Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 240 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl. 

 

My dad’s favorite trumpet player also was an extremely popular vocalist. I have documented many trumpet players who have also recorded their singing voices during the course of this show. Rarely do they commit to a full record of it. And none were as famous for it.

 

This musician popularized a singing style, while making some of the hottest jazz records in the 1920s and 30s with his trumpet.

 

So, get ready to hear the gravely voice of the guy they called pops in Volume 240: A Singing Satchmo.

 

 

[Music: Someday You’ll Be Sorry]

 

 

Louis Armstrong and the Commanders with Someday You’ll Be Sorry 

Written-By – Louis Armstrong

 

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

 

I am as big of a fan of Louis Armstrong’s as my dad was. I even visited his gravesite a couple years ago when my girlfriend, daughter and I were on a trip to New York City.

 

I’ll be honest. Other than What A Wonderful World and maybe Hello Dolly, I wasn’t really enthused when I heard Satchmo singing, so I was resisting this album. But as I heard more recordings of Louis’ singing over the years thanks to streaming audio services, I became more aware of just how much he used his voice more as an extension of his trumpet. So I decided to take a listen.

 

Of course I’m glad I did, and I hope you’re glad I did too.

 

There are several standards here that got the Armstrong treatment. Plus the self-penned one that opened the show.

 

Next up. Now follow me. This version of Louis’ was recorded and released on this record in 1955, a year after the Moonglows first recorded it. But it was the version that the McGuire Sisters did in 1954 that became the definitive version.

 

 

[Music: Sincerely]

 

 

Sonny Burke and His Orchestra backing Louis on Sincerely

Written-By – Harvey Fuqua and Allen Freed. Yes, THAT Allen Freed. The Cleveland and then New York radio DJ who popularized the term Rock and Roll. 

 

We have visited HIS gravesite as well in Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery. Please don’t think us morbid, but listening to Volume 144: Where Jazz is Buried – Woodlawn will tell you everything you need to know about that obsession.

 

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

 

Louis Armstrong – Satchmo Sings

Label: Decca – DL 8126

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album

Released: 1955

Genre: Jazz

 

We will hear 7 of the 12 songs on this album

 

The liner notes are relatively short and very odd, so I’ll read them all.

 

Everyone knows that Satchmo is Louis Armstrong, and everyone also knows that he is a great trumpet player, perhaps the greatest performer whoever blew a horn. But not quite everybody, perhaps only every other person, knows that Satchmo – Armstrong is an extraordinary singing soloist. His unique vocalizing has highlighted many a composition. The same color and quality that go into his trumpet playing are immediately recognizable in his voice, a voice which has been labeled gravel throated. sandpaper roughened, Sawmill strident, Horsley piercing, and guttural, usually misspelled gutteral. That’s an e where the second U should be I guess.

 

When Decca issued an album of Louis’ vocals it was titled Satchmo Serenades, and it was an instantaneous success. So wide was the response that another album of solos by Satchmo was inevitable. This is it.

 

Any estimate of Louis’ remarkable contribution to American Jazz is, at this date, superfluous. Critic after critic has paid a series of glowing tributes to his dazzling technique, his amazing improvisations, and the inspiration which has made him a legend. Perhaps no critic has summed up his feeling for jazz so pithily as the French critic Hugues Panassie who, in the real Jazz wrote quote in the shortest passage, in the individual note itself, Louis Armstrong Swings with such intensity and such Rhythm that he seems to become a veritable incarnation of the music. His unrelenting attack, his tremendous tone, the power and supreme ease of his playing and the greatness of his ideas create a whole so impressive that to compare his style with that of other musicians is like comparing a Monumental Cathedral with a gray city dwelling. unquote 

 

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

 

$26.00 High

$2.46 Low

 

$13.29 Average

$15.00 Median

 

Last sold on Jan 08, 2025 $3.71 or 3.15 Euro.

 

My dad’s record is in poor condition. Lots of popping and several skips.

 

The album surface itself is a real mess. Plenty of markings and scratches. One of the poorest I’ve actually seen in the collection. You have to remember, my dad wasn’t actually an audiophile. Many people who listened to a lot of records didn’t always know the proper care.

 

The cover is in surprisingly good condition as far as no wear or tear on the edges like you usually see. However there are other odd scratches on the front cover almost like you would see on the record surface itself.

 

The word Posted is stamped on the back and there is a letter K written in a sharp green magic marker. That’s a new one.

 

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at a couple of bucks.

 

Next up. I know Louis liked his jazz and pop standards. I think this song counts as a country standard.

 

 

[Music: Your Cheatin Heart]

 

 

The Sy Oliver Orchestra backing Louis on Your Cheatin Heart 

Written-By – Hank Williams

 

We’ve thoroughly covered the life of my dad’s favorite trumpet player in previous episodes. But this album brought up a good question, and I’ll answer it here.

 

Why did Louis Armstrong decide to record and perform as a vocalist besides playing trumpet?

 

Louis’ singing career actually has its roots in his earliest musical experiences, even before he became famous for his trumpet playing. As a young boy in New Orleans, Armstrong sang on the streets with other kids, harmonizing for pennies and entertaining passersby. This childhood foundation in singing stayed with him throughout his life, and when he began recording with his own bands in the 1920s, it felt natural for him to add his voice to the mix, even though he was already gaining recognition as a trumpet virtuoso. Back in his days with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band and later with Fletcher Henderson up in New York, bandleaders and producers caught on quick. His phrasing was fresh, his tone full of life—and when he started recording under his own name in the mid-1920s, the crew at OKeh Records nudged him to sing more. He did, and just like that, audiences lit up. That voice had grit, charm, and swing—and Louis treated it like a second horn.

 

His singing style wasn’t a gimmick—it was part of who he was.

 

To Armstrong, there was no line between blowing a horn and singing a tune—it was all part of the same joyful expression. As radio and records brought his music into homes across the country, his warm, playful voice became just as iconic as his trumpet. He scatted, stretched phrases, and spun melodies with that same inventiveness that made him a jazz giant. In the end, his singing didn’t just complement his playing—it became a signature part of the magic that made Louis Armstrong unforgettable.

 

He was born August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, a controversial date that I explained in a previous episode featuring Satchmo. He died July 6, 1971 in Corona, New York and is buried in Flushing Cemetery. Louis Armstrong was 69 years old.

 

Now here’s Louis and his own orchestra for the next two, starting with a great version of this tune.

 

 

[Music: April In Portugal]

[Music: Kiss Of Fire]

 

 

Kiss Of Fire

Written-By – Lester Allen and Robert Hill

 

Before that we heard April In Portugal 

Written-By – Jimmy Kennedy and Raul Ferrao

Both were performed by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra

 

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with a style of singing Satchmo made popular.

 

No, Louis Armstrong did not invent scat singing. Vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables—what we now call scat—had already been heard in vaudeville, barbershop quartets, and early jazz before Armstrong ever stepped up to a microphone. But what *is* true, according to both Louis and his bandmates, is that during the 1926 recording session for “Heebie Jeebies,” he dropped his lyric sheet mid-song. Rather than stop, Armstrong kept going, filling in the missing words with joyful, improvised syllables. The result? One of the first and most famous examples of scat singing on record—and a performance that helped popularize the style across the country.

 

While others had dabbled in scat, no one *owned* it like Louis. His ability to treat his voice like a jazz instrument—bending pitches, syncopating rhythms, and riffing with boundless creativity—made his singing electrifying. That “Heebie Jeebies” session didn’t just show off his quick thinking; it showcased the playfulness and invention that defined his style. From then on, scat became a signature of Armstrong’s vocal identity, and he returned to it often in recordings and live performances, always bringing humor, soul, and rhythmic flair.

 

Armstrong’s singing became popular not in spite of his unusual voice, but because of it. His gravelly tone, joyful delivery, and swing-era phrasing stood out in a world of smooth crooners. He brought something deeply human to every song—he didn’t just sing the notes; he *felt* them. Whether delivering heartfelt ballads or trading scat phrases with his trumpet, Louis invited listeners into the music with warmth, charm, and a touch of mischief. His voice, like his horn, told stories the world wanted to hear.

 

He certainly liked to do his own thing. Quite like the people who are the subject of this next song.

 

 

[Music: The Gypsy]

 

 

The Gypsy from Louis Armstrong and the Commanders

Written-By – Billy Reid

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

 

Like I mentioned, Armstrong’s singing started to grow on me as I was exposed to it more. Especially as I started to compare his vocal to his trumpet improvisations.

 

His stylings were definitely fun to listen to.

 

But the most popular vocal Louis ever recorded was released well after this album. That of course would be What A Wonderful World in 1967. His definitive version still brings tears to my eyes especially when they play it in Times Square after the ball drops every new year’s eve.

 

I don’t remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

 

It’s only got two colors, red and black. Two thirds of it is taken up by a headshot of Armstrong in mid-song on a black background. Above him are the all lowercase red letters spelling Satchmo sings. The one-thirds red strip on the right holds the Decca Records logo and the list of songs on the album in small black font.

 

The back cover includes some interesting 50s style artwork. It’s black and white with an artistically styled trumpet coming from top left corner, with markings making it look like it’s being played. The word Satchmo is much larger than on the front and in a puffy font style. A floating Louis Armstrong head appears out of the white background next to the remaining title of Satchmo sings, Louis Armstron with orchestra.

 

A small patch on the lower left side lists the tunes, composers and orchestras, while the rest of the back cover holds the liner notes I read.

 

Sort of the artwork you would see on the early stages of what was considered space rock in those days.

 

So…to finish it up, it takes DOS for the dance of love.

 

 

[Music: Takes Two To Tango]

 

 

Takes Two To Tango

Written-By – Al Hoffman, Dick Manning

 

And there you have selections from my dad’s favorite trumpet player who was an acclaimed vocalist as well.

 

So thanks for tuning into Volume 240: A Singing Satchmo

 

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

 

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops 

 

FOR Volume 241: Nashville Souvenirs

 

Until then,

Go with the flow my friends.