The Life of Louis Armstrong
The Life of Louis Armstrong
He was known as the greatest of all jazz musicians. He defined what it really was to play genuine jazz music and taught the world to swing. He included joy, spontaneity, and amazing technical abilities. Louis Armstrong was a genius when it came to his inventive musical ability. In this paper, I will tell you about who Armstrong was, his early childhood, accomplishments, and his living legacy. Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana which is famously known as the birth place of jazz. Armstrong was born into a very poor family in a rough area in New Orleans. His father was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after Armstrong was born. Consequently, he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He worked by singing on street corners for pennies, cleaning graves for tips, selling coal, and working on a junk wagon all to support his family at a very young age. Despite his unstable childhood, Armstrong expressed an early interest in music. He found someone to help him buy a cornet and taught himself to play.
After firing a gun into the air at a New Year's Eve celebration, Armstrong was labeled as a delinquent and was sent to a reform school called Colored Waif's Home for Boys. While he was there, he studied music and played the cornet and bugle in the school band. After showing so much interest and perfecting his skills, he became the leader of the band. When he was released from reform school, he worked and struggled to establish himself as a musician. Armstrong listened and learned from older musicians such as, Bunk Johnson and Buddy Petit. The person who had the greatest influence on him however, was Joe "King" Oliver. He was served as a mentor and great father figure for Armstrong. Armstrong caught his attention by for playing funerals and parades around town, while also performing with pick-up bands in small clubs. Louis later began to play in the brass bands, and riverboats of New Orleans.
He was known as the greatest of all jazz musicians. He defined what it really was to play genuine jazz music and taught the world to swing. He included joy, spontaneity, and amazing technical abilities. Louis Armstrong was a genius when it came to his inventive musical ability. In this paper, I will tell you about who Armstrong was, his early childhood, accomplishments, and his living legacy. Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana which is famously known as the birth place of jazz. Armstrong was born into a very poor family in a rough area in New Orleans. His father was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after Armstrong was born. Consequently, he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He worked by singing on street corners for pennies, cleaning graves for tips, selling coal, and working on a junk wagon all to support his family at a very young age. Despite his unstable childhood, Armstrong expressed an early interest in music. He found someone to help him buy a cornet and taught himself to play.
After firing a gun into the air at a New Year's Eve celebration, Armstrong was labeled as a delinquent and was sent to a reform school called Colored Waif's Home for Boys. While he was there, he studied music and played the cornet and bugle in the school band. After showing so much interest and perfecting his skills, he became the leader of the band. When he was released from reform school, he worked and struggled to establish himself as a musician. Armstrong listened and learned from older musicians such as, Bunk Johnson and Buddy Petit. The person who had the greatest influence on him however, was Joe "King" Oliver. He was served as a mentor and great father figure for Armstrong. Armstrong caught his attention by for playing funerals and parades around town, while also performing with pick-up bands in small clubs. Louis later began to play in the brass bands, and riverboats of New Orleans.
Bibliography: Alexander, Scott. "Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (1901-1971)." A History of Jazz Before 1930. 7 Dec. 2005 . Armstrong, Louis. My Life in New Orleans. New York: Da Capo P, 1986. Giddins, Gary. Satchmo. New York: Da Capo P, 1998. Johnson, Scott. "The Twilight Years." Louis Armstrong Discoraphy. 1999. 7 Dec. 2005 . "Louis Armstrong." Wikipedia. 11 Dec. 2005. 7 Dec. 2005 .