Louis Armstrong - St. Louis Blues

Biography

Louis Armstrong, known throughout his lengthy career by nicknames like “Satchmo”, “Pops” and simply “Louie”, was a trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor, as well as one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz.

Born and raised in New Orleans, where jazz itself is alleged to have began, Armstrong started his career in 1918, playing the cornet in brass bands and riverboats along the Mississippi River. There, he caught the attention of his future mentor, King Oliver, joining his band in Chicago, where he networked with other popular jazz musicians like Hoagy Carmichael and his first wife Lil Hardin Armstrong.

In 1924, Louie relocated to New York City playing for the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. It was at this time he switched over from cornet to trumpet in order to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. It was also when he developed his emotional playing style, which included singing and telling tales of his life back in New Orleans.

The next year, Armstrong formed his own band, playing for notorious gangsters of the era like Al Capone and Dutch Schultz. He began to emerge as a vocalist as well, pioneering what is known today as “scat singing”.

He is probably best known for covering songs that are now considered standards, such as “La Vie En Rose” and “What a Wonderful World”, only two of his nineteen records to hit Top Ten in the Billboard charts. He is recognizable globally due to his gravelly voice, and by the 1960’s, he was regarded as a widely beloved American icon and cultural ambassador for jazz.

Armstrong was also one of the first black public figures to be widely accepted into white society, both on stage and off of it. He played with some of the biggest figures in jazz, both black and white, including Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby and most famously Ella Fitzgerald.

He also starred in over a dozen Hollywood films and hosted his own nationally broadcast radio show.