Louis Armstrong

When a very young Louis Armstrong felt the policeman grab his arm and haul him off to jail, he had no idea that his life was about to change. What started out as punishment turned into the best thing that could have happened to the young African American. He discovered that he had a passion for music, and a real talent for the horn. The combination led him to become one of the nation’s most beloved and respected jazz musicians in history. Armstrong’s music thrilled audiences throughout the world and his joy for life infected anyone who listened to his soaring horn or his gravelly voice. Louis Armstrong—Satchmo to those who knew and loved him—made jazz music what it is today. Open the cover and find out how.