Louis Armstrong

Lore & Background

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, he was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, Armstrong followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached bandleader Fletcher Henderson. Armstrong moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950s, he was an international musical icon, appearing regularly in radio and television broadcasts and on film.

Armstrong's best known songs include "What a Wonderful World", "La Vie en rose", "Hello, Dolly!", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "When You're Smiling", and "When the Saints Go Marching In". He collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald, producing three records together: Ella and Louis (1956), Ella and Louis Again (1957), and Porgy and Bess (1959). He also appeared in films such as A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932), Cabin in the Sky (1943), High Society (1956), Paris Blues (1961), A Man Called Adam (1966), and Hello, Dolly! (1969).

Armstrong is believed to have been born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, but the accuracy of this date has been heavily debated. Armstrong himself often claimed he was born on July 4, 1900. His parents were Mary Estelle "Mayann" Albert and William Armstrong. He spent his youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood known as the Battlefield. At age six, he started attending the Fisk School for Boys. He worked for the Karnoffskys, a family of Lithuanian Jews, who treated him exceptionally well, gave him an advance toward purchasing a cornet, and even gifted him a Star of David charm that he wore for the rest of his life. At age 11, he dropped out of school. After firing a blank from his stepfather's gun, he was arrested on December 31, 1912, and sent to the Colored Waif's Home, where he developed his cornet skills.

Reader's Guide

Louis Armstrong's significance lies in his transformative role in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance. His career spanned five decades, and he became an international musical icon by the 1950s, appearing regularly in radio, television, and film. With his instantly recognizable, rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was an influential singer and skillful improviser, adept at scat singing. He was one of the first popular African-American entertainers to cross over to wide popularity with white and international audiences. He rarely publicly discussed racial issues but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His influence spread to popular music, and he received numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His recording of "Melancholy Blues" is included on the Voyager Golden Record, a sample of Earth's sounds sent into space. Armstrong's legacy endures through his foundational contributions to jazz, his iconic recordings, and his status as a beloved entertainer who could access the upper echelons of American society at a time when this was difficult for black men.

Did You Know?

• Armstrong's recording of 'Melancholy Blues' is included on the Voyager Golden Record, sent into space as a sample of Earth's sounds.
• He collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald on three records: Ella and Louis (1956), Ella and Louis Again (1957), and Porgy and Bess (1959).
• Armstrong wore a Star of David given to him by his Jewish manager, Joe Glaser, until the end of his life, in part in memory of the Karnoffsky family who raised him.
• He was arrested on December 31, 1912, for firing a blank from his stepfather's gun and was sent to the Colored Waif's Home, where he developed his cornet skills.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Louis Daniel Armstrong (4 August 1901 – 6 July 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer who became one of the pivotal figures in jazz music. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s." — Louis Armstrong "The way they're treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell." — Louis Armstrong "The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago." — Louis Armstrong "When you're sick [due to drug withdrawal], music is a great help. Once in Texas, I kicked a [heroin] habit on weed, a pint of paregoric, and a few Louis Armstrong records." — Louis Armstrong