Louis Armstrong
“The trumpeter and singer whose joyous genius helped invent jazz and charmed the entire world.”
In 1922 cornet mentor Joe "King" Oliver summoned the young Armstrong from New Orleans to join his band in Chicago, pulling him into the national jazz scene. Within three years Armstrong was leading his own Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions that reshaped the music forever.
New Orleans Beginnings
Born into poverty in New Orleans in 1901, Armstrong learned cornet at the Colored Waif's Home after a New Year's Eve arrest. Mentored by King Oliver, he became one of the city's most in-demand young players.
Reinventing Jazz
His Chicago and New York recordings of the late 1920s, especially the Hot Five and Hot Seven sides, established the improvised solo as jazz's centerpiece. His warm, gravelly singing was just as revolutionary as his trumpet.
Global Ambassador
Over five decades Armstrong became an international star, touring the world as "Ambassador Satch." Late hits like "Hello, Dolly!" and "What a Wonderful World" carried his joy to new generations.
Career Timeline
- 1901Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1913Learns cornet at the Colored Waif's Home
- 1922Joins King Oliver's band in Chicago
- 1925Begins landmark Hot Five recordings
- 1928Records "West End Blues," a jazz milestone
- 1936Appears in Hollywood films, broadening fame
- 1947Forms the All Stars small group
- 1964"Hello, Dolly!" tops the Hot 100
- 1967Records "What a Wonderful World"
- 1971Dies in Queens, New York, aged 69
Biggest Hits
- His Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings were added to the National Recording Registry in 2002.
- At 62 he became the oldest artist to top the Billboard Hot 100, with "Hello, Dolly!"
The Moment You Remember
The soaring unaccompanied trumpet introduction to <em>West End Blues</em> in 1928 is the moment scholars point to as a turning point in jazz. In a few bars, Armstrong demonstrated a virtuosity and beauty that announced the soloist as the new center of the music.
Portrait: Harry Warnecke / Gus Schoenbaechler · Public domain (PD-US, 1947 photograph) · via Wikimedia Commons