famous person Louis Armstrong

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Louis Armstrong was born on august 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents are Willie Armstrong, and Mary Ann Armstrong. His father was a factory worker, and abandoned his family soon after Louis was born. His mother, who often turned to prostitution, frequently left him with his maternal grandmother. He went to school at Fisk School for Boys, Colored Waif's Home for Boys. He dropped out of school at the age of 11.

Armstrong began to perform with pick-up bands in small clubs and play funerals and parades around town. On December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration and was sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. There, he received musical instruction on the cornet and fell in love with music. In 1914, the home released him, and he immediately began dreaming of a life making music. In 1918, he married Daisy Parker, a prostitute, commencing a stormy union marked by many arguments and acts of violence. During this time, Armstrong adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence; a year later Clarence died cause of mental problems.

 In the summer of 1922, he received a call from King Oliver to come to Chicago and join his Creole Jazz Band on second cornet. That’s when he became known for a trumpeter. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues." After his divorced with Daisy Parker, Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. He married Lillian in 1924. While in New York, Armstrong cut dozens of records as a sideman, creating inspirational jazz with other greats such as Sidney Bechtel, and backing numerous blues singers, namely Bessie Smith.

 From 1925 to 1928, Armstrong made more than 60 records with the Hot Five and, later, the Hot Seven. In the summer of 1929, Armstrong headed to New York, where he had a role in a Broadway production of Connie's Hot Chocolates. By 1932, Armstrong had begun appearing in movies and made his first tour of England. In 1936, he became the first African-American jazz musician to write an autobiography: Swing That Music. He became the first African-American entertainer to host a nationally sponsored radio show in 1937. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade.

Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. The Armstrong’s moved into the home, where they would live for the rest of their lives, in 1943. Armstrong continued recording for Decca in the late 1940s and early '50s, creating a string of popular hits, including "Blueberry Hill." By 1968, Armstrong's grueling lifestyle had finally caught up with him. Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet.

Armstrong returned home in May 1971, and though he soon resumed playing again and promised to perform in public once more, he died in his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home in Queens, New York.

 

WORK CITED

1.      . "Louis Armstrong." pbs jazz.  Jazz at Lincoln Center. Web. 6 Feb 2013.

<http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_armstrong_louis.htm>.

2.      Ruhlmann, William. "Louis Armstrong jump to Discovery." allmusic. Allmusic. Web. 6 Feb

2013. <http://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-armstrong-mn0000234518>.

. "Louis Armstrong biography." Bio true story. bio true story. Web. 6 Feb 2013.            <http://www.biography.com/people/louis-armstrong-9188912>.