One of the nation's greatest and most influential jazz musicians, Armstrong attained legendary status for his mastery of the trumpet and his talents as a singer, band leader, and film star. His rise to
fame, however, was far from easy.
Armstrong was born in 1901 to a poor family from a rough New Orleans neighborhood. His father abandoned the family when Louis was a baby, and his mother left him in his grandmother's care until
he was six years old. Armstrong's life was forever changed on New Year's Eve of 1913, when he was picked up by police for firing a pistol into the air. As punishment, he was sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys, a place to which he was not a stranger. It was there that he first learned to play an instrument.
As a teenager, Armstrong played the trumpet with pick-up bands in small clubs, managing to catch the ear of Joe King Oliver, a prominent trumpet player who would later become Armstrong's mentor. When Oliver moved to Chicago around 1918, Armstrong took his place in Kid Ory's band, one of the leading New Orleans'
groups of the time.
By the mid-1920s, Louis had begun his rise to stardom, recording with his own band, maintaining a full performance schedule, and eventually making his way to Broadway, Europe, Africa, Europe and Asia. After World War II, Armstrong became a cultural ambassador, traveling around the world on tours sponsored by the State Department. He became an international celebrity in the process, and an icon of Jazz.
Armstrong was recognized not only for his skills as a musician, but for his optimism and ability to bring people together. He continued to make extraordinary contributions as a musician until his death in July of 1971.
For more:
"Louis Armstrong." http://www.britannica.com
"Louis Armstrong." www.jazzatlincolncenter.com