What did Louis Armstrong do as a child?
Louis Armstrong grew up in dire poverty in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, he worked odd jobs and sang in a boys’ quartet. In 1913 he was sent to the Colored Waifs Home as a juvenile delinquent. There he learned to play the cornet in a band, and playing music quickly became a passion.
What were some of Louis Armstrong accomplishments?
Louis Armstrong’s achievements are remarkable. During his career, he: Developed a way of playing jazz, as an instrumentalist and a vocalist, which has had an impact on all musicians to follow. Recorded hit songs for five decades, and his music is still heard today on television and radio and in films.
What was Louis Armstrong favorite sport?
New York City, NY (11385) Louis Armstrong sports a Mets cap in his home study-recording studio in 1970. A lifelong baseball fan, Satchmo adopted the Mets after his beloved Dodgers left the city.
What health problems did Louis Armstrong have?
Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. That same year, his longtime manager, Joe Glaser, passed away. Armstrong spent much of that year at home, but managed to continue practicing the trumpet daily. By the summer of 1970, Armstrong was allowed to perform publicly again and play the trumpet.
What happened to Louis Armstrong’s father and mother?
Louis Armstrong’s father worked in a turpentine factory, but his parents fought, and Willie Armstrong left Louis’s mother, Maryann, shortly after she gave birth to a second baby. Maryann suffered poor health after the birth and also needed to work, so Louis and baby Beatrice moved in with their grandmother for the next five years.
How did Louis Armstrong get his first cornet?
An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. On New Year’s Eve 1912, he was arrested and sent to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys.
What happened to Louis Armstrong after 18 months at the Waifs Home?
After 18 months at the Waif’s Home, he was released and sent to live with his father and new wife. The parents both worked, so Louis cooked and cared for his two half-brothers. When the couple’s third baby was born, Willie Armstrong decided it was time for Louis to return to Maryann.
How did Louis Armstrong start his singing career?
He started singing on the streets for money and also began working for a Jewish family, the Karnofskys, who treated young Louis as a family member and appreciated his musical skills. In 1912, he fired his step-father’s gun in the air during the New Year’s Eve celebration for which he was arrested and sent to the ‘Colored Waif’s Home for Boys.’