Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Soon after his birth, his father, William Armstrong, left. With his father leaving, Louis’ mother, Maryann, decided it would be best if he went to go live with his grandmother, Josephine. While Armstrong was living with his grandmother, “Maryann gave birth to a daughter, the result of a temporary reconciliation with William.” (Brown, Page 15) Louis’ sister, Beatrice, was two years younger than him.
Louis lived with his grandmother until it was time for him to start school, at the age of five. Armstrong attended Fisk School, though he was “absent as many days as he was in class.” (Brown, Page 16) With his father gone and his mother “disappearing for days at a time” (Brown, Page 16), Louis was left to take care of his sister and himself. He was able to get a job thanks to the Karnofsky family, a Jewish family that
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He spent one night in jail, and was then transferred to live at a reform school, the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys. Little did Louis know, that this would be a blessing in disguise. There he learned to play the cornet. Soon after, he was “appointed leader of the school band, which often paraded and performed in and around the city.” (Anderson, Paragraph 4)
At age sixteen, Armstrong was released from Waif’s Home and “was sent to live with his father.” (Brown, Page 22) However, he quickly went back to living with his mother and sister. During this time, he “obtained his first job as a professional musician.” (Anderson, Paragraph 5) “Armstrong’s reputation as a musician continued to grow,” (Biography.com, Paragraph 7) and he soon was mentored by another local cornet player, King Oliver.
“In the summer of 1922, he received a call from King Oliver to come to Chicago and join his Creole Jazz Band.” (Biography.com, Paragraph 8) Louis accepted the offer, and began playing second cornet for the