Died On This Date (July 6, 1971) Louis Armstrong / Jazz Icon
themusicsover Louis Armstrong
August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971
Nicknamed “Satchmo,” Louis Armstrong was arguably the greatest performer jazz has ever known. Born into poverty in New Orleans, Armstrong’s young life was as tough as one could imagine – a father who abandoned the family and a mother who was forced to turn to prostitution. To get away, Armstrong hung out at the local dance halls of the city’s red light district, taking in the music of such greats as Joe “King” Oliver and Bunk Johnson who claimed he taught the young boy how to play the cornet. He would later take up the more familiar trumpet. When he became proficient on the cornet, Armstrong got gigs playing on riverboats and in parade brass bands. It was only a matter of time before Armstrong was playing alongside the likes of Kid Ory, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald and future wife, Lil Hardin. Throughout his career, Armstrong made countless recordings, appeared in film and on television, and made the cover of Time magazine in February of 1949. But it wasn’t until the world was caught up in Beatlemania, that he released his unlikely 1964 hit, “Hello Dolly.” The song had the distinct honor of not only making him the oldest artist (63) to reach the #1 slot on the pop charts, but also of knocking the Beatles out of the top slot for the first time in 14 weeks. Louis Armstrong died shortly after a heart attack at the age of 69.
What You Should Own
Ann Spencer Gates was a Boston area disc jockey and later, publicist for Matador Records. Moving from Buffalo to Boston for college in the late ’70s, Gates soon had a radio program on MIT’s hip WMBR radio station. She, along with friend Lisa “Sheena” Bucholz hosted “The Mystery Girls” where they were one of the first to champion such local bands as Lemonheads and Mission Of Burma. By the late ’80s, Gates was living in New York City where she went to work for Matador Records as a publicist, working with such acts as Liz Phair, Pavement, Cat Power and Bettie Serveert. Ann Spencer Gates died on July 6, 2008 after a long struggle with breast cancer.
Born where Riverfront Stadium now stands in Cincinnati, Ohio, Roy Rogers moved to California at eighteen to become a singer. He formed the Sons of the Pioneers and released such early country hits as “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “Cool Water” and “Don’t Fence Me In,” a later hit by the Talking Heads. By the mid-40s, Rogers was making westerns and becoming a matinee idol. Rogers married film actress, Dale Evans in 1947, beginning a life long partnership both on and off screen. The two starred together in films and on their weekly variety show, which was famous for it’s Evans penned sign-off tune, “Happy Trails To You.” Rogers died of congestive heart failure at the age of 86.
Harvey Fuqua was a much respected R&B performer, songwriter and producer who is mostly remembered for his longtime association with Motown Records. In 1951, Fuqua formed the Moonglows, a popular doo wop group who recorded such hits as “Sincerely,” “Don’t Be Afraid of Love,” and “Ten Commandments of Love.” In 1958, Fuqua recruited a young singer, 
Van McCoy was a musician, producer, arranger and prolific songwriter who has penned upwards of 700 songs during his career. But, he is perhaps best remembered for just one, “The Hustle,” which was massive disco hit of 1975 and to this day, arguably defines the era. McCoy began singing in the church choir as a child and by his early teens, he and his brother were performing as a doo wop duo. While in college, McCoy started his own record label to release his first single, “Hey Mr. DJ.” He was soon hired by Scepter Records as an A&R rep and songwriter. Over the years, he penned hits for Gladys Knight & The Pips (“Giving Up”), Barbara Lewis (“Baby, I’m Yours”), the Shirelles (“Stop The Music”) and 