The Louis Armstrong Estate has shared a music video for Louis Armstrong’s classic holiday tune “White Christmas,” which features never-before-seen images of Satchmo and his wife Lucille provided by the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
Explore the Louis Armstrong holiday collection.
Photos featured in the visual include one of Louis teaching young children how to play the trumpet, family photos, and day-in-the-life moments of Louis and his family, like eating meals. Additionally, quotes from the legendary artist are featured throughout. There are other heartwarming images, like of Louis and his wife cutting their wedding cake. Check out the video below.
The track is featured on Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule, which was released last year and presents Armstrong’s holiday recordings as a cohesive body of work, marking his first-ever official Christmas album.
Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule features nearly the entirety of Armstrong’s holiday output: six Decca singles from the ‘50s, including “Cool Yule,” “Christmas Night in Harlem,” and the swinging “‘Zat You Santa Claus?.” The 11-track album also features duets with two of Pops’ favorite vocal partners, Velma Middleton (“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”) and Ella Fitzgerald (“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”).
Rounding out the collection is the artist’s signature hit, “What a Wonderful World,” which has become something of a yearlong hymn of hope and celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, plus a very special gift to fans: a previously unreleased reading of Samuel Clement Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” popularly known as “The Night Before Christmas.” Paired with a groovy, newly-recorded musical underbed by New Orleans pianist Sullivan Fortner, the poignant recording marks the first new Louis Armstrong track in more than 20 years and is notable for being the last recording he ever made.
Upon its release, the collection debuted in the Top 10 across multiple Billboard charts (dated November 26), including Top Holiday Albums, where it bowed at No.9 and launched in the Top 10 on Jazz Albums (No.4), Traditional Jazz Albums (No.4), Top Album Sales (No.7), Top Current Album Sales (No.6) and Vinyl Albums (No.7). It debuted at No.122 on the Billboard 200, becoming Armstrong’s highest charting album since Hello Dolly spent six weeks at No.1 in 1964.
