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Louis Armstrong Bio
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Louis Armstrong The most famous jazz trumpeter of the twentieth century, Louis Armstrong, was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong’s father abandoned the family when Louis was a baby. His mother then left him and younger sister Beatrice in the care of their grandmother, Josephine. Armstrong first played in the band at the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he had been sent numerous times for delinquent behavior. He immersed himself in the rich musical culture of New Orleans, including the city's brass band parades and the music of older musicians such as Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, and particularly Joe "King" Oliver, who became a mentor and father-figure to the young Armstrong. Armstrong began playing with the brass bands and river boats of New Orleans, and got his big break at age nineteen when Joe Oliver left town, leaving a spot for him in top jazz ensemble, Kid Ory's band. Armstrong was nicknamed "Satchel Mouth" (later shortened to Satchmo) to describe his large mouth.
By the 1920s, Armstrong was leading his own band, the Hot Five (later the Hot Seven) on cross-country tours, displaying his innovative, improvisational style. During his mid-twenties, Armstrong began to focus more on his gravely singing voice, as his lively trumpet playing had temporarily damaged his mouthpiece.
Armstrong appeared as himself (or someone quite like him) on the silver screen for such films as High Society in 1956, alongside Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly; and Hello, Dolly! in 1969, with Barbra Streisand. The theme song from Hello, Dolly! went on to become the recording for which Armstrong is best known.
Armstrong’s contributions to American music have been recognized by an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In addition to this honor, in 2001, the city of New Orleans renamed its airport the Louis Armstrong International Airport.
Armstrong was known for his sunny Southern personality and large grin. However, he was also accused of being an "Uncle Tom," criticized during his career for playing in front of segregated audiences and for not taking a strong enough stand in the civil rights movement. However, Armstrong did put forth strong financial support toward the initiatives of civil rights activists such as Dr Martin Luther King Jr., although he did not publicize this. Armstrong was anything but under the radar in 1957, however, when he called President Eisenhower "two-faced" and "gutless" for his inaction during the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. In protest, Armstrong then cancelled a scheduled tour of the Soviet Union on behalf of the State Department, claiming he would not represent his government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people.
Armstrong was also known for his generosity, reportedly giving away nearly half of everything he earned. He was also an advocate of a strange weight loss method – laxatives. He advocated laxative use in his book Lose Weight the Satchmo Way, and reportedly handed them out to everyone he met – including the British Royal Family. YUDDY |
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Louis Armstrong - Recorded several albums with Ella Fitzgerald .
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Louis Armstrong - Performed with Cab Calloway . |
Louis Armstrong - Starred in 'The Five Pennies' with Danny Kaye .
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