Biography Of Louis Satchmo Armstrong

628 Words2 Pages

Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong was born to Mary and William Armstrong on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in poverty, and his father left his family while Armstrong was a baby. After his father left, Armstrong and his younger sister Beatrice were passed back and forth between their grandmother and uncle until they moved back in with their mother when Armstrong was five years old. He went to the Fisk School for Boys until he was eleven and experienced a variety of music and dances during his attendance. At eleven years old, Armstrong quit school at the Fisk School for boys. He sang in a quartet of boys who performed for money in the streets. In 1913, he shot his stepfather’s pistol into the air during a New Year’s Eve party, and he was sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs for one year. Armstrong played the cornet in the Home’s band, and they traveled around New Orleans playing at various places. His teacher, Peter Davis, acted as his mentor at this time, and he made Armstrong the leader of the band. It was then that his musical skills began to develop, and he ...

Open Document