Louis Armstrong
During his early years in New Orleans Louis Armstrong drew upon the entire spectrum of music associated with the city. He spent time following Joe Oliver in the "second lines” which accompanied brass bands. By the time he was sixteen, Armstrong was sitting in with Kid Ory's Creole Band, and he eventually replaced Oliver as Ory's cornetist. The recordings he made with Oliver's band in I923 became instant classics. He Joined Fletcher Henderson in New York in 1924. In November 1925 he was back in Chicago as Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, launching a series of sessions moving beyond the New Orleans ensemble and placing the soloist in the spotlight. Armstrong's influence on jazz singing was equally pervasive. He continued to record and perform for the rest of his life, becoming an American cultural icon with hits in every decade, from "West End Blues” and "Ain't Misbehavin” in the 1920's to "Hello Dolly” and "What A Wonderful World” in the 1960's. Armstrong also appeared in numerous films, such as "New Orleans” with Billie Holiday in 1947 and "High Society” with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly nine years later. Known as "Pops” to musicians and "Satchmo” to his fans, Louis Armstrong brought an unequalled joy to his jazz performances, uniting the artist and entertainer in an indivisible musical personality that won an international audience for jazz.
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Armstrong during a visit to the Waif's home in 1931. He received his first formal training there as a youth.
Armstrong and his Nine (1931)
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Armstrong worked on the riverboats from 1918-1920. After World War II he returned to the New Orleans combo format with the All Stars and during the 1950s made a number of international tours with this group for the State Department. In 1949 he was honored as King of Zulu during Mardi Gras and was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time magazine.