“Hello, Dolly!”
A Reason To Smile
At the age of 62, Louis Armstrong dethroned the Beatles’ 14-week hold on the pop chart’s top spot with his vocal stylings and trumpeting prowess on “Hello, Dolly!” That was 62 years ago this weekend, and it is our reason to smile.
“Hello, Dolly!” written by Jerry Herman, is the titular song of the musical of the same name. The Broadway show won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. While Armstrong’s recording topped Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart, it also earned Grammys for Song of the Year and Male Vocal Performance.
In 1963, the jazz great recorded a demo of the song to help promote the stage show. It was that recording that was released as a single and became Armstrong’s most successful of his long career.
The New Orleans native’s rich, gravelly voice is instantly recognizable from the first lyric. He went on to perform the song with Barbra Streisand in the 1969 “Hello, Dolly!” film, though I am partial to his original recording.
A fun fact about “Hello, Dolly!”: During his run for president in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson used the song on the campaign trail, though he renamed it “Hello, Lyndon!” At the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I remember Carol Channing, the original Dolly on Broadway, singing the song to the nominee.
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Stay Steady and Happy Mother’s Day,
Dan
I love Louis Armstrong! His voice, his trumpet and that beautiful smile! I remember the movie and it was absolutely great! My favorite recording by Mr. Armstrong was "What a Wonderful World". When I taught, one of the recordings I would play for my kids was "What a Wonderful World". They would listen to it and I had the words written on a chart. We would break into groups, and each group was responsible for drawing a picture for the words they were given. When they finished, I would turn their drawings and the lyrics into a book they would have in their little library in the classroom. Not only did they love playing the song as they read the book, it helped a lot of my 'reluctant' readers improve their reading skills! Thank you, Mr. Rather, for an absolutely beautiful reason to smile today!
My Mom was named Dolly! Happy Mother’s Day Moma!