WKCR is very excited to celebrate––for the second time this year––the birthday of cornet, trumpet, and vocal jazz legend Louis Armstrong. A much beloved figure, Armstrong is equally well known by his nicknames “Satchmo,” “Satch,” and “Pops.”
Why do we celebrate Armstrong with two 24-hour birthday broadcasts every year? Well, Pops wrote in his autobiography, Swing That Music, that he was born on July 4, 1900––but historians believe he was actually born on August 4, 1901.
Louis grew up in New Orleans, in a rough neighborhood called “The Battlefield.” As a child, he worked to earn enough money to buy a cornet. In 1912, Louis was arrested and sent to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys, where he received musical instruction on the cornet, led the Waif’s Home Brass Band, and decided to become a professional musician.
Young Satchmo’s talent was soon recognized by cornetist and bandleader Joe “King” Oliver, who became Armstrong’s mentor. In 1918, Armstrong replaced Oliver in Kid Ory’s band––the most popular band in New Orleans. He spent the summer playing on Mississippi Riverboats, where he refined his technique, learned to read music, and met other jazz legends like Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden.
In 1922, Louis joined King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. He made his first recordings with Oliver in April 1923. In King Oliver’s band, he also met his future wife––the band’s pianist, Lillian Hardin. Hardin encouraged Satchmo to leave King Oliver’s band and make his own records––which he did in 1925, after a short stint with Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra.
From 1925 to 1928, Satchmo made some of the most influential recordings in jazz for OKEh records. He recorded with His Hot Five: Lil Hardin Armstrong (p), Kid Ory (tbn), Johnny Dodds (cl), and Johnny St. Cyr (g, bjo). The group expanded into Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven: Baby Dodds and Pete Briggs were added on drums and tuba, respectively, and Kid Ory was replaced with John Thomas on trombone (Ory was touring with King Oliver). Armstrong sang and scat on these records, like “Heebie Jeebies” (1926). At the same time, Armstrong performed live every night with Erskine Tate’s orchestra––where he switched from cornet to trumpet.
Louis Armstrong’s All Stars, featuring the likes of Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Sid Catlett, and Trummy Young, were formed in 1947. This group kicked off one of Satchmo’s most successful periods, with hits like “La Vie en Rose” (1950), “Hello, Dolly” (1964––which topped the pop charts during Beatlemania) and “What A Wonderful World” (1967, his biggest seller).
Armstrong was not only a musical genius. He was a true showman: he became the first Black American to star in a Hollywood movie, Pennies from Heaven, in 1936. “Ambassador Satch” was also a cultural icon––known worldwide as the face of jazz.
Listeners can tune in to the 24-hour Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast on 89.9FM or stream the birthday broadcast live on our website, wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates about this special broadcast and future events. As always, online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream.
