The image that comes to mind associated with the name of Louis Armstrong is probably a collective one of a jazz musician. A black man with a trumpet personifies not purely the genre, but the entire culture, the epoch in music as well as art in general. Regarding Armstrong personally, he is rightfully considered to have been among the most outstanding and at the same time contradictory figures in jazz. His inimitable technique gave new opportunities for this type of music and favored its development.
However, it would be wrong to limit Louis Armstrong’s revolutionism to musical performance. Actually, jazz as such appeared as a form of a protest against social disparity, most notably, race-based prejudice. The jazz king challenged the archaic values of contemporary American society by his work, which auspicated the campaign for destigmatizing the black and protecting their rights. Concurrently, Armstrong himself was not immune to racial issues, whose sensitivity grew together with his popularity.
A Silent Revolutionary
At first sight, the biography of “the Father of Jazz” describes him as completely indifferent to any social tensions. Furthermore, he was frequently criticized for his unwillingness to participate in civil right activism but normally replied, “I don’t get involved in politics. I just blow my horn” (Antos, 2010). He actually never took part in any public performances concerning race relations in the USA and only started discussing those publicly by the end of his life.
However, the lack of direct action did not prohibit Armstrong from influencing the public moods as long as heavy activity is not the only way to do that. Playing also for white audiences, he had a chance to transmit certain messages in a less straightforward way. Reiff with reliance upon Scott’s theory refers to a phenomenon of that kind as a “hidden transcript” versus a public one (2010). The point is that information is not necessarily verbal because a particular occasion, manner, or even motion can sometimes tell more.
Before everything else, African Americans were widely believed to be not as intellectual or civilized as the white, meanwhile, Armstrong was literally a living counterargument. He was recognized as an equal one at least in terms of talent and performance, and his reputation grew by lapse of time (Reiff, 2010). Such a success did not only benefit him personally but had the potential to paint all black population in a better light.
Armstrong’s rendition of the famous song under the title “Black and Blue” is especially worth noting as an example of a hidden transcript. In fact, it is only partly hidden in this case as his variant of the lyrics describes quite clearly the routines of an average African American of that period. “Cold empty bed, springs hard as lead […] even the mouse ran from my house” – these lines depict the extreme poverty the musician himself experienced in his childhood (Armstrong, 2001). Regarding the attitude of the society, it is obvious from the following words: “They laugh at you, and scorn you too […] Ain’t got a friend / My only sin is in my skin” (Armstrong, 2001). By means of this work, the author attracted the attention of his white admirers to the problems of the black.
“Uncle Tom”
Although the white recognized Louis Armstrong among the best trumpet players, racial bias followed him. Other African Americans, including the members of the jazz community, accused him of being an “Uncle Tom,” which metaphorical term stands for excessively subservient behavior (Riccardi, 2020). The reason was that, apart from singing for the white, he tried to please them. “I’m white – inside” – he sang in the above-mentioned song, seemingly recognizing himself and, consequently, all non-white population as second-rate (Armstrong, 2001). Not solely this song, but the overall behavior and outwardly indifferent position of Armstrong discouraged his mates from favoring him.
Although not everyone was able to see Armstrong’s hidden transcript, it was probably his major motivation. He had to be under white administration to simply acquire a chance to be heard because owners of most record companies, concert halls, and theaters would never negotiate with a black (Reiff, 2010). He continued performing in front of white audiences and put maximum effort to appeal to them in order to change, even if slightly, their opinion on African Americans. He called himself white inside to show how absurd the idea of race-related superiority sounded and how powerful it still was, making people reject their identities they had even not chosen.
To summarize, Louis Armstrong’s poor participation in public civil right activism does not mean a lack of interest. Having lived in poverty and having been ridiculed, similarly to most African Americans in the first half of the 20th century, he could not avoid the struggle. However, he preferred a so-called hidden transcript to vigorous activity. He had an impact on the white population by charming them with his talent, which allowed a transmit of necessary messages in a less direct way. As he continued signing for white audiences, he contributed to the gradual shift of the public opinion and focus.
References
Antos, J. D. (2010). Louis Armstrong broke silence on civil rights in 1957. Web.
Armstrong, L. (2001). Black and Blue [Song]. On Jazz & Blues: 36 Outstanding Tracks [Album]. Web.
Reiff, M. (2010). Unexpected activism: A study of Louis Armstrong and Charles Mingus as activists using James Scott’s theory of public versus hidden transcripts. Summer Research. Web.
Riccardi, R. (2020). “I’m still Louis Armstrong-colored”: Louis Armstrong and the civil rights era. Web.