1901 
Armstrong's birth was always the subject of debate, but 4th August
1901 is now accepted following the discovery of a baptism certificate
in 1988. His father left the family around Armstrong's birth, and
his mother was an occasional prostitute. Armstrong's
early life is marked by extreme poverty and deprivation,
living amongst the brothels and dance halls of "Black Storyville"
in New Orleans. Insecurity throughout
his life was the result.
1922
Armstrong receives a call from Joe Oliver
in Chicago to play second trumpet.
In 1924 he marries the band's pianist, Lil Hardin, who strengthens
Armstrong's ambition. Armstrong moves to New York to join Fletcher
Henderson's Orchestra. His reputation
as the leading jazz player becomes even more fearsome, as
Armstrong develops his conceptions of swing and melodic invention.
He leaves Henderson in late 1925 and returns to Chicago.
1929-47
Armstrong goes to New York, where he plays and sings in Fats
Waller's show Hot Chocolates. This
marks the point when Armstrong's career in show business takes off,
sometimes at the expense of jazz content. This trend
is reinforced with his appearance in feature films (Pennies From
Heaven in 1936, for instance, and nearly fifty more) and when
Joe Glaser becomes his manager in 1935. By the late 1930s, with
a sponsored radio show and commercially-rooted musical tours with
Luis Russell's Orchestra (replaced in 1940 with a more contemporary
big band), Armstrong's success is nationwide.
1947-71
With the decline of big band economics, a six-piece band called
the All-Stars (with initial stellar line-ups including Earl
Hines and Jack Teagarden, directed by Bobby Hackett) is created
to back Louis. Work and travel ("Ambassador Satch") are
relentless, although he still produces good records and his playing
remains strong. His singing becomes more prominent as illness (a
heart attack in 1959) and old age take their toll. The 1960s is
marked by a succession of hit songs, and his
death in 1971 is mourned the world over.
"Don't
expect me to play like my boy Louis, 'cause when Louis does up,
I does down."
Bunk
Johnson
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1913-15
Armstrong enters the Home for Colored Waifs, eventually playing
cornet in its band, playing popular march and ragtime music of the
day. His musical ear is already developed, having sung in a barbershop
quartet as a child. He finds work amidst Storyville's night-life
after leaving the home.
1918
A tempestuous marriage to Daisy, a prostitute, is short lived. In
1919 Armstrong replaces Joe Oliver
in Kid Ory's band, where he
gains invaluable musical experience and develops his technique.
1925-29
Now playing the trumpet with its more brilliant sound, Armstrong
records for OKeh with his "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven"
groups as soon as he returns to Chicago;
the groups feature, among others, Earl Hines,
Johnny Dodds and Kid Ory. These
recordings change absolutely the jazz environment, and
tracks like Potato Head Blues and West End Blues,
flawless and unparalled, set the new standard: they
not only highlight Armstrong's brilliant playing but also proclaim
the soloist's role in jazz. Cliche gives way to invention
and imagination, drama is complemented by an emotional purport (especially
in the recordings after 1927), and surpise and variety come to the
fore. Scat singing is given its first airing while recording Heebie
Jeebies (Armstrong drops accidentally his lyric sheet), and
Armstrong's skills as an interpretative singer are recognised. By
the end of these classic recordings, Armstrong
streamlines his style and develops his use of time and
dramatic pause; his ostentatious technique is employed in a more
sparse and controlled context, to telling effect.
ARMSTRONG'S IMPORTANCE
Gillespie's dictum, "No him, no me," remains true and Louis
Armstrong is the first rung of the jazz ladder, the mythical
Buddy Bolden notwithstanding. He possessed
a technical brilliance that fuelled a fierce individuality. Individuality
is the cornerstone of jazz creativity, and its early flowering in
Armstrong took the primitve jazz form by the scruff of the neck and
gave it direction. It may come as a surprise to the jazz
newcomer when, having thought that Armstrong was merely the smiling
and genial entertainer who sang What A Wonderful World (what
a wonderful performance!), he or she discovers that Armstrong is the
primus inter pares of jazz.
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