If you ask me to think of the most unique musician ever to perform, I would not hesitate to say Louis Armstrong.  Armstrong would have been 109 years old this coming August, so even if he had survived the 1971 heart attack, he almost certainly would have passed before now.
I was a mere six years old when Armstrong died, yet I count myself very fortunate to have seen him on television while he was still alive. I don’t remember the details of when I saw him. It might have been on the Dick Cavett Show, but knowing my father’s love of country music, it was probably the Pearl Bailey Show on January 23, 1971.
I recall seeing him on television more than once. He made a lot of television appearances in the late 60s and early 70s. I fell in love with his gravelly voice and penetrating trumpet even at that age. Who sings like that? Nobody but old Satchel Mouth could take a voice as horrible as his and turn it into a beautiful instrument.
It didn’t hurt that my father had a copy of the his Hello, Dolly! album and played it regularly. What many jazz experts consider one of his worst hits was the entry drug of choice for me. I still love the song because it reminds me of my childhood, and of a man who always wore a smile on his face.
Of course, I remember the white handkerchief that always wiped the sweat off his brow, the scat singing, the bug-eyes that sometimes popped out of his head, and the improvisation on trumpet or cornet so perfectly executed you would bet money that the notes he played were written, but the smile is what I remember the most. He smiled through his performances, and you can tell that he was happiest there, doing what he loved to do.
Watch the first 20 seconds of this video clip and see how the man loved his job.
It’s said that Armstrong gave away as much money as he kept, much of it to help children in need. There will never be anyone quite like him. Fortunately, he left us with plenty of recordings to enjoy.
