Louis Daniel Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong was a very influential jazz musician. He was born on August 4th, 1901 and grew up in the outskirts of Louisiana. It was really hard for him as a kid because he was in a very poor family and his father left his family. He would grow up in a city with many other jazz musicians. He grew up listening to jazz. Louis had no idea he would be a great musician when he grew up. From 1919-1970’s he created magnificent influential music. Louis is not a hero because of his talent and creativity but for his attitude about life and humbleness.

He started learning how to play Cornet at age 11. Louis was taught by a man he worked for. He dropped out of school at 11. He worked for a Jewish immigrant. He noticed that white people thought they were better. Later in his life he wrote a memoir about it, a part of it stated, “I was only seven, but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the white folks were handling the poor Jewish family whom I worked for”. Louis had many jobs from his childhood, and he learned a lot from the people he worked for.

Louis's career started small by performing solos. In 1922 he moved to Chicago. Louis’s mentor Joe “King” Oliver wanted him to join his jazz band. Louis was able to make enough money so he wouldn’t need to have a job along with playing in the band. Louis lived like a king in Chicago. He had his own apartment and his own private bath tub. Louis’s Career was taking off. In the 20s records were booming across the country, and his band was doing their first recordings. He could’ve stayed in the band but his 2nd wife urged him to find more prominent billing, and to work on his new style. He later joined a new band in New York for a year which he did many recordings with.

Louis then went back to Chicago, still playing his cornet. He played in large orchestras. He made his most important early recordings there. Louis went back to the same orchestra he was at before, only it was number 1. He switched from cornet to trumpet to blend in better. The other orchestra members adapted to Louis’s playing style. Louis’s wife again urged him to go back to Chicago, due to growth in career and income. Back in Chicago he played for a while and he went to the Sunset café to play. He moved back to New York. He was in a pit orchestra for very successful plays. Louis also played with Bing Crosby for a while, which he developed “scat” singing.

When people asked “why do you play” Louis would respond with “I’m just glad to play”. Later in his life he supported the civil rights movement. He would donate as much money as he could. Some of the money went to Martin Luther King Jr... Louis played at a free concert for Civil Rights. He also broke a record which was the oldest person to get the number one pop song. The song “Hello, Dolly” knocked the Beatles off the chart. He accomplished this feat at the age of 63. Seven years later he died, a month before his 70th birthday. Louis Armstrong had to work for his great life. He was a positive, tough, generous man, who influenced jazz. His actions made the world a better place.