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Father Born
Willie Armstrong, Louis's Armstrong's dad, was born in the 1870's in New Orleans -
Joe Oliver
Joe Oliver (Aka King Oliver) was born on December 19, 1881. He is later known for being one of the best Cornetist in the New Orleans area. -
Lil Hardin
Lil Hardin was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her parents gave her the advantage of having piano lessons as a first grader and tried to steer her away from the New Orleans type of music and blues. -
Dixieland Uprising
Dixieland was invented as upbeat, rhythmic music. It makes use of several instruments and is known for its breakneck speed. -
Birth Of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong is suspected of being born on July 4th 1900. There is no documented proof found to support when he was born. -
Frequenter
Louis Armstrong frequently visited dance halls, and saloons on Basin Street. Desperate to be hired as a musician. -
King Oliver & Freddie Keppard.
King Oliver replaced Freddie Keppard for Kid Ory's band. -
Summer Pond Day
In the summer of 1912, he and some friends decided to take a swim in a local pond nearby. His friend, Jimmy's, swim trunks fell off they all hurriedly tried to fish them out of the pond. A white man took a shot gun off from a rack by them. While Jimmy frantically tried to get his swim trunks on, the man aimed the shot gun right at him. "We were scared stiff," Louis Armstrong admitted, saying that the white man laughed, as if the boys terror were a big joke. -
New Years Eve
Louis and his quartet were planning to sing on the streets of Storyville. He brought along at .39-caliber pistol, loaded with blanks, with him. The group started singing at Rampart street. A young man on the opposite corner of the street fired a gun in their direction. Louis's friends encouraged him to retaliate. He pulled the trigger and the sound of the gunshot terrified the young man but his group encouraged him to shoot more. Before he could two white cops grabbed him and arrested him. -
Colored Waif's Home Brass Band
After he was arrested he was sent to Colored Waif's Home. He was soon invited to join the brass band, Armstrong always wanted to play the cornet but he started off playing the tambourine. -
Fisk University
Lil Hardin entered Fisk University, a black college in Nashville, Tennessee, known for its music program. She took liberal art courses. -
Released At Last
Louis Armstrong was released from the Colored Waif's House two years after the incident on New Years Eve of 1912 -
King Oliver
Growing his fame fast, King Oliver was wanted everywhere in New Orleans, -
Drop-Out
Lil Hardin dropped out of Frisk and moved out to Chicago, where her mom moved after she separated from her husband. -
World War 1
The United States entered the ongoing World War 1 -
Storyville
Storyville soon went out of businesses. The sanctioned places of prostitution, the related establishments, hotels, restaurants, cabarets, and dance halls. -
Seen In The Eyes Of Fate Marble
Louis's fame brought him into Fate Marbles attention for his cornet skills -
Marriage
In 1919 Louis Armstrong married Daisy Parker -
Trips
In 1920 Louis Armstrong upgraded from staying local and playing around to going on summer long trips out of state and his hometown by other bands -
Leaving Home
Louis was invited by a New York bandleader, Fletcher Henderson, to leave his hometown permanently and stay in New York with him and his band. -
Another Offer
Another offer came by telegram by Joe Oliver who was leading the Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. "I always knew if I'm going to get a little break in this game, it was gonna be through Joe, nobody else," Armstrong said. -
Chicago, Welcome Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong carried two suitcases, one held a few changes of clothes and the other held is Cornet as he boarded a train to Chicago -
Quitting
Louis and his other band-mates realized they were being underpaid by King Oliver and mustered up the courage to ask for a regular pay. When Oliver refused, Lil encouraged Armstrong to quit and he did. -
Black Swan Traubadours
Fletcher Henderson admits he never forgot the kid, and invited him once again to the Black Swan Traubadours. So In July 1924 Louis and Lil Armstrong packed their belongings and moved to New York. -
Second Marrige
Lil Hardin and Louis Armstrong had met in Joe Olivers band and became lovers. Not too long after they both decided to wed on February 5th -
Louis Armstrong and His Hot 5
Armstrong teams up with Johny St. Cyr, Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory and Lil Hardin to form The Hot 5 -
Reshaping Dixieland
Dixieland was developed into a more sophisticated, quiet chaotic type of music that expanded on individual solos. -
5 Blues Recording
Bessie Smith, a national sensation, invited Louis Armstrong to team up with her on 5 blues recordings. This pairing of Smith and Armstrong was perfect, they were both highly talented, and both were prodigious improvisers. -
"Lewis Armstrong"
A black newspaper, The New York Age, published an article that rated the Black Swan Troubadours one of the top 3 bands. But it was not the kind of acknowledgement Armstrong wanted because his name was misspelled as "Lewis Armstrong" -
Falling Out Of The Band
In late 1925 Louis felt dissatisfied with the Black Swans. Part of which was their unreliable bandleader, Henderson, who didn't discipline his players. While some players seemed to be seduced by the success, and some others seemed committed to the music, like Buster Bailey, Coleman Hawkins and Joe Smith. -
Chicago Scene
The Chicago defender, the cities leading black publication, said that "Mr. Armstrong, the famous cornetist, will grace the first chair in the Dreamland Orchestra sometime this week." -
Hit Records
Armstrong's very first hit record was released in 1926. It was called Heebie Jeebies. -
Unique Character
By the late 1920's Louis Armstrong had developed into a unique player and person. A person no ordinary categorizes can describe. He has two people; a jazz explorer and an entertainer. -
West End Blues
Armstrong started learning West End Blues for its rare test for his solos. -
New Member
Earl "Fatha" Hines joins Louis Armstrong's Hot 5 group. -
Small Recordings
Zutty Singleton (Drummer), Mancy Cara (Banjo), Jimmy Strong (Clarinet), Fred Robinson (Trombone), Earl "Fatha" Hines (Piano) & Luis Armstrong when to a recording studio all together to record a small album all together after a late night of playing for clubs. -
Third Marriage?
He finalized his divorce with Lil Hardin and soon after marries the love of his life Lucille Wilson. This is his final marriage and spends the rest of his life with her -
Heart Attack Tour
When he was touring in Europe, Louis Armstrong has a heart attack in Spoleto, Italy. He was briefly hospitalized -
"What A Wonderful World"
Louis Armstrong released one of his greatest hits of all time "What A Wonderful World". It became Great Britans #1 hit, that beat out The Beatles. -
The End Of A Jazz Legend
On July 6th, 1971, Louis Armstrong dies of natural causes while sleeping, in his home in Corona, New York. Thousands of people go to mourn him 3 days later at his funeral.