LOUIs armstrong
by sierra lou
Louis Armstrong, born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a musical prodigy and considered the greatest influence on jazz music. He was a singer, trumpeter, bandleader, soloist, film star, comedian, and cornet player who was at the height of his career during the 1920s to 1940s. He is best known for his trumpeting and songs, including "Star Dust", "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World". He also appeared in multiple Hollywood movies usually as a musician.
Armstrong grew up in a poor family. His dad left the family when Armstrong was only a child, and his mother often turned to prostitution for money to support the family. Armstrong was forced to go work in stead of going to school when he got to 5th grade. When he was 11, he was arrested for firing his grandfather’s gun on New Year’s Eve and sent to Colored Waif's Home for Boys. There, he received his first formal music lesson and fell in love with music. Joe “King” Oliver, a member of the Kid Ory band, became Armstrong’s mentor; after Oliver resigned, Armstrong replaced him.
Armstrong grew up in a poor family. His dad left the family when Armstrong was only a child, and his mother often turned to prostitution for money to support the family. Armstrong was forced to go work in stead of going to school when he got to 5th grade. When he was 11, he was arrested for firing his grandfather’s gun on New Year’s Eve and sent to Colored Waif's Home for Boys. There, he received his first formal music lesson and fell in love with music. Joe “King” Oliver, a member of the Kid Ory band, became Armstrong’s mentor; after Oliver resigned, Armstrong replaced him.
Oliver later invited Armstrong to be second cornet in his Creole Jazz Band, which became one of the most
popular hot jazz bands in the 1920s. With the Creole Jazz Band, Armstrong recorded his first songs at the Gennet
Studios in 1923. After marrying Lil Hardin Armstrong, the pianist of Creole Jazz Band, in 1925, he joined the Fletcher
Henderson Orchestra under her persuasion to pursue a better career. He worked and recorded with many other
famous performers on the side. In November 1925, he began recording with his own group, Louis Armstrong and His
Hot Five, which later became the Hot Seven. The original Hot Five included Lil Hardin on piano, Kid Ory on trombone,
Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Johnny St. Cyr on guitar and banjo. His most important contribution was that he
single-handedly turned jazz music from an ensemble to soloist act. Most jazz pieces today still use Armstrong’s works
as models.
His popularity continued to grow throughout the twenties and thirties as he recorded multiple hit songs, and
made his first Broadway appearance in 1929, along with his first film appearance in Ex-Flames in 1931. His most
notable film appearance was with Bill Crosby in Pennies from Heaven in 1936. In 1947, Armstrong and his new All
Stars group made multiple recordings and appeared in over thirty films. His constant growing popularity led him to be
the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time Magazine in 1949.
In 1964, he recorded his biggest hit “Hello, Dolly!” which not only made him the oldest person to have a No. 1
song on the pop chart, but also allowed him to surpass The Beatles from their 14 week No. 1 position. “Hello, Dolly!”
was winner of the 1964 Grammy for Male Vocal Performance. He was also presented with the Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1972, and his name was presented on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Louis Armstrong
kept his tour and gig schedule busy up until a few years before his death in 1971. He died of a heart attack in his
sleep on July 6, 1971, in New York City. He was 69 at the time.
Louis Armstrong was not only the greatest influence on American jazz music, but also an important public figure.
He was one of the first African American performers to achieve such momentous success. He became the icon of
jazz music, and was internationally respected and adored.