Louis Armstrong: An Influential Man In Music

Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo or Pops, was a very influential man in music. He was born on August 4th, 1901, and rose to prominence as an African American musician during the 1920's, when several African Americans were making serious advances in music. He was very influential in changing jazz from a collective of players to solo performances. He was a very talented trumpet player and singer, and is still relevant in music today. I know people my age who still listen to him. He was a major success and has several songs that are still popular today. On July 6th 1971, he died in his sleep due to a heart attack a month before his 70th birthday. His talent and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to upper class events and

At fourteen he was released from the home to live with his father and new step-mother, Gertrude. Then he moved back in with his mother. He got his first dance hall job at Henry Ponce's where Black Benny became his protector and guide. He hauled coal during the day and played his cornet at night. He was very close to Joe "King" Oliver, who was one of his many mentors throughout his early career. His old friend Clarence Williams arranged studio time for him to record songs. The Great Depression was hard on the jazz scene, so in 1930, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles to find new opportunities. In Los Angeles, he played drums at the New Cotton Club. In 1931, he acted in his first movie, Ex-Flame. Also in 1931 he was convicted of marijuana possession. He moved back to Chicago in late 1931, where the local mob told him to leave town. His manager Johnny Collins was a very erratic man and contract breaches were becoming a very serious problem for Armstrong, so he hired a new manager with mob connections named Joe Glaser, who basically solved all of Armstrong's troubles at the