Louis Armstrong was a jazz musician and trumpet player. He was born in 1901in New Orleans and was nicknamed “The Battlefield”. Armstrong came from a humble background hence he endured a challenging childhood. His father, who was a factory worker, abandoned his family immediately after Armstrong was born. Due to his father’s abandonment, his mother turned into prostitution as the means of earning a livelihood. Armstrong was raised up by his grandmother since his parents were not there for him. Due to these family problems, Armstrong left school in the fifth grade and embarked on working. He was employed by a Jewish company where he did the work of delivering coal and collecting junk. This Jewish company encouraged Armstrong to sing as they thought he had a talent. This talent made Joe Oliver start monitoring Armstrong.
In 1912, Armstrong was arrested for firing his father’s gun in the air on the New Year’s Eve. He was taken to colored Waif’s home for boys where he stayed for two years. While in the Colored Waif’s home, he discovered his talent of singing. He garnered a good reputation from the people who thought that he was talented. In 1918, Armstrong married his wife Daisy Parker, who was a prostitute. His marriage was marred by constant disagreements and violence and later led to separation. He adopted Clarence after his mother died during childbirth. In 1918, he joined New Orleans band where he concentrated on playing the trumpet. He became prominent in music in 1920s due to his incredible talent of trumpet blowing and unique vocals.
In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, a pianist in their band. He signed with Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra where he recorded his first single ‘St Louis Blues’. He recorded this single with Bessie Smith, and the song became a hit. In 1925, he started his own band known as the “Hot Five.” After joining his own band, Armstrong recorded his first album.
Armstrong’s career continued to hit heights. He was gathering popularity from his fans due to his immense talent. In 1925, Armstrong recorded the song “Ain’t Misbehaving. The song quickly became a hit due to his popularity among several people. He was hired by the state department to perform in tours after which his career skyrocketed. Armstrong has worked with blues singers like Ma Rainey and Alberta Hunter. During his long career, he sang with many vocalists. Among them were; Ella Fitzgerald duke Ellington, Bing Crosby and Earl Hines.
During his prosperous career, Armstrong got many Grammy awards. For instance in 1964, he won the Grammy award for best male vocal performance. This helped him gain confidence and explore new ideas in music. It also showed the success he had got in the music industry. He was also awarded Grammy Hall of Fame for his songs: “Weather Bird”, “All on Me”, “Porgy and Bess” and “west End Blues”. Armstrong died of heart attack in1971, after a long and prosperous life and career.
Armstrong has greatly influenced the development of Jazz music. His performance increased his popularity all over the world. This helped him grow as both a musician and a singer. Armstrong became a role model to many upcoming jazz musicians. The fact that Armstrong came from a humble background gave them hope of a bright future. Armstrong was humble, a factor that was admired by those who saw him as their role model. Armstrong will go down in history as one of the greatest musicians of the jazz genre.
Bibliography
Bergreen, L. (2012). Louis Armstrong. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
Nollen, S. A. (2004). Louis Armstrong: The Life, Music, and Screen Career. Calrifornia: McFarland.
Strickln, D. (2010). Louis Armstrong: The Sountrack of the American Experience. new York: Government Institutes.
