Lord Byron was a famous British poet better known as
the leading figure of Romanticism. His best known poems include, “She Walks in
Beauty”, “When We Two Parted”, “So, We'll Go No More A Roving”, “Childe
Harold's Pilgrimage” and “Don Juan”. Byron spent a celebrated aristocratic life,
which included huge debts, a long list of lovers and self-imposed exile. He
fought against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence, which made
him a Greek national hero. He may be credited with the initiation of Armenology
and its propagation. His heavy lyricism and ideological courage influenced the
writing of many Armenian poets such as Ghevond Alishan, Smbat Shahaziz,
Hovhannes Tumanyan and Ruben Vorberian. He also was the member of House of
Lords for a brief time and was the strong advocator of social reform. He was
known for his violent sarcastic parliamentary speeches. Few of his politically
inspired poems include “Song for the Luddites” (1816) and “The Landlords'
Interest”, “Canto XIV of The Age of Bronze”. Read more at
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lord-byron-1.php#locpOPfkeIppQxrh.99
Lord Byron was
born on January 22, 1788 in Dover, Kent, Great Britain. His father was Captain
John 'Mad Jack' Byron and mother was Catherine Gordon, heiress of Gight in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After the death of her husband, Catherine took her son
back to Scotland, where she raised him in Aberdeenshire. The death of his
great-uncle, the “wicked” Lord Byron inherited him with both title and estate,
Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire. In August 1799, he was enrolled in the
school of William Glennie, an Aberdonian in Dulwich. Byron received his formal
education at Aberdeen Grammar School. In the year 1801, he was sent to Harrow
where he stayed for the next four years. After completing his school, he went
to Trinity College, Cambridge. When not attending college, Byron used to live
with his mother at Burgage Manor in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. During this
time he was befriended with Elizabeth Pigot and her brother, John. Elizabeth
encouraged Byron to write poetries and at the young age of 14, he produced his
first poetry, “Fugitive Pieces”. But the poetry was promptly recalled and
destroyed on advice of his friend, the Reverend Thomas Beecher due to its
amorous verses. On March 13, 1809, Byron took his seat in the House of Lords
but very soon left London on June 11, 1809 for the continental trip. On his
return from travels, he asked his relative, R.C. Dallas to publish his poem,
“Childe Harold's Pilgrimage”. The two sections of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
were published in 1812 and became success. This success was followed by equally
popular “Oriental Tales”, “The Giaour”, “The Bride of Abydos”, “The Corsair”,
and “Lara, A Tale”. Following the accusation of sodomy and incest and to
prevent the exclusion of the British society, Byron left England in 1816 and
never returned to the country again.
Later Life
After leaving
England in 1816, Lord Byron visited Saint Lazarus Island in Venice. In Venice,
he got acquainted with Armenian culture with the assistance of the abbots of
the Mekhitarist Order. He also learned Armenian language with the help of
Father H. Avgerian. His important works in this period include English Grammar
and Armenian (1817) and Armenian Grammar and English (1819), wherein in latter,
he included classical and modern Armenian quotations. He also helped in the
compilation of the English Armenian dictionary (Barraran angghieren yev
hayeren) published in 1821. He also did some important translation works like
Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, two chapters of Movses Khorenatsi's History
of Armenia and sections of Nerses of Lambron's Orations. He can also be
considered as the father of Armenology and may be credited for its propagation.
From the time period 1821 to 1822, during his stay at Pisa, Byron finished
Cantos 6–12 of his famous work, “Don Juan”. In the same year, he along with
Leigh Hunt and Percy Bysshe Shelley started a newspaper, “The Liberal” but
unfortunately it didn’t run for long.
Genoa was his last
Italian home where he was companied by the Countess Guiccioli. In Genoa, Byron
met Charles John Gardiner, 1st Earl of Blessington, and Marguerite, Countess of
Blessington. Their brief acquaintance helped Marguerite to write her important
work, “Conversations with Lord Byron”. Byron stayed in Genoa till 1823 after
which, he went to support the movement for Greek independence from the Ottoman
Empire. Sailing off from Genoa on July 16, he reached Messolonghi in western
Greece on December 29. At Messolonghi, he joined the powerful Greek politician,
Alexandros Mavrokordatos. The two planned to attack the Turkish-held fortress
of Lepanto, at the mouth of the Gulf of Corinth. Although Byron had not much
military experience, he employed a fire-master to prepare artillery and decided
to command the rebel army under himself. But before he could actually sail off
to the war, he fell ill on February 15, 1824.
Personal Life
Lord Byron had
earned himself a reputation of being extravagant, melancholic, courageous,
unconventional, eccentric, flamboyant and controversial. He was known for his
independent nature and extremes of temper. His personal life was full of
affairs and scandals. His first love includes his distant cousins Mary Duff and
Margaret Parker. He was also attracted to Mary Chaworth, whom he met, while at
Harrow. His affair with the married Lady Caroline Lamb shocked the British
public. Lord Byron was also accused of incest, due to a possible love affair
with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh. It was even assumed that Leigh’s third
daughter, Elizabeth Medora Leigh was the child of Lord Byron. Eventually, Byron
courted Lady Caroline's cousin Anne Isabella Milbanke and married her on
January 2, 1815 at Seaham Hall, County Durham. The couple had a daughter, Ada
Lovelace born in 1815. The married life of Lord Byron was not happy and
following the rumors of marital violence, adultery, incest and sodomy, he left
his wife and England in 1816. His other affairs include Claire Clairmont,
Marianna Segati, Margarita Cogni and the young Countess Guiccioli. With Claire
Clairmont he had an illegitimate child in 1817, Clara Allegra Byron.
Death
After falling ill on February 15, 1824,
Lord Byron was given the remedy of bloodletting which weakened him further.
Before he could make any considerable recovery, he caught a violent cold. It
was believed that the unsterilised medical instrumentation developed sepsis in
him. Following a violet fever, Byron breathed his last on April 19, 1824.
Jonathan Swift 1667
– 1745.
Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish poet, writer and cleric who gained
reputation as a great political writer and an essayist. Jonathan, who became
Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin, is also known for his excellence in satire.
His most remembered works include Gulliver's Travels, A modest Proposal, An
Argument against Abolishing Christianity and A Tale of a Tub.
Childhood &
Early Life
Jonathan Swift was born on 30 November
1667 in Dublin, Ireland to an Irish father Jonathan Swift and an English mother
Abigail Erick. Jonathan, who was second child and the only son of his parents,
was born seven months after his father's death. His mother left him with his
father's family and returned to England. After loosing his parent's contact,
Jonathan stayed with his uncle Godwin, who sent him to Kilkenny College for
studies. After completing primary schooling, Jonathan went on to study at the
Dublin University in 1682, and received a B.A. Degree in 1686. He had to drop
his further studies after a political clash broke in Ireland. Jonathan was
forced to leave the place and moved to England in 1688, where with the help of
his mother, he secured a job as secretary of an English diplomat Sir William
Temple at Moor Park.
Jonathan as a Writer
Swift was awarded Doctor of Divinity
from Trinity College, Dublin in 1702. During this period he wrote A Tale of Tub
and his previous work A Battle of Books was published. With the success of
these two, he began to achieve excellence as a writer and came into contact
with Alexander Pope, Johan Gay and John Arbuthnot. During year 1707-1709, Swift
remained politically active and again in 1710, he travelled to London seeking
the claims of Irish clergy to the First-Fruits and Twentieths.
As his urges to the Whig administration
of Lord Godolphin went unheeded, he published a political pamphlet The Conduct
of the Allies in 1711. The pamphlet harshly criticized the Whig government for
its incapability to end the war with France. Tory government, an opposition
party to the Whig government, recruited Swift as editor of The Examiner when it
came in power in 1710. The party initiated a negotiation with France and signed
the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. After
the Whig government again returned to power in 1714, the Tory leaders were
charged with treason and tried for illegal negotiation with France.
Controversies over Personal Life
Swift was widely believed to share an
intimate and close relationship with a girl Esther Johnson. He first met her
when she was eight years old. The two maintained a close but ambiguous
relationship for the rest of his life. They were believed to have secretly
married, though there is no definite proof corroborating this. But it was
certain that she held a special place in his heart throughout his life. In his
later life, Swift was linked to another fatherless girl, Esther Vanhomrigh, who
presumably was infatuated with him, though Swift later tried to break off
relationship with her.
Later Life and Death
With Whig government coming to power,
Jonathan Swift left England for one more time. He returned to Ireland and began
a series of political writing in Irish support. Some of his notable works
during this period are Proposal for Universal Use of Irish Manufacturer (1720),
Drapier’s Letters (1724) and A Modest Proposal (1729). Some of his masterpiece,
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World and Gulliver’s Travels also
came during that period. In 1726 he visited England where he stayed with his lifelong
friends Alexander Pope, John Arbuthnot and John Gay. With the help of them,
Swift anonymously published his book Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. The book was
proved to be such a huge success that it’s French, German and Dutch version had
to be published in 1727.
Esther Johnson’s death on 28 January
1728 shattered him and pushed him in to a state of mental illness. He wrote his
book The Death of Mrs. Johnson as a tribute to Esther Johnson after her death.
Moved by her death, Swift began to write extensively on death and in 1731, he
wrote Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, which was published in
1739. Before that in 1738, he had begun to show signs of mental illness
and gradually lost his ability to speak and walk. On 19 October 1745 Jonathan
Swift died. In accordance to his wishes, he was buried near the grave of Esther
Johnson and his assets were donated to found a hospital for the mentally ill.
Jim Morrison 1943
– 1971.
Jim Morrison gave birth to Rock music, one of the most popular genres of
music. Jim is known both as a lead singer for his band ‘Doors’ and also for his
personal singles and albums. Even with the sudden changes in the music genres,
Morrison will always be remembered for his path breaking rock music. Morrison
was both a much loved and much hated man for his indulgences in heightened
creativity clubbed with overdose of drugs and other addictions. Though Morrison
is mainly known for being a great song writer but he also wrote several books.
Morrison lived a controversial life full of wine, women and drugs. Jim
Morrison, along with his band The Doors, became the most popular and high
profile band of America. Morrison wrote poems which were brought out as an album
(as ‘An American Prayer’) by his band after he died. Morrison wrote some of the
greatest hits like “Light My Fire”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Love Her Madly” and
“Touch Me”. Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jim-morrison-178.php#YkxqZ4tQAz3Oiuq0.99
Jim Morrison Childhood
Jim Morrison was born on 8 December
1943 in Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida, United States to father, future
Admiral George Stephen Morrison and mother, Clara Morrison. Jim was the eldest
of three kids having a sister, Anne Robin (born in 1947) and a brother Andrew
Lee Morrison (born in 1948). In 1947 Morrison met with a car accident at the
age of 4 where he witnessed an American Indian family being injured and killed.
Morrison was deeply scared by this incident and he later narrated it in the
song "Dawn's Highway" from the album An American Prayer. References
of the road accident also came in the songs "Peace Frog", "Ghost
Song", sung by Morrison in the later years. The incident not only left a
deep impact on the singer but changed his formative days. Morrison gave away
repeated accounts and references of this incident in many of his future songs,
poems, and interviews.
Education
Morrison’s father worked in the United
States Navy due to which Morrison had to travel most of the time and shift from
one home to another. Much of his childhood was spent in San Diego, California.
In 1958 Morrison went to Alameda High School in Alameda, California. In June
1961 he completed his Graduation from George Washington High School (presently
George Washington Middle School) in Alexandria, Virginia. Morrison started
living with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida, where he attended
classes at St. Petersburg Junior College. In 1962 he shifted to Florida State
University (FSU) in Tallahassee where he took part in a school recruitment film
by appearing in the film. During his stay in FSU Morrison got entangled
in a football game prank which got him arrested. In January 1964 Morrison
arrived in Los Angeles, California, to attend the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA). Morrison took up Comparative Literature program within the UCLA
English Department and attended Jack Hirschman's class on Antonin Artaud.
Morrison was greatly influenced by Artaud's brand of surrealist theatre and
much of Morrison’s later growth in dark poetic sensibility of cinematic nature
is because of Artaud. In 1965 Morrison received his undergraduate degree at
UCLA's film school and the Theatre Arts department of the College of Fine Arts.
While pursuing his film studies in UCLA Morrison made two films – ‘First Love’
which Morrison made along with his roommate Max Schwartz, ‘Obscura’ which was a
made into a documentary. Morrison lived in Venice Beach in Los Angeles during
this time when he befriended few writer friends who worked at the ‘Los Angeles
Free Press’.
Music and formation of ‘The Doors’
After graduating from UCLA in 1965,
Morrison started leading an unconventional life at Venice Beach. Jim and his
fellow UCLA mate student Ray Manzarek initially formed the band The Doors which
was soon joined by drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The band
got their name from the title of Aldous Huxley's book, ‘The Doors of
Perception’ (a reference to the "unlocking" of "doors of
perception" through psychedelic drug use). The Doors was formally formed
as a Rock Band in 1965.
Jim Morrison was known for being the
lead member of his band writing most of the songs for the band but guitarist
Robby Krieger had made several lyrical contributions writing and co-writing
many of the band’s songs which include The Doors’ hit
songs, “Light My Fire”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Love Her Madly” and “Touch Me”.
In 1966 The Doors performed in the opening act of Van Morrison's band Them’s
participation in the ‘Whisky a Go Go’ event. Jim was greatly inspired and
influenced by Van Morrison’s stage performance and public acts. The Doors and
Van Morrison along with his band jammed together on the last night of the event
on ‘Gloria’, a song written by Van Morrison.
Growth of “The Doors”
Soon Doors started gaining popularity
and acclaim as a powerful rock band. The Doors got the first taste of national
recognition after signing with Elektra Records in 1967. Doors reached the top
spot with their hit single “Light My Fire” which reached number one on the
Billboard Pop Singles chart.
The Doors appeared on the popular TV
show “The Ed Sullivan Show” which had introduced The Beatles and Elvis Presley
to global audiences. In 1967, Morrison and his band The Doors produced a
promotional film for "Break on Through (To the Other Side)", which was
the first single release of their first album. All the band members appeared in
the video which had a dark set and close-up shots of the band members were seen
and Morrison lip-synched the lyrics. The Doors made many other music videos
which include “The Unknown Soldier”, “Moonlight Drive” and “People Are
Strange”.
With time The Doors became a hugely
popular rock band in the United States. After releasing their second album,
‘Strange Days’ Morrison and his band were recognised as a band which belted a
fine mix of blues, rock tinged with psychedelia. Morrison introduced his band’s
psychedelic form of music through their version of "Alabama Song",
from Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's operetta, ‘Rise and fall of the City of
Mahagonny’. In 1967 Jim Morrison’s black and white photos were taken in a photo
session organised by photographer Joel Brodsky which was named as “The Young
Lion”. Even today several photographs taken during this shoot are used on
magazines, covers, compilations and various memorabilia items of The Doors. The
photo shoot is arguably the best and upholds Morrison’s iconic status. In 1968
The Doors released their third studio album, ‘Waiting for the Sun’ and their
fourth album, ‘The Soft Parade’ in 1969.
Decline of Morrison
Morrison started
taking drugs regularly in the late 1960s. Besides this, Morrison reportedly
started coming to studio recordings in completely drunken state. Morrison also
arrived late at live shows and performances. This resulted in the band playing
instrumental music and later forcing Manzarek to perform vocals. In 1969 Jim
was reportedly seen wearing a beard and turning out fat and in casual dresses.
Jim was also seen wearing slacks, jeans and T-shirts instead of his earlier
stylish leather pants and concho belts.
In 1969, while in
a stage performance at the concert taking place in Dinner Key Auditorium,
Miami, Jim allegedly vexed the audience and tried to spark off a riot among the
crowd but he failed. Jim was arrested and a warrant was issued by the Dade
County Police department after three days of the performance. Charges of
‘indecent exposure’ were labelled on Morrison. From then on all The Doors’ concerts
were called off.
Writing Career
Jim was a great
poet much before he had turned into a successful song writer/lyricist. He
published two volumes of his poetry in 1969, ‘The Lords / Notes on Vision’ and
‘The New Creatures’. In 1970, Jim privately published his book ‘An American
Prayer’. Many of Jim’s writings had later been made into several books and
compilations.
Films and
Documentaries on Morrison
The Doors Are Open
(1968)
Live in Europe
(1968)
Live at the
Hollywood Bowl (1968)
Feast of Friends
(1969)
The Doors: A
Tribute to Jim Morrison (1981)
The Doors: Dance
on Fire (1985)
The Soft Parade, a
Retrospective (1991)
The Doors (1991) -
A fiction film directed by Oliver Stone starred Val Kilmer as Morrison and had
cameos by Krieger and Densmore
Final 24: Jim
Morrison (2007)
The Doors: No One
Here Gets Out Alive (2009)
When you’re Strange (2009)
Personal Life
Jim Morrison had
lived most of his early life with his long time partner Pamela Susan Courson.
Jim had even written off most of his estates and properties to Courson but both
died at a very young age. Courson had encouraged Morrison to write poetry and
develop depth in it. Morrison was also known to have lived (lived and spent
time) with various other women in his life. In 1970, Morrison took part in a
Celtic Pagan handfasting ceremony with rock critic and science fiction/fantasy
author Patricia Kennealy and the couple were known to have signed a document
claming themselves to be wedded. Morrison allegedly had sex with his fans,
celebrities and several other women regularly throughout his flashy musical
career.
Death
Jim died on 3 July
1971. According to an official record, Jim was found in a Paris apartment
bathtub by Courson. There was no autopsy carried out on the body as the medical
examiner had allegedly found no foul play in his death. The cause of Morrison’s
death could not be determined. Two decades later accounts of two witnesses
claimed that Morrison had taken drugs after drinking for an entire day and he
had coughed blood and gone unconscious. Courson was beside him who also died at
the age of 27 due to drug overdose.
JIM MORRISON
TIMELINE
Louis Armstrong 1901 – 1971.
It is said that the greatest test a work of art needs to pass is the
test of time. In that case, Louis Armstrong seems to have scored a perfect ton.
Such is the impact the great musician had on the music lovers of the 20th and
the 21st century. Considered as one of the greatest in the history of jazz
music, Armstrong clearly re-defined dance music. His amazing technical forte,
dexterity, agility and his creativity continues to dominate the realms of jazz.
Regarded as the most important improviser in jazz, his exciting and innovative
style is emulated by the musicians all over the world. Much of his recordings,
which were done in the 1920’s, remain unmatched in the history of jazz music.
He was a distinguished pop artist, who made the people around him go crazy.
Fondly dubbed as ‘Satchmo’ or ‘Pops’, Armstrong possessed a great sense of
humor and had a positive disposition, that reflected on his music and pepped up
everyone around him.
Louis Armstrong’s
Childhood and Early life
Louis Armstrong
was born in New Orleans in Louisiana on August 4, 1901, in a family of
‘slaves’. As such, much of his childhood was spent in abjection and hardship.
He was born and raised in a ghetto at Uptown New Orleans, better known as the
“Back of the Town”. In 1902, when Louis was just an infant, his father, William
Armstrong deserted the family and married another woman. His mother, Mary
“Mayann” Albert left the home shortly after that, leaving Louis and his sister
Beatrice Armstrong Collins under the care of his grandmother Josephine
Armstrong and uncle, Isaac. However, at the age of five, Armstrong returned to
live with his mother and attended Fisk School for Boys. It was here that he got
his first exposure to Creole music. He earned some money as a paperboy and by
selling discarded food at the restaurants. However, scanty income and hunger
forced his mother into prostitution. Armstrong also sang in dance halls where
he saw every kind of dance, from licentious dancing to quadrille. For earning
additional money, he also hauled coal to places like Storyville, a red-light
area where he listened to bands playing in dance halls and brothels. After
dropping out of school at an age of eleven in 1912, he joined a quartet of
boys, who sang songs in the streets for money. He also worked for a
Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant family, the Karnofskys, who owned a junk business
and gave him a job. They treated him as a family member, and fed and nurtured
him. Later, Armstrong wrote a memoir of his relationship with the Karnofskys in
1907 titled as “Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., and
the Year of 1907”. In the memoir, he wrote how astonished he was to see the
discrimination that was meted out to Karnofskys by the white people, who opined
that they were better than the Jewish race.
As a Juvenile
Delinquent
Armstrong was a
frequent in Home for Colored Waifs. However, his longest stay there was when he
fired his stepfather’s pistol into the air during a New Year Eve celebration.
It was here that he developed a serious passion for playing cornet. Professor
Peter Davis, who was his mentor there, instilled discipline and gave musical
training to Armstrong, which eventually saw him becoming a bandleader. The band
played all around New Orleans and thirteen-year-old Louis attracted attention
by his cornet playing, which marked the beginning of his musical career. In
1915, at the age of fourteen, he was released, which led to the reunion of
Louis with his father, stepmother and his mother.
Beginning of a
Music Career
When he was in his
teens, he was influenced by the leading jazz artists of the day like Bunk
Johnson, Buddy Petit, and Kid Ory including the leading cornet player of New
Orleans, Joe “King” Oliver, who was almost like a father figure to him. It was
at this time that Armstrong got his first dance hall job at Henry Ponce. He
also played in brass band parades and riverboats in the city and listened to
the songs of older musicians whenever he got a chance. He also worked with Fate
Marable, which travelled in a steamboat up and down the Mississippi river. He
explained his time with Marable as ‘going to the university’ as it gave him a
much wider understanding of working with written arrangements. In 1919, when
Joe Oliver resigned from his position in Kid Ory’s band, Armstrong replaced
him. He also became the second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band, which was a
society band.
In 1918, Louis
Armstrong got married to Daisy Parker from Gretna in Louisiana. They adopted a
three year old boy called Clarence Armstrong whose mother Flora was Louis’s
cousin. She died soon after giving birth to him. Clarence Armstrong was
mentally disabled due to a head injury, which happened at a very young age. In
the meanwhile, Louis’s marriage to Daisy Parker failed and they were separated.
She passed away shortly after the divorce.
As a Trumpeter and
a Jazz Musician
These experiences
made Armstrong to mature and expand as a musician. By the time he reached his
twenties, he could read music and started featuring in extended trumpet solos.
He was the first jazz man to do this, implementing his own personality and
style into the solo turns. In 1922, he was invited by his mentor Joe King
Oliver to join Creole jazz Band in Chicago. It was a place where Louis could
make sufficient money so that he need not do any other job to earn his living.
Oliver’s band was among the best and most influential jazz bands in Chicago in
early 1920’s. After joining Oliver’s band, Armstrong led a royal life in
Chicago, living in an apartment of his own. He made his first recordings on
Gennett and Okeh labels including breaks and solos, while playing second cornet
in Oliver’s band in 1923. During this time, he met Hoagy Carmichael. In 1924,
he married Lillian Harden, who was a pianist in the Oliver band.
Although he
enjoyed working with Oliver, under the persuasion of his wife, Armstrong quit
the band. Lillian wanted more prominent billing for Anderson and urged him to
host classical concerts in church and boost his solo play and put in
considerable efforts to hone his overall appearance. Lillian’s growing
influence on her husband led to a chink in the relationship between him and
Oliver, which was basically concerning his salary and additional money, which
Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members. After parting amicably
in 1924 with Oliver, Armstrong accepted an invitation from Fletcher Henderson
orchestra in New York to play with them. It was the topmost African-American
band of the day. Switching onto trumpet to blend better with other musicians,
Louis made a great influence on Henderson’s tenor sax soloist Coleman Hawkins.
For almost a year, he worked in Fletcher Henderson’s band in New York. Later he
returned to Chicago, where he played with orchestras and doled out some of the
most important recordings of his lifetime.
While playing with
Henderson’s band, he quickly adapted the controlled style of Henderson’s band,
playing trumpet and trombone. He also made plenty of recordings during this
time with the help of his pianist friend, Clarence Williams. Armstrong returned
to Chicago in 1925, on the insistence of his wife who wanted to push up his
career and income. Although he reluctantly gave into the decision during
that time, he later admitted that it was a wise decision as Henderson was
restricting his artistic growth. However, he was disappointed when Lillian
billed him as ‘world’s greatest trumpet player’ during one of the publicity
campaigns, much against his wishes. He became a part of Lil Hardin Armstrong
band and doled out record-breaking hits one after another under the name of
Okeh. Some of the notable hits of this time were ‘Potato Head Blues’, ‘Muggles’,
‘West End Blues’, which set a standard for jazz for years to come. By this
time, Armstrong forte with trumpet became far superior to that of others. His
amazing technique, compelling swing, sense of harmonies, his gift to create
vital melodies, his complex sense of solo design along with his genius created
an indelible niche for himself in the realms of jazz.
By 1929, he
emerged as a renowned musician. As a trumpet soloist, he toured America and
Europe, working for several brands. It was during this time that he worked on
some popular songs by renowned composers such as Hoagy Carmichael, Irving
Berlin and Duke Ellington. His amazing raspy tone and gift for structuring solo
inspired masterpieces such as ‘That’s My Home’, ‘Star Dust’, and ‘Body and
Soul’. It was in 1935 that he made his first Broadway appearance. In the
following years, he performed in many stages including in California.
In 1931, he was
separated from Lil Armstrong. Armstrong’s own bands were playing in a
conventional manner and he emerged as the major force on the swing era. The
rest of the trumpeters started emulating his melody, dramatic structure and
technical intelligence. He also started working for Carroll Dickerson Orchestra
with Earl Hines doing the piano and the band was renamed as Louis Armstrong and
his Stompers. In 1931, he recorded ‘When It's Sleepytime Down South’, which
became his theme song. In 1932, he toured England, which was followed by
extensive international tours including a lengthy stay in Bangalore. In 1935, when
Armstrong returned to the United States, Joe Glaser became his manager. Glaser
helped Armstrong to fight the legal and managerial battles and remained as his
manager for the rest of his career, transforming him into an international
star. Under his management, Armstrong performed in films, radios, dance halls,
nightclubs and theaters. Armstrong was also part of movies, radios and
television appearances, Armstrong enacted the role of an entertainer. In 1938,
he married his long time girlfriend Alpha, a relationship that was quite short
lived.
In 1942, he
married Lucille Wilson who was a dancer at the Cotton Club. They bought a home
in Queens in Corona where they lived for the rest of their lives. In 1947, he
played a dramatic role in ‘New Orleans’ in which he also performed in a
Dixieland band. In the same year, he formed a band including all other jazz
greats who revitalized jazz music. During 1950s and 1960’s, he continued to act
in films and had plenty of international tours, which won him the name ‘Ambassador
Satch’.
It was at this
time that he reached the peak of his fame and recorded hits such as ‘Hello,
Dolly’ and ‘Mac the Knife’. ‘Hello, Dolly’ became number one in Billboard
charts. In 1968, he produced another hit ‘What a Wonderful World’.
In the later
phases of his life, he was besieged with illnesses that stopped him from
playing trumpet and he had to be hospitalized several times. However, he
continued recording and playing. In his last years, he continued to perform,
travelling to England twice, appearing on television shows and performing on
New Port jazz festival to commemorate his 70th birthday.
On 6 July 1971, Armstrong passed away in his sleep due to heart attack in
Corona in New York, a month before his 70th birthday.
Contributions
Louis Armstrong
changed the course of jazz music and made many commendable contributions. Some
of his songs include ‘A Kiss to Build a Dream On’, ‘Ain't Misbehavin',
‘Alexander's Ragtime Band’, ‘All of Me’, ‘Baby, It's Cold Outside’, ‘Back O'
Town Blues’, ‘Basin Street Blues’,’ Big Butter & Egg Man’, ‘Bill Bailey’,
‘Black & Blue’, ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Blueberry Hill’,’ Bye Bye Blues’,
‘Cabaret’, ‘C'est Si Bon’, ‘Didn't He Ramble’, ‘Do You Know What It Means
to Miss New Orleans’, ‘Don't Fence Me In’, ‘Don't Get Around Much Anymore’,
‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’, ‘Fantastic, That's You’, ‘Georgia on My Mind’,
‘Give Me Your Kisses’ and ‘Go Down Moses’.
Armstrong also
penned some autobiographies, which include ‘Swing That Music’ (1936, reprinted
with a new foreword, 1993), and ‘Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans’ (1954).
Legacy
Legacy
Louis Armstrong is regarded as the
father of jazz music. His innovative techniques, sophistication and
inventiveness, which can be associated only with him, changed the course of
American entertainment as he inspired the musicians to improvise using their own
unique styles. His influence in the development of jazz was immense as he
guided people such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. The
joy and enthusiasm, which he brought to the bandstand as a singer, trumpeter
and bandleader, was unmatched.
Awards and Accolades
·
Grammy award for Male Vocal Performance
in Hello Dolly, 1964
·
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in
1972, Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
·
Armstrong was included in Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame as an "early influence",
1990
·
‘West End Blues’ on the list of 500
songs that shaped Rock and Roll, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
·
The works of Armstrong were included
into Grammy Hall of Fame (to commemorate the recordings which are twenty five
years old or work which have qualitative or historical importance) such as:
·
St. Louis Blues, 2008
·
Weather Bird, 2008
·
Blue Yodel #9 (Standing on the Corner),
2007
·
All of Me, 2005
·
Porgy and Bess, 2001
·
Hello Dolly, 2001
·
Heebie Jeebies, 1999
·
What a Wonderful World, 1999
·
Mack the Knife, 1997
·
St. Louis Blues, 1993
·
The city of New Orleans named its
airport as Louis Armstrong International Airport, 2001
Jimi Hendricks 1942 - 1970
Jimi Hendrix is considered as one of the
greatest electric guitarists that the musical world has ever witnessed. He
composed music combining different genres of hard rock, jazz and blues into
soulful unforgettable renditions. His style of music has been a source of
inspiration for many budding musicians. He started his musical career by
forming his first band The Jimmy Hendrix Experience where he played the guitar
and also sang as the lead vocalist. His first single “Hey, Joe” took the world
by storm. He made headlines after his iconic performance in 1969 in the
Woodstock Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival in the 1970s. His second
album was Axis: Bold as Love released in 1968 and his final album Electric
Ladyland was also released in the same year. It featured the hit “All Along the
Watchtower.” Soon after, the band split in 1969. His style of music was
strongly influenced by blues artists like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin'
Wolf, Albert King, Elmore James and rhythm and blues guitarists Curtis Mayfield
and Steve Cropper. His music was also inspired by the jazz guitarist Wes
Montgomery. This lead guitarist expired at the age of 27 on 18th September,
1970.
Jimi Hendrix
Childhood
Johnny Allen Hendrix was born on 27th November
in 1942. He was born to father James Allen "Al" Hendrix (1919-2002)
and mother Lucille Jeter (1925-1958) in Seattle, Washington. His father was
originally from Vancouver, British Columbia whereas his mother was born in
Seattle, Washington. Hendrix was the eldest of their five children. His father
was a gifted
jazz dancer who initially shuffled between lots of job before joining as a
United States Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was sent to France during the
World War II. His father was discharged with honor from the U.S. army on 1st September,
1945. On his return from there Al Hendrix legally changed his son's name to
James Marshall Hendrix in 1946. Both Al Hendrix and Lucille were going through
a rough patch in their marriage and thereafter they got divorced in 1951.
Hendrix was just nine years old when his parents went through a bitter divorce.
He lost his mother at the age of fifteen. His mother died of liver cirrhosis on
2nd February,
1958 owing to her excessive drinking habits.
His father Al Hendrix won the child
custody over them but Hendrix always worshipped his mother in her absence.
Hendrix was raised among his two brothers, Leon and Joseph, and his two
sisters, Kathy and Pamela. His brother, Joseph was born physically challenged
and was placed in foster care at the age of three. His other two sisters were
also raised in foster care at a young age. Kathy was born blind and Pamela
suffered minor physical difficulties. They had a very strict upbringing during
their childhood. He was raised under the care of his paternal grandmother in
Vancouver, British Columbia.
Education and
Early Life
As a young boy, Hendrix was shy and
sensitive by nature. He was badly influenced by his parent’s split. Hendrix was
enrolled in a junior school at Washington Junior High School. He passed his
school leaving exam with ease. During his high school days he got a chance to
mix along with African Americans, European Americans, and Asian Americans. He
was exposed to a variety of cultures and music. At the age of 15, he bought his
first acoustic guitar for $5 from an acquaintance of his father. Initially
Hendrix had no proper formal training in strumming the guitar. He learned to
play it by watching others how to play it, by listening to records and got
valuable tips from experienced players. By the middle of 1959, his father
bought him a white Supro Ozark, which was his first electric guitar ever. He
then learned the great songs by Blues by B.B. King and Muddy Waters.
He also performed in various local bands
and played in gigs in neighboring village city areas around New York City’s
Greenwich and in Vancouver, British Columbia. He performed his first gig with
an unknown band in the basement of a synagogue, Seattle's Temple De Hirsch. The
first formal band he played in was The Velvetones. He then joined a band called the
Rocking Kings and played as a professional guitarist at the Birdland. He
played the guitar between his legs, behind his back and over his head and could
charm the audience with ease. Soon he became a favorite with the audience.
Meanwhile, he took admission in the
Garfield High School in Seattle but he did not complete his graduation owing to
his musical career and attendance problem. He was later awarded an honorary
diploma in the 1990s.
Army
Musical Career
He met a soldier named Billy Cox who
was originally a bass player. Both of them formed a band together named King
Kasuals and performed regularly at a club in Nashville, Tennessee. By this
time, he had drawn popularity as a renowned guitarist and emulated the late
rocker Little Richard on-stage. Hendrix performed with the Isley Brothers and
also with saxophonist King Curtis, and later with friend Curtis Knight. He then
signed a contract with Knight's manager, Ed Chalpin and later formed his own
group, Jimmy James & the Blue Flames, and shifted base to New York.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
In September 1966, Hendrix came to
London with the help of Chas Chandler, who was a member of the rock band the
Animals. Michael Jeffery helped him manage the band and Chandler helped him
form the new band The Jimi Hendrix Experience along with Noel Redding as the
bass player and John "Mitch" Mitchell on the drums. The group then
performed its first hit single, titled "Hey Joe” in a stage show at
London.
Are You Experienced? Axis:
Bold as Love. His third and last album was Electric
Ladyland
Band of Gypsys
In 1967, the band, The Jimi Hendrix
Experience broke apart due to a contractual dispute between Jimi and his
producer Ed Chalpin in 1965. Hendrix then chose to record a live album, the
Band of Gypsys.
Discography
The Jimi Hendrix
Experience
·
Are You
Experienced (1967)
·
Axis: Bold as Love
(1967)
·
Electric Ladyland
(1968)
Jimi Hendrix/Band
of Gypsys
·
Band of Gypsys
(1970)
Posthumous studio
albums
·
The Cry of Love
(1971)
·
Rainbow Bridge
(1971)
·
War Heroes (1972)
·
Loose Ends (1974)
·
Crash Landing
(1975)
·
Midnight Lightning
(1975)
·
Nine to the
Universe (1980)
·
Radio One (1988)
·
First Rays of the
New Rising Sun (1997)
·
South Saturn Delta
(1997)
·
Valleys of Neptune
(2010)
Death
Legacy
Hendrix won many prestigious rock music
awards in his lifetime. His name was inducted in the US Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. He was the first person
whose name was included in the list of the Native American Music Hall of Fame
and in 1994 a star was also dedicated to him in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He
is in the top ten lists of 100 greatest guitarists in the world in 2003. In
1992, Hendrix was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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