On August 4, 1901, legendary trumpeter and jazz musician Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His childhood was a difficult one: his father left his mother for another woman while Louis was an infant, he was left in the care of his grandmother until the age of five, dropped out of school in the fifth-grade in order to work, and was arrested on New Year's Eve in 1912 and subsequently sent to the Colored Waif's School for Boys. It was during this time that Armstrong learned to play the trumpet and cornet. He was able to acquire a cornet by working for the Karnofsky family, a Jewish family who had taken him in and treated him like family (and for which the Karnofsky Project, a non-profit organization which provides musical instrument to impoverished children in New Orleans), and learned to play under the instruction of Peter Davis at the School for Boys as well as the mentorship of Joe "King" Oliver, one of the top cornetists at the time.
In 1922, Armstrong joined his mentor's band in Chicago and, in 1925, began recording records under his own name. His innovative style, unique and expressive vocals, and talented trumpet and coronet playing soon rocketed the young man from New Orleans to popularity. From the 1920s through the 1960s, Louis Armstrong continued to play and tour the world as one of the most popular and successful jazz musicians in the world. In 1964, his single "Hello, Dolly!" knocked The Beatles from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 at the height of Beatlemania. By 1968, however, his health and age had started to catch up with him as heart and kidney diseases forced him to slow down and rest, cancelling his performances on the road. After a two-week musical engagement against his doctor's advice in March of 1971, Armstrong suffered a heart attack. He was released in May and immediately began practicing with the hope of starting another tour; however, he suffered a final and fatal heart attack on July 6, 1971, in Queens, New York.
Louis Armstrong's legacy is that of one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. His unique style and abilities have touched and influenced music from a broad range of genres for ages to come.
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7 years, 5 months ago
04 Aug 2017 23:26 CEST
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