Mr. Louis Armstrong: A Latent Jazz Prodigy

Stachelmouth was his nickname among his fellow musicians; he is considered as the greatest jazz musicians of all time; trumpeter as an occupation but passionate he was. His birth date: August 4, 1901.


Yes you are right! We are talking about Mr. Louis Armstrong, whose musical talent initiated after he shot a borrowed gun on New Year’s 1913. But wait a minute!! How can this be possible? Well, Armstrong, being only twelve, and a very shy kid, was arrested for performing this childish procedure and taken to the New Orleans Colored Waif’s Home for Boys; fortunately, at this home, he met Peter Davis, who was his instructor and undoubtedly, his biggest musical influence.


His early childhood was very complicated and simply poor; he had to sing on street corners to earn at least a few nickels to survive. Louis Armstrong was liberated at fourteen and he started to regularly visit dive bars to listen to his favorite jazz musicians, such as Joe “King” Oliver and the Kid Ory Band. He got so perfectly skillful with his horn that he was offered to move to Saint Louis, for him to bond Fate Marable’s Band; this new experience consisted of playing at the riverboat to passengers who appreciated his performance a lot.


During the 1920’s Armstrong's professional career started to rise and his popularity increased; by now he was able to form a band called the “Hot Five” and by 1925, they released their first record; however, this band never played in public and live places.


But what Louis really wanted was to create a bigger band, so he moved to Los Angeles and managed to create the Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. He went on a tour with the orchestra and traveled to Chicago and other cities, including those in Europe; this was the top of his career and the band’s in general.


His greatest hits are: “Mack the Knife,” “Hello Dolly,” and “What a Wonderful World.”




He died pleasantly in his sleep after three years of being in and out of the hospital, on July 6, 1971, in his home in Queens, New York. For the Jazz scene and public, his death meant an irreparable loss, but his music will live forever.