Did Louis Armstrong have a great life as he sang in the song? Biography of Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong personal life.

Louis Armstrong is a man of contradictions. Having loved music all his life, created to conquer the heights, he was often forced to be content with second roles. One can argue, say that he himself, single-handedly, created his own image of the great "King of Jazz", that all his fame is the result of long and hard work. Of course, this is true, but only in part. The racial prejudices that prevailed at that time simply would not have allowed Armstrong to climb the top of Olympus alone. He did a lot by stepping on the throat of his song, guided by the role imposed on him by numerous impresarios. But they were white, and he was not, so Armstrong had to do the incredible - to be a stage star, an artist of the highest class, a member of the elite houses - and at the same time create not only for the sake of the public, but also for future generations, creating ingenious compositions , undying for decades.

short biography

Little Louis was born in the area of ​​New Orleans, which was called the "Battlefield". Constant skirmishes of bandits and shootouts were an integral feature of local life, which, of course, imposed on little boy your imprint. The poorest district of Louisiana was just a collection of bars, saloons, inhabited by criminals and women of easy virtue. Stabbing and shooting were so common that they were perceived as something natural. The date of his birth is still debated. The generally accepted year is 1900, July 4th. But there is another date - 1901, August 4th. And the musician himself always said that he saw the world already in 1890. These discrepancies are the best way to show the plight of the Armstrong family, which did not even bother to register his birth.

His mother Mary Elbert was only 16 years old when she gave birth to Louis. In infancy, the parents separated, and the boy was left in the care of Josephine, the boy's grandmother. True, after 5 years, his mother again took him to her, by that time Louis had already begun to go to school.

He was able to get a job in a quartet of boy vocalists who advocated alms. At the same time, Louis meets the Karnovski family - Latvian-Jewish immigrants. He began working for them, delivering coal, and gradually became a very close member of the family.

The key event for the boy happened in 1913, when the whole of New Orleans was immersed in the New Year's holiday. Having stolen a pistol from another mother's friend, Louis fired only one shot. A police officer suddenly appeared nearby and took the teenager into custody. For such a relatively innocent offense, Armstrong was given a severe punishment - serving prison term in the colony of Captain Joseph Jones. However, for the boy this was happiness - in the settlement he was dressed and well fed. So it remains for us to thank the unknown judge who sent Armstrong away from home and gave him a chance at new life.

In the penitentiary there was a small vocal group and an orchestra conducted by Peter Davis. Davis agreed to take the boy to the orchestra and first put him on a tambourine, the simplest musical instrument. Quite quickly, the boy was entrusted with an altohorn - a low-sounding wind instrument that plays harmonic parts. Since Armstrong had already learned to perform various voices by ear while singing in the choir, he had no problems with the new instrument. The boy's talent was obvious, and Davis first began to teach the boy to play the bugle, and then the cornet. As a result, Armstrong becomes best musician in the orchestra.

The musician was taken from the colony by his father, but at the first opportunity, Armstrong escaped and returned to his mother. Karnovsky's help came in handy - they gave him a new cornet, on which he could start making money. From that moment began the creative and concert activity of Armstrong.

In 1918, Louis got a job on a river boat in an orchestra entertaining the public. Mellophonist David Jones taught Armstrong how to read music on one of the cruises. In 1922, he moved to Chicago, where at that time he had practically no equal. Being out of competition, he soon becomes a star, making a bright and spectacular show out of each of his performances.

In 1925, he performs at the Dreamland Café, joins Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, and works part-time with Erskine Tate's orchestra. In 1929 he moved to New York, where he devoted himself entirely to music. Being by this time very famous, he did not lack money, giving an incredible number of concerts.

Until 1946, Armstrong lives an active concert life, acting in films and recording his own records. In 1947, the All Stars ensemble, created at the initiative of Glaser, appeared, which included the most eminent jazz masters. Armstrong with the ensemble gives countless concerts, continues to act in films. Since 1950, he begins to act more as a vocalist. Its deep hoarse voice and a snow-white smile were his calling card, his pass to any place where he wanted to perform. He lived for music, for playing the trumpet, and he didn't need anything else. July 6, 1970 greatest jazzman passed away throughout the history of mankind.

Interesting Facts

• He was first arrested at the age of 11.
• Conditions in the ghetto where little Louis lived were incredibly terrible. The boy had to do terrible things to survive: look for food in garbage cans, beg and commit petty theft.
• Due to the constant lack of money, Armstrong had to drop out of school. During his life he never received a real education.

• At the age of 14, he Armstrong already played in the orchestra, while not knowing musical notation and focusing only on hearing.
• From the beginning of his concert activity until his death, Armstrong practically did not interrupt his performances.
• When his mother, Elbert, died in 1942, it was the only time in his entire life, according to his recollections, when he cried.
• In 1918, cornetist Joe Oliver left his position in Kid Ory's orchestra, and the 18-year-old jazzman was hired to take his place. Oliver taught him the basic rules of breathing, staging and taught him a little musical notation.
• Upon learning of his father's death, he refused to go to his funeral, saying: "The man who left me and my mother to die of hunger is nobody for me."
• The opinion of a jazzman regarding Buddy Bolden, the “king of the cornet” of New Orleans, one of the founders of “classical” Negro jazz, is interesting. Bolden received the nickname "The King" for his services and had a considerable influence on subsequent generations of jazzmen, including Armstrong, who listened to him live from early childhood. He said: “To blow his cornet, I would not have had any lungs. Although everyone considered him great, he blew too much into him, and, most likely, incorrectly. Remember that he went off the rails at the end, don't lose sight of that."
• In 1926 there was a complete rejection of the cornet and the transition to pipe . Apparently, this was influenced by the design of the tools. Indeed, on a cornet with a wide bell, the sound was too soft, and Armstrong's playing style required a sharper sound. In addition, the cornet stood out too much from the general sound of the orchestras of that time.

• Armstrong has over 60 hits that have become immortal jazz classics. He recorded them with his Hot Five ensemble in just 3 years.
• Armstrong always kept the Star of David with him, as a memory of the Jewish Karnovsky family, which became practically his own.
• He was the first of the colored jazz musicians who wrote an autobiography.
• Having avoided politics all his life, he once broke this rule. During the crisis at Little Rock School, nine African Americans were banned from attending classes. This situation infuriated him so much that he said: "For the way the government treats my compatriots, it should go to hell." For this phrase, he was sharply criticized, but he never changed his mind. This statement regarding President Eisenhower is considered the most courageous act in the life of a musician.
• He was disliked by many of his young compatriots, who felt that he should use his position to improve the lives of people of color. However, Armstrong never did.
• At one time, Armstrong experimented with playing the trombone, but it was nothing more than a hobby.
• Armstrong was barren, but he loved children very much.

• He was the sponsor for Armstrong's Secret Nine amateur baseball team.
• At one time, at the peak of its popularity, cigars were produced under the name "Louis Armstrong".
• He was a frequent recreational drug user and was once convicted of possession of marijuana.
• Louis adopted a child of his cousin, who died shortly after giving birth - the boy Clarence. Unfortunately, he suffered a head injury as a child and became developmentally delayed. However, Armstrong took care of him all his life.
• One reviewer once made a derogatory review of Louie's performance. This so hurt the musician, who by that time had world fame, that he simply fell into despair. Despite his popularity, the jazzman was a very impressionable person.
• Once in England, speaking to members of the royal family, Armstrong broke the unspoken rule that forbids addressing the royals directly. Looking at George V, the jazzman said: "I'm performing especially for you, Rex!" - and played solo.
• He had a watch engraved with "the world's greatest trumpeter", received from admirers of his talent.
• He had a nickname - Satchmo, which he often signed and used in the title of his songs and albums.

• Not every concert was outstanding. Often, especially in last years life, he played mechanically, only on willpower. However, this does not mean that he played badly. Even his shortest performance was always on top. He simply did not allow himself otherwise.
• Toward the end of his life, Armstrong began to have problems with his lips and fingers. Because of this, he almost completely switched to singing, playing only short phrases on the trumpet and rarely using fast pace in improvisations.
• Jazzman's funeral was shown in live throughout the USA. Many newspapers of the world, including Izvestia Soviet Union, reacted to the death of the musician, condoling and mourning the loss. Many people performed at the funeral famous musicians and singers of that time: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and many others.

The best songs that have become famous all over the world

Being a truly inexhaustible source of ideas, Louis Armstrong during his life gave the world a large number of works that have become truly significant and iconic in the world of jazz. His playing style and performing vocal techniques, his chic "sandy voice" became a kind of canon of the era.

by the most famous compositions, recorded by Armstrong, can rightly be considered " Hello Dolly!», « Go down Moses" (better known as "Let My people go") and " What a Wonderful World". Today almost everyone knows them, and their sound is associated only with Armstrong's voice.

Contrary to popular belief, the composition Hello Dolly! was not written by Armstrong, but by Jerry Herman. But her performance by a 63-year-old jazzman could accomplish the impossible - the song took the first line of the hit parade, dropping the Beatles themselves from the top! But they confidently held the first three places of the chart for the whole 3 months. In 1965, Armstrong received for this song Grammy Award- for the best male vocal.

Hello Dolly! » (listen)

Song " Go down Moses Thanks to Armstrong, she began a new life. It was he who in 1958 significantly reworked it, re-arranged it and gave it a fresh sound. His famous trumpet solo became canon jazz music, forever securing this composition for Armstrong as a brilliant performer.

"Go down Moses" (listen)

In 1967 they composed the song " What a Wonderful World". Its authors, Bob Thiel and George Weiss, thought for a long time which of popular singers it can be offered for performance and eventually settled on Armstrong. He was just picking up songs for his new album, and a fresh song came in handy.

"What a Wonderful World" (listen)

Unfortunately, Armstrong's compatriots did not appreciate the song and its performance. “How can you sing about the beauty of the world and nature, looking at what is happening around?” - that was their only question. Only a year later, in 1968, the song took first place in the UK hit parade. Since then, the composition has been covered several times. various performers, but no one could cover Armstrong's canonical performance. After all, it is his voice that we hear in our head when we see the title of the song.

Filmography of the musician

Armstrong has appeared in a huge number of films, series and television shows, even more than any other actor. In many ways, this was done for the sake of popularizing the musician himself, and, of course, for the sake of money. His impresario, Joe Glaser, created a peculiar image for Armstrong, which had nothing to do with inner world Louis, and which he had to stick to in order to stay at the zenith of fame. Glaser's favorite phrases were: "Smile, damn it, smile!" and "Make a face!".

Thus, Glazer was able to get rich significantly on behalf of his ward, but it was not just profit, it was a kind of symbiosis. After all, being "colored", Armstrong could never have achieved such fame, which he received with the help of Glaser. This followed from the realities of the time in which he lived - where whites had an initial advantage over blacks. So, being a realist, Armstrong just played his part, followed the traditions accepted in his time.

Armstrong filmed all his life, from 1930 to 1971. His first film was " Ex Flame» (Explosive), filmed in 1930. A simple plot about a wife blinded by jealousy, as a result of which she lost not only her house, but also her son. In this picture, Louis starred in the role of himself, which did not require any special efforts from him. last movie, in which he starred in 1969, became a musical adventure comedy Hello Dolly!”, lasting 2 hours 26 minutes. In it, Armstrong starred as orchestra conductor. The film won 3 Oscars and received 13 nominations.

In total, Louis has shot in 28 films where he played other characters, and in 10 films where he portrayed himself. In addition, over the years he has participated in 13 television shows and starred in 10 TV series.

After his death, films continued to be made about him, almost in greater numbers than during his lifetime. 21 new films and 10 series have been released: documentary, biographical and popular.

Personal life of a jazzman

Relations with his mother and a morally free childhood of the musician significantly influenced his relationship with the weaker sex. Seeing his mother's wild life every day, he subconsciously came to the conclusion that there is no serious attachment to the weaker sex, and even more so love.

During his life, he changed many women, was married as many as 3 times, in addition, he often started romances on the side, being married. He did not hesitate to flirt with women, and since he was rich, he enjoyed wild success.

In 1918, he met the first woman for whom he experienced something similar to love. Her name was Daisy Parker. Sweet and interesting at first glance, inside she was a real devil in a skirt - lack of education, wild jealousy, constant quarrels, screams and irrepressible pugnacity. The unbearable nature of the woman was the reason for the divorce, after which Daisy soon died.

The musician was more fortunate with his second wife. We can say that it was she who chose Armstrong, and not vice versa. Lil Hardin got pretty decent musical education, played the piano perfectly, dressed with taste and was quite educated. At first, she had a very low opinion of Louis, considering him a provincial uneducated person, but over time, his talent, snow-white smile and charm melted her heart.

Lil began to make a star out of Armstrong. It was her obsessive desire and Armstrong could not resist him. She made him go on a diet, thanks to which he lost 20 kilograms, bought new beautiful clothes and instilled a sense of taste. In addition, she taught him social manners and the basics musical culture.

Hardin forced Armstrong to move to New York. There she took it seriously and here the first problems appeared. Louis remained provincial at heart and common man. He did not understand why alcohol and weed were so condemned and did not see anything shameful in their use. Lil didn't see it that way, and they often quarreled over the issue. In the end, Hardin decided on a divorce. She approached him creatively and thoroughly, leaving Armstrong penniless and taking home the posh house they bought together. Lil survived her ex-husband, but insignificantly, dying in 1971 on stage from a heart attack.

His third wife was Lucille Wilson, born in New York. Finally, there was a woman who fell in love with Armstrong not for money, but for his character. A dancer who received a musical education, she completely suited Louis with her character, being a soft and compliant woman. During quarrels, she could always find a compromise, and they lived in happy marriage as much as 30 years.

Difficult relationship with managers

Armstrong was unlucky with money all his life. No, he knew their price, but he managed his income absolutely illiterately. Beggars of all stripes constantly revolved around him, numerous "friends" called him to bars, but were in no hurry to pay the bills. Therefore, it is not surprising that Armstrong often had problems with managers who first tried to somehow control the musician, and then began to use their position and shamelessly rob.

Louis' first manager was Johnny Collins, an unscrupulous deceiver who used every opportunity to take the bulk of the money from Armstrong's fee. At the same time, he did not even bother to document this - the musician was absolutely helpless in the bureaucracy and never checked his bills and fees. Constant quarrels between Louis and the manager did not lead to anything - the money still flowed away, it is not clear where and for what.

In the 1930s, Armstrong got into serious trouble with the rival mafia clans that controlled London's nightlife. As a result, he had to go into hiding in California. As soon as he tried to return to Chicago, the mob ordered him to get out of the city. Johnny Collins in 1934 throws Armstrong, refusing further cooperation. At the same time, he takes almost all the money of the musician.

In 1935, a jazzman completely disillusioned with people does not know what to do, but he suddenly meets Joe Glazer, who, for a short time(in just 3-4 months) solves all his problems. He becomes the jazzman's new manager. At the same time, he was quite close to the gangster Al Capone and had authority among the criminal world. This tough and even cruel man had great connections. He quickly paid off all Armstrong's debts, scared him away ex girlfriends and mistresses who threatened him with lawsuits, and put things in order in the accounts.

Glazer on long years became a powerful patron of Armstrong. An interesting thing happened. As you know, many did not respect the jazzman: someone for refusing to promote the equality of "colored", someone for being too gullible. Many did not like him for the obedience that he expressed to the "white gentlemen." And a man of principle with the inclinations of a criminal, Joe Glaser, sincerely respected the musician. Perhaps, deep down, he knew that he was dealing with a genius, with a talent that he would never achieve, with a man who had no equal in terms of performance and skill. Until the very end of his life, he protected Armstrong and he considered him his friend. In part, it was.

In 1969, Glaser had an unexpected severe seizure. They decided not to say anything to Armstrong, but by coincidence, Glaser was taken to the same hospital where the musician had been taken shortly before because of heart problems. Louis demanded that he be allowed to see a friend, asked to be taken to him, even on a gurney. In the end, he was allowed. He came out depressed and shocked, beside himself with grief. His friend and patron did not even recognize his ward ...

On July 4, 1969, Glaser died without ever regaining consciousness. The death of a man with whom Louis had worked for many years left a heavy imprint on him and crippled his health. He tried to show everyone that nothing had changed, but that was the beginning of the end.

Louis Armstrong was a genius ahead of his time. His talent did not fit into the existing framework, did not fit into them, and he had to limit himself in order to always be the first, the best, the only one ... This was especially noticeable in the second half of his life. Cheerful and charismatic, he was the soul of any company, but we will never be able to find out what was going on inside him.

Armstrong is a phenomenon of musical culture. The difficult childhood of the musician left its mark on him, but could not break his character. Throughout his life he carried his charm, charming smile and kindness. The most complex virtuoso technique easily coexisted in his music with colloquial recitative. The deep penetrating sound of the trumpet and the indescribable voice easily coexisted together, making any composition a masterpiece. Although he was considered the greatest musician modernity, he himself had a low opinion of himself. He lived for performances, concerts and applause from the public. Before his death, he refused to go to the hospital. Being in a terrible physical condition, exhausted, he could not refuse people who bought tickets for his performance. So he was already - great and at the same time simple, "King of Jazz" ...

Video: Listen to Louis Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong ( Louis Daniel"Satchmo" Armstrong ) was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans. He was the son of a laborer William and Mary Ann, the daughter of former slaves. His parents finally separated when he was five years old and he stayed with his sister, rather windy mother and grandmother in the disadvantaged and poor outskirts of Storyville, known as the "Battlefield" due to dominance gambling, unrestrained drunkenness, showdowns and shooting, which often took place there. Often the boy had to earn extra money by delivering newspapers and delivering coal. Having finished primary school at the age of eleven, he often sang songs with friends, trying to earn a living. He received great support in the form of work at that time from a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, who accepted him as their own. To commemorate this period, Louis wore a Star of David around his neck.

At age 12, Louis was arrested for shooting in the air and sent to a reform school for troubled teens, where he first began learning to play a musical instrument. After his release, he began performing with local groups. He did not have his own instrument, as well as the money for it, so Louis was forced to borrow from friends. The guy was noticed by King Oliver, the leader of the first large African American group. Armstrong joined Oliver in Chicago and collaborated with the team until 1924. As part of the Creole Jazz Band, he made his debut studio recordings. After getting his first experience, he went to New York to play with Fletcher Henderson's band. The audience came to the concerts in many respects for the original improvisational solos of Louis.

jazz pioneer

In the early Roaring Twenties, Chicago became the home of jazz. Louis Daniel Armstrong returned in the fall of 1925, formed a band and began recording some of the greatest compositions in jazz history with the Hot Five musicians. He developed unique style and played amazing solos. During these years, Armstrong worked with large groups in Chicago clubs and theaters. The vocals that accompanied recordings after 1925 complemented his playing with a velvety hoarseness. The peak of performing skills occurred at the beginning of the thirties of the last century. The honed unique style of performance, combined with a mature approach, led to a rethinking of early compositions and their re-recording. He achieved international fame and traveled to Europe for the first time as a soloist in 1932. After the end of World War II, starting with a trip to France in 1948, he began to tour the world regularly. Traveled in Europe, Africa, Japan, Australia and South America.

Louis continued to perform as part of large orchestras until 1947, and after that he returned to a small team of first-class musicians called "All Stars". Louis acted in films and wrote books. One of the most famous musicians in the history of jazz music died in New York of a heart attack on July 6, 1971.

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Louis Armstrong biography briefly will tell you about the life of an American trumpeter, vocalist and creator of his own ensemble, the founder of jazz. A message about Louis Armstrong will help to compose.

Louis Armstrong biography and creativity

The life of Louis Armstrong began on August 4, 1901 in the poorest area of ​​New Orleans in the family of a mine worker.

The boy's childhood cannot be called happy; he grew up in an area inhabited only by Negro families. His father left the family and left the city, his mother was forced to become a woman of easy virtue in order to feed Louis and his older sister Beatrice. The grandmother of the children, having learned what their mother is doing, takes the children to her place.

At the age of 7, Louis' childhood ended. To help his grandmother, he decides to find a job. He received his first income by delivering the press. Then he got a job as a coal carrier.

Once, having got a job in a family of wealthy Jews, he liked the Karnovskys so much that they began to consider the hardworking guy their adopted son. For Louis's birthday, they gave him a cornet, his first musical instrument.

Being in seventh heaven, the guy gets a job in the drinking establishments of Storyville, playing instruments. In parallel with this, he begins to take part in ensembles.

For a misdemeanor in 1913, Louis Armstrong was sent to a boarding camp. Here the young man received a musical education and gained experience. For a couple of years, he masterfully learned to play the tambourine, alto horn, improving his playing on the cornet. Louis got a job in the ensemble. Performing marches and polkas, he earned his living.

Once, speaking at a club, King Oliver spotted him and offered Armstrong cooperation. It was short but fruitful.

In 1918, King advised Louis to another respectful person in the world of music, Kid Ory. He made the guy a member of the Tuxedo Brass Band.

Later, Louis met a connoisseur in the field of art and music - Marable. Thanks to this man, Armstrong received a decent musical education and is making attempts to independently compose music on the cornet.

In 1922, former music partner King Oliver invites Armstrong to join the Creole ensemble, the Creole Jazz Band. The cornetist with the ensemble travels around the country and acquires the first fans.

Some time later, he moved to New York and got a job in the orchestra of Fletcher Henderson, a master of jazz. Louis takes over knowledge from Fletcher and has formed as a musician with his own, unique and bright style of playing the cornet. It was for her that Louis Armstrong was loved by fans from all over the world.

Since 1925, the musician has been recording his famous compositions: "Go Down Moses", "Heebie Jeebies", "What a Wonderful World", "A Rhapsody in Black and Blue", "Hello Dolly". He starts recording famous composers and performers.

On the stage last time Armstrong appeared on February 10, 1971. A heart attack chained him to bed. In March, Louis got back on his feet and performed concerts in New York with his All Stars ensemble. A recurring heart attack again chained him to a hospital bed. After 2 months on July 6, 1971, after the last rehearsal, the founder of jazz music dies of heart failure and kidney failure.

Louis Armstrong personal life

Armstrong was married four times, but had no children.

He first married very early to the prostitute Daisy Parker. But the environment of the gifted and talented musician kept telling him that tomorrow he would wake up famous. And such a person should not be with a woman who was engaged in depraved things. This forced Armstrong to divorce her in 1923.

In 1924 he met the pianist Lil Hardin. Some time later, he marries her. It was at the insistence of his wife that he took up solo career. But in the late 1920s they divorced.

His third marriage was to Alpha Smith, lasting only four years.

In 1938, Louis Armstrong married for the fourth (and last) time to the dancer Lucille Wilson, with whom he lived until the end of his days.

Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong is believed to have been born on August 4, 1901. At the same time, the musician himself did not know exactly when he was born, and chose the US independence day, July 4, 1900, as his birthday.

The family in which Louis Armstrong was born can hardly be called prosperous. Father abandoned them immediately after the birth of their second child - younger sister Beatrice, and Mayan's mother, who did not own any craft, worked as a laundress. The black boy grew up in complete poverty, like many in a disadvantaged area of ​​\u200b\u200bNew Orleans, Louisiana.

Childhood

The mother was constantly busy, so most of the time the abandoned children were with their grandmother Josephine. As soon as Louis entered elementary school, life became especially difficult, because the mother's craft almost ceased to generate income. Then the boy began to look for all kinds of part-time jobs in order to at least eat tolerably.

Louis Armstrong did not know the exact date of his birth

He had to work as a peddler of newspapers, a salesman, he carried coal to the "red light district", which was famous for its bars, cafes and restaurants, where you could always meet a lot of musicians. It was then that Louis became interested in music.

At the age of 7, the boy worked for a family of Jews who treated him like own son. Until his death, Armstrong remembered their kindness, and in memory of them he wore a Star of David around his neck.

Louis Armstrong in his living room

Having reached the age of 11, the boy, in love with music, dropped out of school, and together earned a living by performing uncomplicated melodies. Louis mastered the trumpet very quickly. He repeated almost all the compositions he heard, since he was absolutely not trained in musical notation.

According to Louis Armstrong himself, he owes his amazing learning ability to the complete deprivation of life in New Orleans. In order not to be without food, without a roof over your head, or not to be caught by local merchants for stealing food, you had to spin around and come up with tricks.

Youth of Louis Armstrong

The teenager was not at all a meek disposition, so he often ended up in the police station. Once, because of his recklessness, he ended up behind bars right on New Year's Eve 1913. The reason was a fleeting desire to shoot from a pistol he found with his mother. This trick was the reason for the definition of Louis in a boarding school for difficult teenagers.

Louis Armstrong grew up troubled teenager

Louis did not worry about this for long, because now he had enough free time to devote himself entirely to his favorite pastime. It was then that he began to perform in a brass band, playing the cornet, tambourine and alto horn, and firmly decided to become a musician.

Debut on the jazz scene

After returning to the city, he first learned musical notation, touring on steamboats in the summer, the musicians willingly agreed to help the novice trumpeter. Since 1918, he actively played in all kinds of musical groups New Orleans and Chicago.

Successful career the great Satchmo began with King Oliver's orchestra

In 1922, a talented boy was invited to the most popular Chicago jazz band as a second cornetist. Participation in the orchestra of King Oliver was a powerful impetus to success for Louis Armstrong.

In 1932, Louis was invited to perform at the London Palladium Theatre. There he had a chance to meet with the editor of the English magazine Melody Maker Mathison Brooks. Unknowingly, the journalist misrepresented Armstrong's New Orleans nickname Satchelmouth and called him Satchmo. Jazzman was not at all upset, on the contrary, he liked the new one more than the previous one.

Personal life of Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong with his second wife Lil Hardin

Louis' personal life was very eventful. At first he married a prostitute - Creole Daisy Parker, but this marriage did not last long, until 1924. Barely reaching the age of 23, he tied his fate with his jazz band colleague Lil Hardin. Later, this strong-willed woman insisted on solo career musician.

In 1938, at the height of his career, he married the dancer Lucille Wilson, with whom he lived until his death.

Solo career

Arriving in New York, Louis achieved a special manner of playing the trumpet - accurate passages and live improvisations made him one of the most sought-after musicians. In addition, his raspy voice became the most recognizable in New Orleans. Armstrong is a pioneer of scat - vocal improvisations with voice like musical instrument.

Armstrong with his Hot Five quintet

They talked about him like a rising star. Already at the age of 24, he recorded his first album Hot Five, inviting talented jazz performers for cooperation - trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, banjo player Johnny St. Cyr and pianist Lil Hardin. These recordings have become jazz classics. A year later, Armstrong was already directing his own orchestra, which performed a repertoire in the style of hot jazz.

At the age of 26, Louis began a life full of tours - a series of tours in Europe, starting in 1933, made him a world-class star. He was invited to act in films, participate in television programs and speak on the radio. In 1947, together with Louis Armstrong, the vocalist sang on the same stage in the musical New Orleans: to perform with her idol was an old dream of the singer.

Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday

Health problems and death

In 1936, Louis Armstrong's autobiography Swing That Music was published, in which the most famous jazz trumpeter spoke about his difficult life, hardships and first success on the jazz scene.

At the same time, he underwent surgery on his upper lip - it led to deformation and tissue rupture. professional activity musician. In addition, trying to remove the hoarseness from his voice, Louis Armstrong underwent surgery on the vocal cords.

Louis Armstrong and Barbra Streisand

Even after suffering a heart attack in 1959, Louis Armstrong did not stop his concert activity, but he began to perform less often. During this period, he took part in the musical Hello, Dolly! (Hello, Dolly) along with . The composition of the same name in their performance reached the first line in the American hit parade.