Louis Armstrong’s Life In Photos

Source: Universal History Archive / Getty

If music is food for the soul, then jazz is the filet mignon of soul meals. And if you had to pick one musician to cook up something soulful and fulfilling, your first choice has to be Satchmo.

Louis Daniel Armstrong, aka Satchmo”, aka “Satch”, and sometimes known as “Pops,“ is arguably America’s greatest Jazz musician. The trumpeter and vocalist is one of the most influential creators to ever pick up an instrument and sing on a mic. For five decades Armstrong helped shape what we know as modern American jazz music. 

His scratchy yet soothing voice was instantly recognizable and could make you feel like you were the only person in the room. But when he picked up the trumpet, it was like magic with every note. Armstrong had the unique ability to improvise his trumpet melodies with his lyrics in a way jazz hadn’t seen before. His musical abilities mixed with his charismatic stage presence made him one of the first Black entertainers to “cross over” to popular white audiences. 

Born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, Armstrong grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood known as ‘The Battlefield’ when the city was segregated. Like many Black children born in the ghetto, Armstrong was attracted to street life because it was his only outlet to make money. He dropped out of school at age 11 and joined a quartet of boys who sang in the streets for money. He was arrested at 12 for stealing his stepfather’s gun and shooting it in the air. At the age of 15, Louis Armstrong was a pimp until he was stabbed in the shoulder by one of his prostitutes. But throughout his childhood singing and playing music was always his escape. 

He eventually was taught to play the trumpet by ear and began to play in brass bands on riverboats in New Orleans. 

In 1922 he moved to Chicago and joined Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, one of the most influential jazz bands in Chicago at the time. He eventually made enough money to quit his day jobs and concentrate solely on his craft.

In 1924 he moved to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance and began to inspire some of the most important people in Black History. Langston Hughes credited him as one of the most important musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. It was during this period that he earned the title of “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.”

Louis Armstrong would continue to dominate jazz for the next 40 years. Let’s take a look at his amazing life in the photos below…

Source: Universal History Archive / Getty

If music is food for the soul, then jazz is the filet mignon of soul meals. And if you had to pick one musician to cook up something soulful and fulfilling, your first choice has to be Satchmo.

Louis Daniel Armstrong, aka Satchmo”, aka “Satch”, and sometimes known as “Pops,“ is arguably America’s greatest Jazz musician. The trumpeter and vocalist is one of the most influential creators to ever pick up an instrument and sing on a mic. For five decades Armstrong helped shape what we know as modern American jazz music. 

His scratchy yet soothing voice was instantly recognizable and could make you feel like you were the only person in the room. But when he picked up the trumpet, it was like magic with every note. Armstrong had the unique ability to improvise his trumpet melodies with his lyrics in a way jazz hadn’t seen before. His musical abilities mixed with his charismatic stage presence made him one of the first Black entertainers to “cross over” to popular white audiences. 

Born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, Armstrong grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood known as ‘The Battlefield’ when the city was segregated. Like many Black children born in the ghetto, Armstrong was attracted to street life because it was his only outlet to make money. He dropped out of school at age 11 and joined a quartet of boys who sang in the streets for money. He was arrested at 12 for stealing his stepfather’s gun and shooting it in the air. At the age of 15, Louis Armstrong was a pimp until he was stabbed in the shoulder by one of his prostitutes. But throughout his childhood singing and playing music was always his escape. 

He eventually was taught to play the trumpet by ear and began to play in brass bands on riverboats in New Orleans. 

In 1922 he moved to Chicago and joined Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, one of the most influential jazz bands in Chicago at the time. He eventually made enough money to quit his day jobs and concentrate solely on his craft.

In 1924 he moved to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance and began to inspire some of the most important people in Black History. Langston Hughes credited him as one of the most important musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. It was during this period that he earned the title of “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.”

Louis Armstrong would continue to dominate jazz for the next 40 years. Let’s take a look at his amazing life in the photos below…

— to newsone.com