Transcript
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Narrator (Bing Crosby) (0:35)
An American Gallery. And here is Bing crosby.
Narrator/Commentator (0:39)
You know, 60 years ago in New Orleans, they called him Little Louie. Then one day somebody looked at that grin, it was as wide as the Mississippi, and they hung on the handle. Dipper mouth. In 1929, where was I? Oh, I was with the Rhythm boys, one of those kids. Around about that time, someone took a closer look at the gentleman in question, and they decided that the label Satchel Mouth was a bit more descriptive. Well, in no time at all, that became Satchmo, and the legend was on its way. Yeah, Louis Armstrong was a jazz giant even then. As a matter of fact, he was cutting records when I had a full head of hair and hope was hustling dimes in a Cleveland pool hall. Satchmo is now in the. Let's see, he's in his fifth decade of recording now. How do you rack up that kind of success? Well, there's only one answer available. You have the soul and the sound of Louis Armstrong.
Narrator (Bing Crosby) (1:41)
Louis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter, saluted this week on An American Gallery. Bing Crosby tells the story in this special tribute to a great American, Satchmo.
Narrator/Commentator (2:01)
Louie. You want to talk about Louie? Well, I hope you're not in a rush, because there's an awful lot to say. Now, you take his birthday, for instance. Well, I mean, for a man who's become kind of an American ambassador, blowing his horn and spreading happiness all over the world, getting born on the 4th of July is almost too much, isn't it? But that's the date. And the year was 1900, and the place was New Orleans. Now, you gotta remember, something else was born in New Orleans jazz. And Louis was with it right from the start. And for him, the start was. Well, you're not going to believe this, but it's true. He started in playing the tambourine in the band at the Colored Waif's Home for Kids. Imagine him banging on that tambourine. Kids who did things like shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve. Well, so much for Louie's criminal background. But one day, the bugler in that band was sent home. Louie stepped in and took his place. He switched over to the cornet. Well, a couple months later, the way Louis tells it, that band got to play at socials, picnics, funerals and parades. After about 18 months in the home, Louis was discharged. Fourteen years old, he was picking up jobs as a musician. And that's how it began, this sound. The sound that is known today in just about every country on earth. You just listen a minute and you'll see why,
