''Louis and the Angels'' is a 1957 studio album by Louis Armstrong, of songs that refer to

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

awarded the album three stars and reviewer Scott Yanow said that "this obscure set by Louis Armstrong has its strange appeal. Satch gets off a few good trumpet solos and is quite cheerful throughout, even joking during "The Prisoner's Song" when the word "angel" finally shows up...Although more commercial than Armstrong's usual recordings of the era, this set is more memorable than one would expect and is worth searching for."

Track listing

# "When Did You Leave Heaven?" ( Richard A. Whiting, Walter Bullock) – 3:42 # "You're a Heavenly Thing" (Jack Little, Joe Young) – 3:17 # "I Married an Angel" ( Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:40 # "A Sinner Kissed an Angel" (

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

, Richard M. Jones, Ray Joseph) – 2:42 # "Angela Mia" (

Lew Pollack Lew Pollack (June 16, 1895 – January 18, 1946) was an American song composer and musician active during the 1920s and the 1930s. Career Pollack was born in New York City where he went to DeWitt Clinton High School and was active as a boy sopr ...

Ernö Rapée Ernö Rapée (or Erno Rapee) (4 June 1891 – 26 June 1945) was a Hungarian-born American symphonic conductor in the first half of the 20th century whose prolific career spanned both classical and popular music. His most famous tenure was as the h ...

) – 3:22 # "Angel Child" (

Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...

, George Price, Abner Silver) – 2:54 # "

And the Angels Sing ''And the Angels Sing'' is a 1944 musical film directed by George Marshall and starring Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray, and Betty Hutton. Released by Paramount Pictures, it is a classic example of a film written to capitalize on the title of a p ...

" (

Ziggy Elman Harry Aaron Finkelman (May 26, 1914 – June 26, 1968), known professionally as Ziggy Elman, was an American jazz trumpeter associated with Benny Goodman, though he also led his group Ziggy Elman and His Orchestra. Early years Elman was born i ...

, Johnny Mercer) – 3:23 # "

Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread) "Fools Rush In" (1940) is a popular song. The lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer with music by Rube Bloom. History of the song according to The Billboard, September 28, 1940 issue, page 34: Four years ago (1936) "Fools Rush In" was known as ...

" ( Rube Bloom, Mercer) – 3:32 # "I'll String Along With You" ( Al Dubin, Harry Warren) – 3:05 # "Angel" (

Peter DeRose Peter DeRose (or De Rose) (March 10, 1896 – April 23, 1953) was an American composer of jazz and pop music during the era of Tin Pan Alley. Biography A native of New York City, he showed a gift for all things musical at an early age. He lea ...

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

) – 3:40 # "The Prisoner's Song" (Guy Massey) – 3:12 # "Goodnight, Angel" ( Allie Wrubel,

Herb Magidson Herbert A. Magidson (January 7, 1906 – January 2, 1986) was an American popular lyricist. His work was used in over 23 films and four Broadway revues. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1934. Life and career Magidson was ...

) – 2:51

Personnel

* Louis Armstrong -

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

*George Dorsey - alto saxophone, flute * Phil Urso -

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

- tenor saxophone *

Everett Barksdale Everett Barksdale (April 28, 1910 – January 29, 1986) was an American jazz guitarist and session musician. He played bass and banjo before settling on guitar. In the 1930s, Barksdale moved to Chicago, where he was in Erskine Tate's band. He r ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

* George Barnes - guitar * Joe Benjamin -

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

* Sid Block - double bass *Dave McRae - baritone saxophone *

Billy Kyle William Osborne Kyle (July 14, 1914 – February 23, 1966) was an American jazz pianist. He is perhaps best known as an accompanist. Biography Kyle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He began playing the piano in school and ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

*Rudy Taylor - drums *Unknown harp *Unknown personnel - strings *Unknown personnel - choir *

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

- arranger, conductor

References

{{authority control Decca Records albums Louis Armstrong albums 1957 albums Albums arranged by Sy Oliver Albums conducted by Sy Oliver