Louis Armstrong
By: Kennedy Mitchell
Biography
Louis Armstrong (a.k.a. Satchmo or Pops) was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He had a difficult childhood in which his mother was a prostitute and his father left when he was a baby. He was arrested for shooting a pistol in the air on New Years, then sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys at the age of 11 where he learned to play the trumpet. He played in several bands growing up. As an adult, he became a vocalist, comedian, and trumpeter. He moved to Chicago in 1922 to play with the Creole Jazz Band alongside his mentor, Joe Olivers. He became even more popular in 1926 when he performed his hit "Heebie Jeebies" with his band The Hot Five. Armstrong was the first African American to host a national radio broadcast. He made jazz even more interesting with his famous scat singing. Armstrong was a respected, favored musician his entire career. People all over the United States couldn't get enough of his music. His life devastatingly ended on July 6, 1971 due to a heart attack in his house in Queens, New York.
Accomplishments
- He sang with several talented music artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald
- He earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- He was the oldest artist to hit #1 on the pop chart
Other Facts
Boys' Home
Armstrong (under red arrow) is pictured here with others from the Colored Waif's Home for Boys
Newspapers and Coal
There was a time between Armstrong leaving the boys' home and moving to Chicago where he would sell newspapers and haul coal to make money.
Cornet to Trumpet
Armstrong actually didn't play the trumpet until he was an adult. He played the cornet growing up.
Sinatra and Louis Armstrong Birth of the Blues