Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the “first real genius of jazz”(Shipton 26). He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est “Mayann” Albert. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play …show more content…

At the same time, he played at the Vendome Theater during silent movies under the direction of Erskine Tate. It was there that Armstrong made the switch to trumpet(“Louis Daniel Armstrong”). During this time Armstrong made many recordings with other musicians and over sixty recordings with bands of his own. The other musicians and bands he collaborated with to make these recordings included Johnny Dodds, Lil’ Hot Shots, Erskine Tate, and Carroll Dickerson. His own recordings were made with his bands the Hot Five and Hot Seven. He enjoyed these recordings because it gave him the chance to show his independence and talents. He was also able to incorporate singing, he first musical love, into his music in a style called “scat singing.” These recordings invented a completely new style in jazz(“Louis Daniel Armstrong”). As he was finishing up his recordings, jazz was on the decline in Chicago forcing Armstrong to move back to New York. Tommy Rodewell offered him a job, but this did not end up working. Though, he did not have any trouble finding a job, and was given a part in Connie Immerman’s band, the Hot Chocolates, and at the same time worked in a Savoy Ballroom. It was at this time that he began fronting big bands, and he came to the realization that he just enjoyed playing in rather than leading bands. Then, in 1930, he was given the opportunity to move to California to