Chart Rewind: In 1964, Louis Armstrong stopped Beatlemania at the top of the Hot 100

On the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 9, 1964, Louis Armstrong ended the most dominant run at No. 1 in the chart's history up to that point.

The Beatles ruled the Hot 100 for 14 straight weeks, with three singles in a row, none of which had been previously accomplished: Their breakthrough US hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand” began a seven-week reign in February. 1, dated 1964, followed by two weeks at the top for “She Loves You” and a five-week No. 1 stay for “Can't buy Me Love,” through the chart dated May 2.

The frame below, in the midst of the British Invasion under the Beatles, the famed New Orleans-born trumpeter and singer Armstrong, “Hello, Dolly!” peaked at No. 1. The title song from the hit musical was written by Jerry Herman and produced by Michael Kapp. It went on to win Song of the Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male at the 1965 Grammy Awards, while Armstrong's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Despite the Beatles' hits at the time, Armstrong's Hot 100 hit with “Hello, Dolly!” gained momentum thanks in large part to its parent musical.

As researched in depth by Grammy Award-winning author and historian Armstrong (and musician) Ricky Riccardi for one 2021 pieces“Hello, Dolly! Does it open? Critics Throw Hats' a headline read on January 25, 1964, Advertising sign theme. “Critics flipped,” the story notes. “Don't bother holding on to your hats,” said Walter Kerr The Herald Tribune, 'cause you won't need them. You will only throw them in the air. A musical comedy dream.' ”

Per Riccardi, Arvell Shaw, who played bass with Armstrong, told documentarian Ken Burns, “Three or four months [after “Hello, Dolly!” was recorded]we were out on the road [in early 1964] Doing overnights in Nebraska and Iowa, a way out. And every night we heard from the audience, “Hello, Dolly!”, “Hello, Dolly!” The first couple of nights Louis ignored it and got louder… “Hello, Dolly!” Louis looked at me and said, “What the hell is “Hello, Dolly!''? We had to take the music and learn it and put it on the show. The first time we put it on it was pandemonium. We were so far away that we couldn't he even realized that he was very successful.”

“Hello, Dolly!” entered the Hot 100 dated February 15, 1964, when “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was No. 1 and the issue's typically heavy cover and featured The Beatles back Advertising signits logo, over three stories dedicated to the band. (“US Rocks & Reels From Beatles' Invasion,” read the main headline.)

Riccardi noted, Armstrong designed the front page Advertising sign his own ink a week later in a story titled “Broadway Lights Up Labels. Diskers aim for breakout year.” “Broadway music and drama is making a strong impact on the label scene this season,” wrote Mike Gross. “Not since its prime. My beautiful lady floppies looked at the Broadway product with such bullish attitudes.'

As “Hello, Dolly!” scaling the Hot 100, Armstrong further realized his impact. Riccardi published a story by columnist Jimmy Breslin that quotes Armstrong: “People keep coming up to me about 'Dolly' and saying, 'You're doing great. You're selling records right behind the Beatles.” I'm with the Beatles. Music is music. There are all kinds. But they all come from the same place. All come from old, consecrated churches. I don't care how they change it… the old, sanctified churches are the essence of it.”

By mid-April 1964, according to Riccardi, Armstrong said Newsweek of his upcoming Hot 100 No. 1, “I love this tune. It has a good feeling, it's a good, happy one.” Of recording it, he said, “We didn't have any setup or anything.” We just remove our parts. I played it like I am, like Satchmo. People don't forget that old beat. They know the bottom line and it's Satchmo.”

As for the acts then occupying the upper reaches of the Hot 100, Armstrong (who was praised by Ed Sullivan in an article on May 15, 1964, added New York Daily News column about “that famous gravel-velvet voice”), “It's awfully nice to be there among all the Beatles.”

The Beatles, meanwhile, fought back, Riccardi pointed out, by playing a bit of “Hello, Dolly!” – on the kazoo – in a 1964 holiday message.

In addition to its remarkable trip to No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Hello, Dolly!” made history for Armstrong, who at 62 became the most senior artist to top the list. The mark stood until last December, when Brenda Lee, then 78, hit No. 1 with “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” (though she was 13 when she recorded the carol, originally released in 1958).

In addition, by dethroning the Beatles after 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, Armstrong ended the longest continuous reign for an act in the chart's history up to that point, which had only been held until 1993, when Whitney Houston tied it , via “I Will Love You Forever.” Boyz II Men broke the mark with a 16-week No.1 streak in 1994, while The Black Eyed Peas currently hold the record: 26 consecutive weeks, thanks to “Boom Boom Pow” (12 weeks) and “I Gotta Feeling” ( 12) in 2009.

After the reign of “Hello, Dolly!”, Armstrong remained prominent Advertising signgraphs of The song's self-titled parent album topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks beginning in June 1964, adding two more Hot 100 entries that year.

“Hello, Dolly!” also became Armstrong's first of five Adult Contemporary top 10s, reigning for nine weeks – with “What a Wonderful World” reaching No. 7, as well as No. 32 on the Hot 100, in 1988, the recording of 1967 was revived thanks to the spotlight. to box office success Good morning, Vietnam. In 1999, a cover of the latter song by Kenny G with Armstrong's No. 22 Adult Contemporary hit.

Armstrong, who died in July 1971, had an additional 12 top 10s in Advertising signJazz album Map. More recently, his retrospective Gold hit No. 7 this March, with a 40-song set list that includes “Hello, Dolly!”