Six Minutes With Satch: I'm a Ding Dong Daddy / I'm in the Market for You
It's a new era! Starting with today's single, we get to the period when almost all who heard Louis Armstrong live agreed was his greatest era: his time in California from July 1930 to March 1931. We have a new backing back in that of trumpeter Vernon Elkins, with two fresh-faced budding stars in drummer Lionel Hampton and Lawrence Brown.
And we have something of a mystery in the recording booth. Once again, I don't want to give everything away from my upcoming book (available for pre-order! Sorry...) but California is when things went south between Armstrong and Tommy Rockwell and when Johnny Collins officially became Armstrong's manager. In doing research, I saw notices that Rockwell left OKeh sometime in 1930 to join his friend Jack Kapp over at Brunswick. I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact date but I know that occurred by 1931. Thus, it's entirely possible that Rockwell was out of the picture entirely by the time of Armstrong's California sojourn (well, not entirely as his behind-the-scenes dealings led directly to Louis's gangster troubles the following year--it's all in the book).
If this is true, then who was running the show at OKeh? It's a mystery but it does seem like Johnny Collins might have pushed a little harder for Louis to be at the vanguard of the pop music world. Where Rockwell was content to have Armstrong record ancient tunes like "Some of These Days" and "Tiger Rag" to have Armstrong preserve his live specialties, in California, there now seems to have been a premium on Louis recording the hottest numbers of the particular time ("Sweethearts on Parade" and "Shine" being the exceptions).
Anyway, this is all very boring considering the amazing music we have to listen to today! And I keep saying the point of this series is to listen to the music and have a LITTLE bit of writing for context purposes. But like yesterday's Jimmie Rodgers cameo, some of these performances were subjected to my old "details, details, details" style and, hoping they still hold up, I'll occasionally share a link to a blog from the past.
That's the case here, as I blogged about the epic single of "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy" and "I'm in the Market for You" way back in 2015. If you crave more details, read all about it here but otherwise the links to the music are below and that's really all you need to insure having a great day!
LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS SEBASTIAN NEW COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Vernonon Elkins (tp, cond), Unknown (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Leon Herriford (as,), Willie Stark (as), William Franz (ts), L.Z. Cooper (p), Ceele Burke (bj), Reggie Jones (tu), Lionel Hampton (d).
OKeh recording session - Los Angeles, CA July 21, 1930
LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS SEBASTIAN NEW COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Leon Elkins (tp, cond), Unknown (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Leon Herriford (cl), Willie Stark (as), William Franz (ts), L.Z. Cooper (p), Ceele Burke (steel-g *), Reggie Jones (tu), Lionel Hampton (d).
OKeh recording session - Los Angeles, CA July 21, 1930
YouTube links:
And we have something of a mystery in the recording booth. Once again, I don't want to give everything away from my upcoming book (available for pre-order! Sorry...) but California is when things went south between Armstrong and Tommy Rockwell and when Johnny Collins officially became Armstrong's manager. In doing research, I saw notices that Rockwell left OKeh sometime in 1930 to join his friend Jack Kapp over at Brunswick. I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact date but I know that occurred by 1931. Thus, it's entirely possible that Rockwell was out of the picture entirely by the time of Armstrong's California sojourn (well, not entirely as his behind-the-scenes dealings led directly to Louis's gangster troubles the following year--it's all in the book).
If this is true, then who was running the show at OKeh? It's a mystery but it does seem like Johnny Collins might have pushed a little harder for Louis to be at the vanguard of the pop music world. Where Rockwell was content to have Armstrong record ancient tunes like "Some of These Days" and "Tiger Rag" to have Armstrong preserve his live specialties, in California, there now seems to have been a premium on Louis recording the hottest numbers of the particular time ("Sweethearts on Parade" and "Shine" being the exceptions).
Anyway, this is all very boring considering the amazing music we have to listen to today! And I keep saying the point of this series is to listen to the music and have a LITTLE bit of writing for context purposes. But like yesterday's Jimmie Rodgers cameo, some of these performances were subjected to my old "details, details, details" style and, hoping they still hold up, I'll occasionally share a link to a blog from the past.
That's the case here, as I blogged about the epic single of "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy" and "I'm in the Market for You" way back in 2015. If you crave more details, read all about it here but otherwise the links to the music are below and that's really all you need to insure having a great day!
LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS SEBASTIAN NEW COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Vernonon Elkins (tp, cond), Unknown (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Leon Herriford (as,), Willie Stark (as), William Franz (ts), L.Z. Cooper (p), Ceele Burke (bj), Reggie Jones (tu), Lionel Hampton (d).
OKeh recording session - Los Angeles, CA July 21, 1930
LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS SEBASTIAN NEW COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA
Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Leon Elkins (tp, cond), Unknown (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Leon Herriford (cl), Willie Stark (as), William Franz (ts), L.Z. Cooper (p), Ceele Burke (steel-g *), Reggie Jones (tu), Lionel Hampton (d).
OKeh recording session - Los Angeles, CA July 21, 1930
YouTube links:
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