule until a few years before his death in 1971. In his later years he would sometimes play some of his numerous gigs by rote, but other times would enliven the most mundane gig with his vigorous playing, often to the astonishment of his band. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under sponsorship of the US State Department with great success, earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." While failing health restricted his schedule in his last years, within those limitations he continued playing until the day he died.

Death

Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a month before his 70th birthday, and 11 months after playing a famous show at the Waldorf-Astoria's Empire Room. He was residing in Corona, Queens, New York City, at the time of his death. He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City.

His honorary pallbearers included Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Alan King, Johnny Carson and David Frost. Peggy Lee sang The Lord's Prayer at the services while Al Hibbler sang "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and Fred Robbins, a long-time friend, gave the eulogy.

Personality

Armstrong was a colorful character. His own biography vexes biographers and historians, because he had a habit of telling tales, particularly of his early childhood, when he was less scrutinized, and his embellishments of his history often lack consistency.

He was not only an entertainer. Armstrong was a leading personality of the day who was so beloved by a white-controlled America that gave even the greatest African American performers little access beyond their public celebrity, that he was able to privately live a life of access and privilege accorded to few other African Americans.

He tried to remain politically neutral, which gave him a large part of that access, but often alienated him from members of the African-American community who looked to him to use his prominence with white America to become more of an outspoken figure during the Civil Rights Era of U.S. history.

Nicknames

The nicknames Satchmo and Satch are short for Satchelmouth. Like many things in Armstrong's life, which was filled with colorful stories both real and imagined, many of his own telling, the nickname has many possible origins.

The most common tale that biographers tell is the story of Armstrong as a young boy dancing for pennies in the streets of New Orleans, who would scoop up the coins off of the streets and stick them into his mouth to avoid having the bigger children steal them from him. Someone dubbed him "satchel mouth" for his mouth acting as a satchel.

Early on he was also known as Dipper, short for Dippermouth, a reference to the piece ''Dippermouth Blues''. and something of a riff on his unusual embouchure.

Armstrong and race

Armstrong was largely accepted into white society, both on stage and off, a privilege reserved for very few African-American public figures, and usually those of either exceptional talent and fair skin-tone. As his fame grew, so did his access to the finer things in life usually denied to a black man, even a famous one. His renown was such that he dined in the best restaurants and stayed in hotels usually exclusively for whites.

It was a power and privilege that he enjoyed, although he was very careful not to flaunt it with fellow performers of color, and privately, he shared what access that he could with friends and fellow musicians.

That still did not prevent members of the African-American community, particularly in the late 1950s to the early 1970s, from calling him an ''Uncle Tom'', a black-on-black racial epithet for someone who kowtowed to white society at the expense of their own racial identity.

He was criticized for accepting the title of "King of The Zulus" for Mardi Gras in 1949. In the New Orleans African-American community it is an honored role as the head of leading black Carnival Krewe, but bewildering or offensive to outsiders with their traditional costume of grass-skirts and blackface makeup satirizing southern white attitudes.

Some musicians criticized Armstrong for playing in front of segregated audiences, and for not taking a strong enough stand in the civil rights movement.

Billie Holiday countered, however, "Of course Pops toms, but he toms from the heart."

The few exceptions made it more effective when he did speak out. Armstrong's criticism of President Eisenhower, calling him "two-faced" and "gutless" because of his inaction during the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 made national news.

As a protest, Armstrong canceled a planned tour of the Soviet Union on behalf of the State Department saying "The way they're treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell" and that he could not represent his government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people. Six days after Armstrong's comments, Eisenhower ordered Federal troops to Little Rock to escort students into the school.

The FBI kept a file on Armstrong, for his outspokenness about integration.

Religion

When asked about his religion, Armstrong would answer that he was raised a Baptist, always wore a Star of David, and was friends with the Pope. Armstrong wore the Star of David in honor of the Karnofsky family, who took him in as a child and lent him the money to buy his first cornet. Louis Armstrong was, in fact, baptized as a Catholic at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in New Orleans, and he met popes Pius XII and Paul VI, though there is no evidence that he considered himself Catholic. Armstrong seems to have been tolerant towards various religions, but also found humor in them.

Personal habits

Purging

Armstrong was also greatly concerned with his health and bodily functions. He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling his weight, a practice he advocated both to personal acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title ''Lose Weight the Satchmo Way''. Armstrong's laxative of preference in his younger days was Pluto Water, but he then became an enthusiastic convert when he discovered the herbal remedy Swiss Kriss. He would extol its virtues to anyone who would listen and pass out packets to everyone he encountered, including members of the British Royal Family. (Armstrong also appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, cards that he had printed to send out to friends; the cards bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet—as viewed through a keyhole—with the slogan "''Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!'''") The cards have sometimes been incorrectly described as ads for Swiss Kriss.

In a live recording of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Velma Middleton, he changes the lyric from "Put another record on while I pour" to "Take some Swiss Kriss while I pour." The line, slightly garbled in the live recording, could just as likely be "Take some Swiss Miss while I pour"—Swiss Miss is a hot chocolate mix that would have been fairly new on the market in 1951. (The line comes at 1:04 in the song.)

Love of food

The concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected in such songs as "Cheesecake", "Cornet Chop Suey," though "Struttin’ with Some Barbecue" was written about a fine-looking companion, not about food. He kept a strong connection throughout his life to the cooking of New Orleans, always signing his letters, "Red beans and ricely yours..."

Writings

Armstrong’s gregariousness extended to writing. On the road, he wrote constantly, sharing favorite themes of his life with correspondents around the world. He avidly typed or wrote on whatever stationery was at hand, recording instant takes on music, sex, food, childhood memories, his heavy “medicinal” marijuana use—and even his bowel movements, which he gleefully described. He had a fondness for lewd jokes and dirty limericks as well.

Social organizations

Louis Armstrong was not, as is often claimed, a Freemason. Although he is usually listed as being a member of Montgomery Lodge No. 18 (Prince Hall) in New York, no such lodge has ever existed. Armstrong states in his autobiography, however, that he was a member of the Knights of Pythias, which is not a Masonic group.

Music

Horn playing and early jazz

In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. The greatest trumpet playing of his early years can be heard on his Hot Five and Hot Seven records, as well as the Red Onion Jazz Babies. The improvisations he made on these records of New Orleans jazz standards and popular songs of the day are unsurpassed by later jazz performers. The older generation of New Orleans jazz musicians often referred to their improvisations as "variating the melody." Armstrong's improvisations were daring and sophisticated for the time, while often subtle and melodic.

He often essentially re-composed pop-tunes he played, making them more interesting. Armstrong's playing is filled with joyous, inspired original melodies, creative leaps, and subtle relaxed or driving rhythms. The genius of these creative passages is matched by Armstrong's playing technique, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In these records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what was essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.

Armstrong's work in the 1920s shows him playing at the outer limits of his abilities. The Hot Five records, especially, often have minor flubs and missed notes, which do little to detract from listening enjoyment since the energy of the spontaneous performance comes through. By the mid 1930s, Armstrong achieved a smooth assurance, knowing exactly what he could do and carrying out his ideas to perfection.

He was one of the first artists to use recordings of his performances to improve himself. Armstrong was an avid audiophile. He had a large collection of recordings, including reel-to-reel tapes, which he took on the road with him in a trunk during his later career. He enjoyed listening to his own recordings, and comparing his performances musically. In the den of his home, he had the latest audio equipment and would sometimes rehearse and record along with his older recordings or the radio.

Vocal popularity

As his music progressed and popularity grew, his singing also became very important. Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it. He had a hit with his playing and scat singing on "Heebie Jeebies" when, according to some legends, the sheet music fell on the floor and he simply started singing nonsense syllables. Armstrong stated in his memoirs that this actually occurred. He also sang out "I done forgot the words" in the middle of recording "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas."

Such records were hits and scat singing became a major part of his performances. Long before this, however, Armstrong was playing around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet.

Colleagues and followers

During his long career he played and sang with some of the most important instrumentalists and vocalists of the time; among them were Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, the singing brakeman Jimmie Rodgers, Bessie Smith and perhaps most famously Ella Fitzgerald.

His influence upon Bing Crosby is particularly important with regard to the subsequent development of popular music: Crosby admired and copied Armstrong, as is evident on many of his early recordings, notably "Just One More Chance" (1931). The ''New Grove Dictionary Of Jazz'' describes Crosby's debt to Armstrong in precise detail, although it does not acknowledge Armstrong by name:

Armstrong recorded three albums with Ella Fitzgerald: ''Ella and Louis'', ''Ella and Louis Again'', and ''Porgy and Bess'' for Verve Records, with the sessions featuring the backing musicianship of the Oscar Peterson Trio and drummer Buddy Rich. His recordings ''Satch Plays Fats'', all Fats Waller tunes, and ''Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy'' in the 1950s were perhaps among the last of his great creative recordings, but even oddities like ''Disney Songs the Satchmo Way'' are seen to have their musical moments. And, his participation in Dave Brubeck's high-concept jazz musical ''The Real Ambassadors'' was critically acclaimed. For the most part, however, his later output was criticized as being overly simplistic or repetitive.

Hits and later career

Armstrong had many hit records including "Stardust", "What a Wonderful World", "When The Saints Go Marching In", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "You Rascal You,"and "Stompin' at the Savoy." "We Have All the Time in the World" was featured on the soundtrack of the James Bond film ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', and enjoyed renewed popularity in the UK in 1994 when it featured on a Guinness advert. It reached number 3 in the charts on being re-released.

In 1964, Armstrong knocked the Beatles off the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with "Hello, Dolly!", which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the oldest artist to have a number one song. His 1964 song, "Bout Time" was later featured in the film "Bewitched" (2005).

Armstrong performed in Italy at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival where he sang "Mi Va di Cantare" alongside his friend, the Eritrean-born Italian singer Lara Saint Paul. In February 1968, he also appeared with Lara Saint Paul on the Italian RAI television channel where he performed "Grassa e Bella," a track he sang in Italian for the Italian market and C.D.I. label.

In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the United Kingdom with the highly sentimental pop song "What a Wonderful World", which topped the British charts for a month; however, the single did not chart at all in America. The song gained greater currency in the popular consciousness when it was used in the 1987 movie ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', its subsequent rerelease topping many charts around the world. Armstrong even appeared on the October 28, 1970 ''Johnny Cash Show'', where he sang Nat "King" Cole's hit "Rambling Rose" and joined Cash to re-create his performance backing Jimmie Rodgers on "Blue Yodel #9".

Stylistic range

Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from blues to the arrangements of Guy Lombardo, to Latin American folksongs, to classical symphonies and opera. Armstrong incorporated influences from all these sources into his performances, sometimes to the bewilderment of fans who wanted Armstrong to stay in convenient narrow categories. Armstrong was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an ''early influence''. Some of his solos from the 1950s, such as the hard rocking version of "St. Louis Blues" from the ''WC Handy'' album, show that the influence went in both directions.

Literature, radio, films and TV

Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, usually playing a band leader or musician. His most familiar role was as the bandleader ''cum'' narrator in the 1956 musical, ''High Society'', in which he sang the title song and performed a duet with Bing Crosby on "Now You Has Jazz". In 1947, he played himself in the movie ''New Orleans'' opposite Billie Holiday, which chronicled the demise of the Storyville district and the ensuing exodus of musicians from New Orleans to Chicago. In the 1959 film, The Five Pennies (the story of the cornetist Red Nichols), he played himself as well as singing and playing several classic numbers, including a remarkable duet with Danny Kaye of ''When the Saints Go Marching In'' during which Kaye does a brilliant impersonation of Armstrong. He also had a part in the film alongside James Stewart in "The Glenn Miller Story" in which Glenn (played by Stewart) went along to Connies Inn and had a jam session with him and a few other noted musicians of the time, Louis sang "Basin St. Blues"..

He was the first African American to host a nationally broadcast radio show in the 1930s. In 1969, Armstrong had a cameo role in the film version of ''Hello, Dolly!'' as the bandleader, Louis, to which he sang the title song with actress Barbra Streisand. His solo recording of "Hello, Dolly!" is one of his most recognizable performances. He was heard on such radio programs as ''The Story of Swing'' (1937) and ''This Is Jazz'' (1947), and he also made countless television appearances, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, including appearances on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.

Armstrong has a record star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7601 Hollywood Boulevard.

Many of Armstrong's recordings remain popular. Almost four decades since his passing, a larger number of his recordings from all periods of his career are more widely available than at any time during his lifetime. His songs are broadcast and listened to every day throughout the world, and are honored in various movies, TV series, commercials, and even anime and computer games. "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was included in the computer game ''Fallout 2'', accompanying the intro cinematic. It was also used in the 1993 film ''Sleepless in Seattle'' and the 2005 film ''Lord of War''. His 1923 recordings, with Joe Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, continue to be listened to as documents of ensemble style New Orleans jazz, but more particularly as ripper jazz records in their own right. All too often, however, Armstrong recorded with stiff, standard orchestras leaving only his sublime trumpet playing as of interest. "Melancholy Blues," performed by Armstrong and his Hot Seven was included on the Voyager Golden Record sent into outer space to represent one of the greatest achievements of humanity. Most familiar to modern listeners is his ubiquitous rendition of "What a Wonderful World". In 2008, Armstrong's recording of Edith Piaf's famous "La Vie En Rose" was used in a scene of the popular Disney/Pixar film ''WALL-E''. The song was also used in parts, especially the opening trumpets, in the French Film Jeux d'enfants (English: Love Me If You Dare)

Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, a self-described Armstrong admirer, asserted that a 1952 Louis Armstrong concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris played a significant role in inspiring him to create the fictional creatures called Cronopios that are the subject of a number of Cortázar's short stories. Cortázar once called Armstrong himself "Grandísimo Cronopio" (Most Enormous Cronopio).

Armstrong appears as a minor character in Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory Series. When he and his band escape from a Nazi-like Confederacy, they enhance the insipid mainstream music of the North. A young Armstrong also appears as a minor character in Patrick Neate's 2001 novel ''Twelve Bar Blues'', part of which is set in New Orleans, and which was a winner at that year's Whitbread Book Awards.

There is a pivotal scene in 1980's ''Stardust Memories'' in which Woody Allen is overwhelmed by a recording of Armstrong's Stardust and experiences a nostalgic epiphany. The combination of the music and the perfect moment is the catalyst for much of the film's action, prompting the protagonist to fall in love with an ill-advised woman.

Armstrong is referred to in ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' along with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Three siblings in the film are named Louis, Billie, and Ella. The main character, Louis, plays a trumpet, an obvious nod to Armstrong. In the original E. B. White book, he is referred to by name, by a child who hears Louis playing and comments, "He sounds just like Louis Armstrong, the famous trumpet player."

In the 2009 Disney Film ''The Princess and the Frog'', one of the supporting characters is a trumpet-playing alligator named Louis. During the song "When I'm Human", Louis sings a line and it says "Y'all heard of Louis Armstrong".

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Armstrong was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972 by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.

{| class=wikitable |- | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | Grammy Award |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Genre ! Label ! Result |- align=center | 1964 | Male Vocal Performance | "Hello, Dolly!" | Pop | Kapp | Winner |}

Grammy Hall of Fame

Recordings of Armstrong were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

{| class=wikitable |- | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | Grammy Hall of Fame |- ! Year Recorded ! Title ! Genre ! Label ! Year Inducted ! Notes |- align=center | 1929 | "St. Louis Blues" | Jazz (Single) | OKeh | 2008 |with Bessie Smith |- align=center | 1928 | "Weather Bird" | Jazz (Single) | OKeh | 2008 | with Earl Hines |- align=center | 1930 | "Blue Yodel #9(Standing on the Corner)" | Country (Single) | Victor | 2007 | Jimmie Rodgers (Featuring Louis Armstrong) |- align=center | 1932 | "All of Me" | Jazz (Single) | Columbia | 2005 | |- align=center | 1958 | ''Porgy and Bess'' | Jazz (Album) | Verve | 2001 | with Ella Fitzgerald |- align=center | 1964 | "Hello Dolly!" | Pop (Single) | Kapp | 2001 | |- align=center | 1926 | "Heebie Jeebies" | Jazz (Single) | OKeh | 1999 | |- align=center | 1968 | "What a Wonderful World" | Jazz (Single) | ABC | 1999 | |- align=center | 1955 | "Mack the Knife" | Jazz (Single) | Columbia | 1997 | |- align=center | 1925 | "St. Louis Blues" | Jazz (Single) | Columbia | 1993 | Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong, cornet |- align=center | 1928 | "West End Blues" | Jazz (Single) | OKeh | 1974 | |}

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed Armstrong's ''West End Blues'' on the list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

{| class=wikitable |- ! Year Recorded ! Title ! Label ! Group |- align=center | 1928 | West End Blues | Okeh | Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five |}

Inductions and honors

In 1995, the U.S. Post Office issued a Louis Armstrong 32 cents commemorative postage stamp.

{| class=wikitable |- ! Year Inducted ! Title ! Results ! Notes |- align=center | 2007 | Louisiana Music Hall of Fame | | |- align=center | 2007 | Gennett Records Walk of Fame, Richmond, Indiana | | |- align=center | 2007 | Long Island Music Hall of Fame | | |- align=center | 2004 | Nesuhi Ertegün Jazz Hall of Fameat Jazz at Lincoln Center | | |- align=center | 1990 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | | Early influence |- align=center | 1978 | Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame | | |- align=center | 1952 | Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame | | |- align=center | 1960 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star | at 7601 Hollywood Blvd. |}

Legacy

The house where Louis Armstrong lived for close to 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now a museum. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 37th Avenues) in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the City University of New York's Queens College, following the dictates of Lucille Armstrong's will.

The museum opened to the public on October 15, 2003. A visitors center is currently being planned, and estimated to open in 2011.

The influence of Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Yet, his irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer.

As a virtuoso trumpet player, Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic improvisation. Through his playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. He was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.

Though Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters precedes his scatting on record in the 1930s according to Gary Giddins and others. Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to him. Holiday said that she always wanted Bessie Smith's 'big' sound and Armstrong's feeling in her singing.

On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Armstrong's birth, New Orleans's airport was renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in his honor.

In 2002, the Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925–1928) are preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

The US Open tennis tournament's former main stadium was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in honor of Armstrong who had lived a few blocks from the site.

Today, there are many bands worldwide dedicated to preserving and honoring the music and style of Satchmo, including the Louis Armstrong Society located in New Orleans, LA.

Discography

Louis Armstrong albums

Louis Armstrong songs

Notes

References

Armstrong, Louis. ''Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans''. ISBN 0-306-80276-7

Armstrong, Louis and Thomas Brothers. ''Armstrong, in His Own Words: Selected Writings''. ISBN 0-19-514046-X

Bergreen, Laurence "Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life" ISBN 0-553-06768-0

Brothers, Thomas "Louis Armstrong's New Orleans" ISBN 0-393-06109-4

Cogswell, Michael. ''Armstrong: The Offstage Story''. ISBN 1-888054-81-6

Elie, Lolis Eric. ''A Letter from New Orleans.'' Originally printed in ''Gourmet''. Reprinted in ''Best Food Writing 2006,'' Edited by Holly Hughes, ISBN 1-56924-287-9

Jones Max and John Chilton. Louis Armstrong Story. ISBN 0-306-80324-0

Meckna, Michael. ''Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia''. ISBN 0-313-30137-9

Video clips

"Now You Has Jazz"

"Blueberry Hill"

"Stompin' At The Savoy" Germany, 1959

"Tiger Rag"

"C'est si bon 1962

"Dream a Little Dream" photo slide show

"Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra - The Birth of The Blues" - The Edsel Show

External links

louis-armstrong.net - Sony BMG Music Entertainment

Louis Armstrong by Nat Hentoff

Obituary, NY Times

Quotes and tributes

Discography

Filmography @ imdb.com

The Louis Armstrong Society Jazz Band

Louis Armstrong: A Life in Music - slideshow by ''Life magazine''

''Seeing Black'' jazz critic on the Uncle Tom question

the official website of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives

"Louis Armstrong Transcription Project - john p birchall"

Louis Armstrong at pbskids.org

David Margolick, The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise

Smithsonian Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy

Louis Armstrong at NPR Music

Louis Armstrong in Athens, Blog of the Digital Library of Georgia

Louis Armstrong: discography and early recordings (Real Player format) on the Red Hot Jazz website.

Milestone Louis Armstrong recordings at Three Perfect Minutes

Louis Armstrong's autobiography online book

* "Satchmo - My Life in New Orleans(1954)" free download

*"Satchmo - My Life in New Orleans" another website

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:1901 births Category:1971 deaths Category:ABC Records artists Category:African American brass musicians Category:African American singers Category:American buskers Category:American jazz cornetists Category:American jazz singers Category:American jazz trumpeters Category:Burials at Flushing Cemetery Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Decca Records artists Category:Dixieland bandleaders Category:Dixieland singers Category:Dixieland trumpeters Category:Gennett recording artists Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Jazz bandleaders Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:MGM Records artists Category:Musicians from Louisiana Category:Okeh Records artists Category:People from Corona, Queens Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Swing bandleaders Category:Swing singers Category:Swing trumpeters Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:Vocal jazz musicians Category:Vocalion Records artists Category:Performing arts pages with videographic documentation

ar:لويس أرمسترونغ an:Louis Armstrong az:Luis Armstronq zh-min-nan:Louis Armstrong be:Луі Армстранг be-x-old:Луіс Армстранг bs:Louis Armstrong br:Louis Armstrong bg:Луис Армстронг ca:Louis Armstrong cv:Луи Армстронг cs:Louis Armstrong cy:Louis Armstrong da:Louis Armstrong de:Louis Armstrong et:Louis Armstrong el:Λούις Άρμστρονγκ es:Louis Armstrong eo:Louis Armstrong eu:Louis Armstrong fa:لویی آرمسترانگ hif:Louis Armstrong fr:Louis Armstrong fy:Louis Armstrong gl:Louis Armstrong gan:路易·暗式將 ko:루이 암스트롱 hi:लुईस आर्मस्ट्रांग hr:Louis Armstrong io:Louis Armstrong id:Louis Armstrong is:Louis Armstrong it:Louis Armstrong he:לואי ארמסטרונג pam:Louis Armstrong ka:ლუი არმსტრონგი sw:Louis Armstrong la:Ludovicus Armstrong lv:Lūiss Ārmstrongs lb:Louis Armstrong lt:Louis Armstrong hu:Louis Armstrong mk:Луис Армстронг ml:ലൂയിസ് ആംസ്ട്രോംങ് ms:Louis Armstrong nl:Louis Armstrong ja:ルイ・アームストロング no:Louis Armstrong nn:Louis Armstrong oc:Louis Armstrong pnb:لوئیس آرمسٹرانگ pap:Louis Armstrong nds:Louis Armstrong pl:Louis Armstrong pt:Louis Armstrong kaa:Louis Armstrong ro:Louis Armstrong qu:Louis Armstrong rue:Луї Армстронґ ru:Армстронг, Луи sah:Луи Армстроҥ sc:Louis Armstrong sq:Louis Armstrong scn:Louis Armstrong simple:Louis Armstrong sk:Louis Armstrong sl:Louis Armstrong sr:Луј Армстронг sh:Louis Armstrong fi:Louis Armstrong sv:Louis Armstrong tl:Louis Armstrong ta:லூயிசு ஆம்சுட்ராங் th:หลุยส์ อาร์มสตรอง tr:Louis Armstrong uk:Луї Армстронг ur:لوئی آرمسٹرانگ vi:Louis Armstrong war:Louis Armstrong yo:Louis Armstrong bat-smg:Loisos Armstrongos zh:路易斯·阿姆斯特朗

Coordinates	38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N
Name	Bette Midler
Background	solo_singer
Alias	The Divine Miss M
Birth date	December 01, 1945
Origin	Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Territory
Genre	Vocal, pop, adult contemporary, comedy
Occupation	Singer, actress, comedian, author, environmentalist, producer
instruments	Vocals, ukulele
Years active	1965–present
Label	Atlantic (1972–1997)Warner Bros. (1998–2001)Columbia (2003–present)
Associated acts	Barry Manilow
Spouse	Martin von Haselberg (1984 - present)
Children	Sophie von Haselberg (b. 1984)
Website	bettemidler.com }}

Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedian, also known (by her informal stage name) as The Divine Miss M. She has starred in highly acclaimed films such as ''The Rose'', ''Ruthless People'', ''Beaches'' and ''For The Boys''.

During her more than forty-year career, Midler has been nominated for two Academy Awards; and won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award. She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

Early life and family

Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Jewish parents. She is the daughter of seamstress/housewife Ruth (née Schindel) and house painter Fred Midler, who worked at a Navy base in Hawaii. Her parents moved from Paterson, New Jersey to Honolulu before Midler was born. She was named after the actress Bette Davis, though Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one, . She was raised in Aiea and attended Radford High School in Honolulu. She was voted "Most Talkative" in the 1961 school Hoss Election, and in her Senior Year (Class of 1963) "Most Dramatic". She majored in drama at the University of Hawaii, but left after only three semesters and earned money in the 1966 film ''Hawaii'' as an extra, playing an uncredited seasick passenger who was the wife of David Buff.

Midler married Martin von Haselberg on December 16, 1984, only about six weeks after their first meeting. Their daughter Sophie was born on November 14, 1986.

Career

Theater actress

In the summer of 1965, Midler relocated to New York City, using the money from her work in the film ''Hawaii.'' She landed her first professional onstage role in Tom Eyen's Off-Off-Broadway plays in 1965, ''Miss Nefertiti Regrets'' and ''Cinderella Revisited,'' a children's play by day and an adult show by night. From 1966 to 1969, she played the role of Tzeitel in ''Fiddler on the Roof'' on Broadway. After ''Fiddler'', she joined the original cast of ''Salvation'' in 1969.

In the summer of 1970, Midler began singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the city. During this time she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first album in 1972, ''The Divine Miss M.'' It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following. In the late 1990s, during the release of her album ''Bathhouse Betty,'' Midler commented on her time performing there, "Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride."

In 1971, Midler starred in the first professional production of The Who's rock opera ''Tommy'' with director Richard Pearlman and the Seattle Opera. It was during the run of ''Tommy'' that Midler first appeared on ''The Tonight Show.''

1970–80: ''The Divine Miss M'' and success

Midler released her debut album ''The Divine Miss M'' on Atlantic Records in December 1972. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and became a million-selling Platinum-certified album, and earning Midler the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. It featured three hit singles with "Do You Want To Dance?", "Friends", and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" which became Bette's first #1 Adult Contemporary hit. Bette's self titled follow-up album was released at the end of 1973. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and eventually sold close to a million copies in the United States alone. Midler returned to recording with the 1976 and 1977 albums, ''Songs for the New Depression'' and ''Broken Blossom''.

In 1974, she received a Special Tony Award for her contribution to Broadway with ''Clams on the Half Shell Revue'' playing at the Minskoff Theater. From 1975–1978, she also provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the PBS educational series ''Vegetable Soup''.

In 1977, Midler's first television special, ''Ol' Red Hair is Back'', premiered, featuring guest stars Dustin Hoffman and Emmett Kelly. It went on to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Special — Comedy-Variety or Music.

In 1979, Midler made her first motion picture, starring in the 1960s-era rock and roll tragedy ''The Rose'', as a drug-addicted rock star modeled after Janis Joplin. That year she also released her fifth studio album; ''Thighs and Whispers''. Midler's first foray into disco was a commercial and critical failure and went on to be her all-time lowest charting album, peaking at #65 on the ''Billboard'' album chart. Soon afterward, she began a world concert tour, with one of her shows in Pasadena being filmed and released as the concert film ''Divine Madness''.

In 1979, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for ''The Rose'', for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical). The film's acclaimed soundtrack album sold over two million copies in the United States alone, earning a Double Platinum certification. The single version of the song held the #1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks and reached #3 on Billboard's Hot 100. It earned Midler her first Gold single and won the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

1981–89: ''Wind Beneath My Wings'' and ''Beaches''

In 1981, Midler worked on the troubled project ''Jinxed!''. It was a comedy, but during production, there was friction with co-star (Ken Wahl) and the film's director (veteran Don Siegel). Released in 1982, the film was a major flop. Midler would appear in no other films until 1986. During those four years, she concentrated on her music career and in 1983, released the album ''No Frills'', produced by Chuck Plotkin, best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The album included three single releases: the ballad "All I Need To Know", a cover of Detroit native Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" - which Midler fell in love with after flipping his 45 of "Someday Someway" - and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones cover "Beast of Burden". The rock and New Wave album went on to become Midler's third lowest charting album in the US, yet surprisingly went on to become her highest selling album to date in Continental Europe and Scandinavia, as well as West Germany.

Midler was a performer on USA for Africa's 1985 fund-raising single "We Are the World," and participated at the 'Live Aid' event at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Also in 1985, she signed a multi-picture deal with Touchstone Pictures. She was subsequently cast by director Paul Mazursky in ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills,'' beginning a successful comedic acting career. She followed that with ''Ruthless People'' (1986), ''Outrageous Fortune'' (1987), and ''Big Business'' (1988). She scored a hit with the 1988 tearjerker ''Beaches,'' co-starring Barbara Hershey. The accompanying soundtrack remains Bette's all-time biggest selling disc, reaching #2 on Billboard's album chart and with US sales of four million copies. It featured her biggest hit, "Wind Beneath My Wings", which went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, achieved Platinum status, and won Midler her third Grammy Award - for Record of the Year - at the 1990 telecast.

1990–2000: Chart comeback

Midler lent her voice to the animated character Georgette, a snobbish poodle, in Disney's ''Oliver & Company'' (1988). In 1990, she co-starred with Woody Allen in ''Scenes from a Mall,'' again for Mazursky. Also in 1990, Bette's "From A Distance" was another chart-topping Platinum single for her. She earned another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for 1991's ''For the Boys,'' co-starring with James Caan and directed by Mark Rydell, who also directed ''The Rose.'' For the latter, she was awarded another Golden Globe for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical). She reportedly turned down the lead role in 1992's ''Sister Act,'' which instead went to Whoopi Goldberg. In 1993, she also starred with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the movie, ''Hocus Pocus'' as Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, the head witch of the Sanderson Sisters.

Other films include ''Stella'' (1990), ''The First Wives Club'' (1996), and ''The Stepford Wives'' (2004). Her television work includes an Emmy-nominated version of the stage musical ''Gypsy'' and a guest appearance as herself in Fran Drescher's ''The Nanny.'' In 1997, Midler, along with her co-stars from ''The First Wives Club'', Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, was a recipient of the Women in Film Crystal Award which honors "outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry".

Midler won an Emmy Award in 1992 for her memorable performance on the next-to-last episode of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' in May 1992; during which she sang an emotion-laden "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" to Johnny Carson. Another memorable event occurred that night, Midler began singing "Here's That Rainy Day", Carson's favorite song. Carson then joined a few lyrics later, and a piano soon after. She appeared on ''Seinfeld'' in the episode "The Understudy," which was the season finale of that show's sixth season in 1995.

Her 1997 HBO special ''Diva Las Vegas'' earned her a third Emmy Award, for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

In 1995 and 1999, she reached the top of the US Dance Charts with remixes of her hits "To Deserve You" on Atlantic and "I'm Beautiful" on Warner Brothers Records.

2000–01

Midler has guest-starred in various sitcoms over the years, including ''The Simpsons'' in the episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled" (she is first seen traversing a highway picking up trash when she is approached by Bart and Lisa with a request for Midler to appear on a show to revive Krusty's dying career). She also appeared on ''The Nanny'' in the aptly titled episode "You Bette Your Life". In 2000, Midler starred in her own sitcom, ''Bette''. Airing on CBS, initial ratings were high but soon declined and the show did not last a full season, being cancelled in early 2001. During the show's short lifespan, Bette's daughter (played by Lindsay Lohan in the pilot, then by Marina Malota starting with the third episode) and her husband were recast (Robert Hays succeeded Kevin Dunn in the final episode aired). The show was also reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil. Also in 2001, ''Bette or Bust'', a book chronicling Midler's "Divine Miss Millennium Tour", was released.

Music

Midler has won four Grammy Awards. Her rendition of the 1990 "From a Distance" also earned a Grammy award (for the song's composer Julie Gold), and became her longest running #1 - six consecutive weeks - on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. It also reached #2 Pop and was another Platinum-selling single for Bette. When the American Film Institute announced "The 100 Years of the Greatest Songs" on June 22, 2004, two of Midler's recordings were selected by the board: "Wind Beneath My Wings" (#44) and "The Rose" (#83). However, after years of erratic record sales, Midler was dropped from the Warner Brothers label in 2001, after nearly three decades with Warner Music Group.

After a reported long-standing feud with Barry Manilow, the two joined forces after many years in 2003 to record ''Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook''. Of the project, Manilow said he'd had a dream that he was recording with Midler again, so he called her up with the idea and she agreed that it was due time to work together again. Manilow duetted with Midler on the song "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China", after a little dialogue between the two artists at the start of the track. Now signed to Columbia Records, the album was an instant success, being certified gold in only a few weeks. One of the ''Clooney Songbook'' selections, "This Ole House," became Midler's first Christian radio single shipped by Rick Hendrix and his positive music movement. The album was nominated for a Grammy the following year.

In 2003–04, Midler toured the U.S. in her new show, ''Kiss My Brass'', to sell-out audiences. In early 2005, an Australian tour, ''Kiss My Brass Down Under'', was equally successful. Midler joined forces again with Manilow for another tribute album, ''Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook''. Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release and returned Midler to the Top 10.

Recent work

In 2006, Midler released a new Christmas album ''Cool Yule'' featuring the title song (written by Steve Allen) and a duet of "Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow" with Johnny Mathis. Midler next starred in the 2007 film ''Then She Found Me'', directed by Helen Hunt and starring Hunt, Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth, and appeared on the ''American Idol'' season 6 finale, singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" live at the Kodak Theatre.

On December 6, 2007, Midler's album ''Cool Yule'' received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Midler has a Vegas show entitled "Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On" at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The show comprised The Staggering Harlettes, 20 female dancers called The Caesar Salad Girls and a 13-piece band. Midler was reportedly paid $120 million per year for her 200 shows. The show debuted on February 20, 2008, and played its final performance on January 31, 2010, after a two-year run.

A new "best of" album, ''Jackpot: The Best Bette'', was released in 2008 and reached #66 on the U.S. charts, and #6 in the U.K., where it was certified Platinum.

In June 2009, Midler appeared on the Bravo TV show ''My Life on the D-List'' with Kathy Griffin.

December 2009 saw Midler appear on the British Royal Variety Performance in front of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She performed "In My Life" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" as the closing act.

In 2010, Midler voiced the character Kitty Galore in the animated film ''Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore''. In November 2010, Midler also released another compilation of lesser known tracks from her catalog, entitled ''Memories of You''.

Midler is one of the producers of the Broadway production of the musical ''Priscilla Queen of the Desert'' which opened in February 2011.

Charity work

In 1995, Midler founded the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a non-profit organization with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of New York City. These include Highbridge Park, Fort Washington Park, and Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan and Roberto Clemente State Park and ''Bridge Park'' in the Bronx.

In 1999, the city planned to auction 114 community gardens for commercial development. Midler led a coalition of greening organizations to save them. NYRP took ownership of 60 of the most neglected plots. Today, Midler and her organization work with local volunteers and community groups to ensure that these gardens are kept safe, clean and vibrant. In 2003, Midler opened Swindler Cove Park, a new public park on the Harlem River shore featuring specially designed educational facilities and the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, the first community rowing facility to be built on the Harlem River in more than 100 years. The organization offers free in-school and after-school environmental education programming to students from high-poverty Title I schools.

Discography

1972: ''The Divine Miss M''

1973: ''Bette Midler''

1976: ''Songs for the New Depression''

1977: ''Live at Last''

1977: ''Broken Blossom''

1979: ''Thighs and Whispers''

1983: ''No Frills''

1990: ''Some People's Lives''

1995: ''Bette of Roses''

1998: ''Bathhouse Betty''

2000: ''Bette''

2003: ''Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook''

2005: ''Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook''

2006: ''Cool Yule''

2008: ''Jackpot: The Best Bette''

Tours

1970-1972: Continental Baths

1972: Cross Country Tour

1973: The Divine Miss M Tour

1975: Clams on the Half Shell Revue

1975-1976: The Depression Tour

1977-1978: An Intimate Evening with Bette

1978: The Rose Live In Concert

1978: World Tour (Bette Midler)

1979-1980: Bette! Divine Madness

1980: Divine Madness - Pasadena

1982-1983: De Tour

1993: Experience the Divine

1994: Experience The Divine Again!

1997: Diva Las Vegas

1999: Bathhouse Betty Club Tour

1999-2000: The Divine Miss Millennium Tour

2003-2004: Kiss My Brass

2005: Kiss My Brass Down Under

2008-2010: The Showgirl Must Go On

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #F9F9F9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1966 | ''Hawaii'' | Passenger | uncredited |- |1969 | ''Goodbye, Columbus'' | Wedding Guest | uncredited, cut scene |- | 1972 | ''Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers'' | unknown | voice |- | 1974 | ''The Thorn'' (aka: ''The Divine Mr. J'') | Virgin Mary | blocked distribution of film |- | 1979 | ''The Rose'' | Mary Rose Foster | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated — Academy Award for Best ActressNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role |- | 1980 | ''Divine Madness'' | Herself/Divine Miss M. | concert filmNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | 1982 | ''Jinxed!'' | Bonita Friml | |- | rowspan="2" | 1986 | ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' | Barbara Whiteman | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | ''Ruthless People'' | Barbara Stone |American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture |- | 1987 | ''Outrageous Fortune'' | Sandy Brozinsky | American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion PictureNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | rowspan="3" | 1988 | ''Beaches'' | C. C. Bloom | |- | ''Oliver & Company'' | Georgette | voice |- | ''Big Business'' | Sadie Shelton/Sadie Ratliff | American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture |- | 1989 | ''The Lottery'' | | Short film |- | 1990 | ''Stella'' | Stella Claire | |- | rowspan="2" | 1991 | ''For the Boys'' | Dixie Leonard | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated — Academy Award for Best Actress |- | ''Scenes from a Mall'' | Deborah Fifer | |- |rowspan="2" | 1993 | ''Gypsy'' | Mama Rose | TV movieGolden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TVNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |- | ''Hocus Pocus'' | Winifred 'Winnie' Sanderson | Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress |- | 1995 | ''Get Shorty'' | Doris Saphron | uncreditedAmerican Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |- | 1996 | ''The First Wives Club'' | Brenda Cushman | National Board of Review Award for Best CastNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | 1997 | ''That Old Feeling'' | Lilly Leonard | |- | rowspan=2 | 1999 |''Get Bruce'' | Herself | |- | ''Fantasia 2000'' | Herself / Hostess | (segment "Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102") |- | rowspan="3" | 2000 | ''What Women Want'' | Dr. J.M. Perkins | uncredited |- | ''Isn't She Great'' | Jacqueline Susann | |- | ''Drowning Mona'' | Mona Dearly | |- | 2004 | ''The Stepford Wives'' | Bobbie Markowitz | |- | 2007 | ''Then She Found Me'' | Bernice Graves | |- | 2008 | ''The Women'' | Leah Miller | |- | 2010 | ''Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' | Kitty Galore | |- | 2011 | ''Sweet Baby Jesus'' | Eleanor | |-

Movies & Television

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #F9F9F9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | rowspan="2" | 1976 | ''Vegetable Soup'' | Woody the Spoon | voice |- | ''The Bette Midler Show'' | Herself | TV special |- | 1977 | ''Ol' Red Hair is Back'' | Herself | TV specialEmmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music SpecialNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special |- | 1984 | ''Art Or Bust'' | Herself/Divine Miss M. | TV special |- | 1984 | ''Video Music Awards'' | Herself/co-host | Awards Show |- | 1989 | ''The Lottery'' | Music teacher | Created to demonstrate special effects; shot entirely and shown only at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida |- | 1990 | ''Earth Day Special'' | Mother Nature | |- | 1993 | ''The Simpsons'' | Herself | "Krusty Gets Kancelled" |- | 1995 | ''Seinfeld'' | Herself | "The Understudy" |- | rowspan="2" | 1997 | ''Diva Las Vegas'' | Herself/Divine Miss M. | TV specialEmmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music ProgramNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special |- | ''The Nanny'' | Herself | "You Bette Your Life" |- | 1999 | ''Jackie's Back'' | Herself | |- | 2000–2001 | ''Bette'' | Bette | 18 episodesNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy |- | 2008 | ''Strictly Come Dancing'' | Herself | Performed ''Wind Beneath My Wings'' |- | rowspan="7" | 2009 | ''Loose Women'' | Herself | Guest Host |- | ''Dancing On Ice'' | Herself | Performed |- | ''Strictly Come Dancing'' | Herself | Performed ''The Rose'' |- | "The One Show" | Herself | Guest |- | "The Royal Variety Performance" | Herself | Performed |- | ''The Marriage Ref'' | Herself | Guest |- |''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List'' | Herself | Guest / toured Las Vegas nightlife w/Kathy |- | 2010 | ''The Showgirl Must Go On'' | Herself | HBO TV Special (December 31) |- | 2010 | ''Paul O'Grady's Christmas'' | Herself | Guest |}

See also

List of number-one hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

Further reading

"A View From A Broad" 1981

''The Saga of Baby Divine'' (Crown Publishers, 1984), ISBN 978-0-517-55040-3

''Bette: An Intimate Biography of Bette Midler'' by George Mair (Birch Lane Press, 1995), ISBN 1-55972-272-X

External links

Official Website

Bette on the Boards

Bette Midler at TVGuide.com

Las Vegas Sun''">Bette Midler bio, photos, stories and blogs in the ''Las Vegas Sun''

Bette Midler on Muppet Wiki

Category:1945 births Category:American comedians Category:American dance musicians Category:American film actors Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American female pop singers Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:English-language singers Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:French-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American Jews Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish comedians Category:Jewish singers Category:Living people Category:People from Honolulu, Hawaii Category:Tony Award winners Category:Torch singers Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:Women comedians Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Actors from Hawaii Category:New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists

bg:Бет Мидлър ca:Bette Midler cy:Bette Midler da:Bette Midler de:Bette Midler el:Μπέτι Μίντλερ es:Bette Midler fr:Bette Midler ga:Bette Midler gl:Bette Midler ko:베트 미들러 hr:Bette Midler id:Bette Midler it:Bette Midler he:בט מידלר lt:Bette Midler hu:Bette Midler nl:Bette Midler ja:ベット・ミドラー no:Bette Midler pl:Bette Midler pt:Bette Midler ro:Bette Midler ru:Мидлер, Бетт sq:Bette Midler simple:Bette Midler sr:Бет Мидлер fi:Bette Midler sv:Bette Midler th:เบ็ตต์ มิดเลอร์ tr:Bette Midler uk:Бетт Мідлер vi:Bette Midler