Contents
Louis Armstrong
Making the jazz solo a powerful personal voice.
Trumpet · What a Wonderful World
- Born
- 4 August 1901
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Died
- 6 July 1971
More people
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter and singer whose rhythmic invention transformed jazz. His instrumental solos and gravelly singing made individual expression central to the music’s international appeal.
Early life
New Orleans childhood
Grew up in poverty and encountered music in streets, clubs and parades.
Cornet training
Developed his playing in the band at the Colored Waifs’ Home.
Career
- 1910s
Local and riverboat work
Played in New Orleans bands and on Mississippi riverboats.
- 1922
Chicago move
Joined King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band.
- 1925–1928
Hot Five and Hot Seven
Made a landmark series of small-group recordings.
- 1947 onwards
The All Stars
Led a touring ensemble that carried his music to international audiences.
Selected work
Heebie Jeebies
Helped popularise scat singing on record.
West End Blues
An unaccompanied trumpet opening leads into an influential recorded performance.
What a Wonderful World
Recorded the reflective song that became one of his best-known performances.
Beyond work
Queens home
Lived with his wife Lucille in a modest house now preserved as a museum.
Birthday record
Celebrated 4 July during his life; a later-discovered baptismal record established 4 August 1901.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Birthday documentation ↗Photo: Harry Warnecke / Gus Schoenbaechler. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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