Louis Armstrong- world famous trumpetist

From Harlem Renaissance

1 Louis Armstrong's Early Life

Louis Armstrong's Early Life

Louis Daniel Armstrong was born in the poorest section of New Orleans in August 4, 1901. His parents split up when he was three. His dad never came back to see him, though he only lived three blocks away. Louie never touched an instrument until he was thirteen at a reform school. He was sent there because on New Year's Eve he shot his step dad's gun in the air. At the school, he learned to play the cornet. He was released from the school at age fourteen, and started selling paper and coal from a cart. He didn't have enough money to buy an instrument, so he spent his money watching jazz bands play at bars. Joe "King" Oliver was his favorite, the older man was a father figure. Joe Oliver even gave Louie his first real cornet. Louie took Oliver's spot in the band when Oliver moved to Chicago in 1918. By this point Louis Armstrong was one of many well know Jazz Musicians in New Orleans.

In 1922 Louie moved to Chicago to play with King Oliver's new band. He divorced his old wife, prostitute, Daisy Parker, and married King Oliver's Pianist Lil Hardin. Harden overhauled his rough New Orleans style by making him wear fancy clothes and jewelry. This caused him to move away to New York in 1924. In New York, he tried to join the Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, but when he met with Henderson, Henderson told him to get some music lessons and come back. Louie didn't take the advice and went back to Chicago.

Career

Mainly Louis Armstrong got famous by joining King Ory's Band. When Louie joined King Ory's band in 1918 when he was 17 years old. The band was already famous in the slums of New Orleans. With Louie in Ory's band, the band's fame spread throughout New Orleans. Later, King Ory moved to Chicago, Louie took Ory's place in the band. In 1922, Louie moved to Chicago to play in King Ory's new band. Then in the mid-twenty's the type of music Louie played began getting harsh criticism from moralists who said it made people dance in lascivious ways. Louie's wife Lil Harden convinced him to learn how to play high brow music including classical music. In 1924, he tried to join Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in New York. He met with Henderson, Henderson told him to get some music lessons and come back. Louie didn't take the advice and went back to Chicago. In 1925, he joined Erskine Tate's "Symphony Orchestra." In the late 1920s, Louie was becoming famous in popular culture for his creative rhythms, his genius at the trumpet and his low vocals.

Movies

Louis Armstrong preformed in countless movies and TV shows over the years. His songs have also been in over a hundred movies including the new movie American Gangster that his song Winter Wonderland was in. Louis play himself in 51 movies and he acted out other people in another twenty. Some of the more famous movies he was in were Pennies From Heaven and Hello,Dolly. He was also on many TV shows. Many talk shows wanted interviews with him resulting in many visits to lots of talk shows including the Tonight Show, the Flip Wilson Show, the Mike Douglas show, and multiple visits to the Johnny Cash Show.

Famous Quotes

By Duke Ellington after Louis' death "If anybody was Mr. Jazz it was Louis Armstrong"

By Louis Armstrong's view on music "I never tried to prove nothing, just always wanted to give a good show. My life has been my music, it's always come first, but the music ain't worth nothing if you can't lay it on the public. The main thing is to live for that audience, 'cause what you're there for is to please the people."