Louis Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo" (short for satchelmouth), was possibly the most influential jazz musician of the 1920's. Born and raised in the New Orleans battleground neighborhood he learned to play cornet during a stay at "The Colored Waif's Home for Boys" where he was soon hired to play for parades and picnics. He replaced King Oliver in Kid Ory's New Orleans band in 1919, and went to work on riverboats. He joined Oliver in Chicago in 1922, and they began recording in 1923. After playing with King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, and Bessie Smith he formed the Hot Five, who recorded from 1926 to 1928. The Hot Five included pianist Earl Hines. (b 7/4/circa 1900, New Orleans, d. 7/6/71 Corona, NY)

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Louis Armstrong appeared on the cover of Time on February 21, 1949. He will appear on a United States Postal Service stamp for release in 1995.

TheWolverine Antique Music Society specializes in vintage recordings, especially the 78 rpm variety. They have a page about Louis Armstrong and cover art of a 78 he released with the Hot Five. They also have a personal anecdote he wrote about life on the road in the 1930s, and published shortly before his death.

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