Louis Armstrong
Joseph Hoke,
Johns Hopkins
The Amazing Man
• Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter and
singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Louis
was one of the most influential figures in
jazz history, shifting
attention from a collection
of sounds, the normal
in jazz at that time,
to solo performances.
Starting Out
• Louis Armstrong was born on July 4, 1900
in New Orleans, and was mostly self
educated. He learned how to play the
cornet, bugle, and clarinet, and took
trumpet lessons from the
jazz artist Joe Oliver. Louis
made his professional debut
in 1917 with the band of “kid”
Ory in New Orleans.
“kid” Ory
Career
• Louis Armstrong organized his own band
in 1925 in Chicago. Within the next few
years, he won recognition as one of the
foremost jazz trumpet players of all time,
and an outstanding jazz vocalist. He
appeared in several movies, including
Cabin in the Sky, in 1943, High
Society, in 1956, and The Five
Pennies, in 1959.
Louis Armstrong
Songs
• Among Louis Armstrong’s many songs are
titles such as Cabaret, Hello Brother,
There Must be a Way, The Sunshine of
Love, and, probably the most well known,
What A Wonderful World.
What A Wonderful World
by Louis Armstrong
Death
• Louis Armstrong died in New York City on
July 6, 1971, two days after his 71st
birthday. He was one of the most
influential figures in jazz history, and will
continue to live on in his music.