Louis Armstrong
Essay by 24 • November 14, 2010 • 543 Words (3 Pages) • 1,755 Views
One of the greatest American jazz musicians, Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), was born and raised in the "birthplace of jazz," New Orleans. His neighborhood was called the "Battlefield" because of gang wars. Louis's father abandoned his mother, Mayann, soon after he was born. Because of this he lived in his grandmother's home for the first few years of his life. Eventually, he was returned to his mother and his little sister Beatrice. When Louis turned seven, he worked for the Karnofsky family before and after school collecting used bottles and rags and delivering coal. The Karnofskys's helped him get an old, beaten up cornet after he became attracted to music when heard it all around him.
When Louis was in third grade, he dropped out of school and stopped working for the Karnofskys. He sang on the streets to get money and later formed a band. He led a vocal quartet on the street to get money to help his family. In 1913, police took him to a home for. There, Louis became a part of the band.
Louis easily picked the cornet after learning how to play the bugle. Everyone began to notice Louis's talent. When he was 13, Louis was released from the boy's home. He spent the next few years selling newspapers and unloading bananas from boats to earn money for his family. When Louis had free time, he went to listen to local bands and was even asked to play the blues in a few gigs.
A famous cornet player, Joe "King" Oliver, noticed Louis's talent and enthusiasm. Oliver became a mentor to Louis and in return Louis ran errands and did small jobs for Oliver. When Oliver left to play in Chicago, Louis began performing on steamboats, where he played for the next three years. When King Oliver came back he invited Louis to perform with his band in Chicago. Louis was delighted, and he ended up doing this for the next two years
After playing with Fletcher Henderson and many others in New York Lois moved back to Chicago. It was there in 1926, that Louis made the first recording under his own name. His band was called The Hot Five. It was around
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