Maddie5

Louis Armsrtong By: Madeline Bouchard

Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was son of William and Mary Albert Armstrong Although his father left the family when Louis was an infant. Louis was actually raised by his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong and at times, his Uncle Isaac. Louis grew up very poor in the "back town" of New Orleans. he attended Fisk School for boys where he was first introduced to Creole music. He dropped out of school at age eleven. He hung out in places young kids shouldn't be where he heard ragtime and later jazz music. He was nicknamed Satchmo and Pops, he was a American jazz trumpeter and a singer. On March 19, 1918, Louis married Daisy Parker from Gretna, Louisiana.

Louis and Daisy adopted a son. this child was actually a cousin. The cousins name was Flora. She died soon after giving birth to Claerence. Clarence Armstrong was mentally challenged (result of a head injury at an early age) and Louis would spend the rest of his life taking care of him.The marriage failed from all the stress.

In the 1920's Louis Armstrong musical talent was becoming noticed. He moved to Chicago and joined a band called Creole Jazz Band. At this time he no longer needed a regualar job to pay his bills. He played in the band with Joe "King" Oliver who was the most infulecial jazz player in Chicago at that time. Armstrong lived well in Chicago he had his first private bathroom ever. He wrote his old friends and told them all how wonderful his life was in Chicago. He also meet his second wife in Chicago, Lil Harden.

Lil wanted Louis to do better and widen his musical skills. She got him to play in church concerts and work on his solo career. She talked him in to wearing nicer clothes and to take pride in himself. She also helped him see that Joe Oliver was holding back money from all the band members including Louis. Louis left Joe Oliver in 1922. Louis got and invitation to New York and they moved.

Louis Armstrong's personality was fun, and funny but when he had a job to do it was not time for games. Louis was a very outspoken man about intergration. The FBI even had a file on Louis from his outspokenness. He was an extremely generous man, who was said to have given away as much money as he kept for himself. Armstrong was also greatly concerned with his health and bodily functions. He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling his weight. Louis even mad a weight control pill called Lose Weight the Satchmo Way.

Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, age 69. Three months after playing his famous show at Waldorf Astoria's Empire Room. Shortly before he died he said "I think I had a beautiful life. I didn't wish for anything that I couldn't get and I got pretty near everything I wanted because I worked for it."