Patricia McKissack - Louis Armstrong: King of Jazz

BLOW THAT HORN!

WHEN YOUNG LOUIS ARMSTRONG GOT IN TROUBLE, HE WAS SENT TO REFORM SCHOOL. THERE, HIS TEACHER LET HIM PLAY A HORN IN THE SCHOOL BAND. LOUISS LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER! HE PRACTICED HARD AND BECA ME ONE OF THE THE GREATEST JAZZ MUSICIANS EVER. READ ABOUT LOUISS LIFE IN THE FAMOUS AFRICAN AMERICANS SERIES.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Patricia and Fredrick McKissack have written over one hundred books about the African-American experience. They have won countless awardsincluding the Coretta Scott King Awardand received much critical acclaim, all the while bringing enjoyment and information to young readers.

Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter and singer whose music changed the sound of jazz forever.

In 1900, New Orleans, Louisiana, was a busy city. One of the places people liked to go for a good time was Black Storyville.

Black Storyville had lots of bars and dance halls. There were lots of fights. Louis Armstrong was born in Storyville on August 4, 1901.

Louiss family was very poor. His mother, Mayann, did different jobs. Grandmama Josephine took care of Louis until he was five years old.

Then he went to live with his mother and his little sister, who was called Mama Lucy. Their home was a one-room shack. Louiss father was not around very much.

Black Storyville was full of crime. But something very special was happening there. A new kind of music was being played. It was called jazz.

Louis loved the sound of Storyville jazz. It was a part of him. No other music was like jazz. It was special.

Grandmama Josephine took Louis to church almost every Sunday. Louis enjoyed singing the old spirituals. Those old songs were special to him, too.

Louis often skipped school. Instead he sold newspapers on the street. He used the money to help buy food for his family. He dropped out of school when he was eleven.

Youre going to end up in trouble, Grandmama Josephine always warned Louis. And she was right.

As a young boy, Louis enjoyed music. He liked to sing in church with his grandmother.

Louis got into a lot of trouble when he fooled around with a gun. He was sent to reform school for two years.

Louis and three of his friends started a singing group. They sang on street corners for money.

One day Louis found a gun in an old trunk. He waited until New Years Eve. He wanted to greet the New Year with loud gunshots. On the street, a boy fired a small gun. Then Louis shot his gun. His friends laughed and cheered. He pointed the gun into the air and pulled the trigger.

Suddenly a policeman took hold of Louis.

The bullets were not real. No one was really hurt. Louis was just trying to have fun.

But the judge didnt see it that way. Louis broke the law. He was sent to reform school.

Louis was twelve years old. I thought the world was coming to an end, he said later.

Louis was sent to reform school at the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. There he joined the brass band.

Peter Davis taught music at the school. He asked Louis to play the cornet. Louis joined the brass band. By the end of the year, he was leading the band.

Once Louis led the band through Storyville. His family cheered. So did his friends. It was a day Louis never forgot.

Louis stayed in reform school for about two years. Being there saved my life, he said years later.

Louis was sent to live with his father. But before long, he was back with his mother in Black Storyville.

He took a job driving a cart full of coal. With his money, he bought an old horn. He started playing with jazz bands in Storyville bars. He worked all day and played his horn at night.

In 1917 many black jazz musicians went to Chicago and New York to play. One great trumpeter was Joe Oliver. He liked Louis. Louis thought Oliver was the best trumpeter.

When Oliver left for Chicago, Louis was asked to take his seat in the Kid Ory Band. At last Louis got a chance to be heard.

Soon people were coming to Black Storyville just to hear Louis Armstrong.

As a teenager, one of Louiss jobs was playing in a band (third from right) on a riverboat. He also washed dishes on the boat.

In the 1920s, more and more people began listening to jazz. Louis became a very popular musician.

Joe Oliver asked Louis to come play the cornet in Chicago. So he went. There he married Lil Hardin. She played the piano.

Lil wanted Louis to start his own band. But Louis wasnt ready. He played with some of the best bands in New York and Chicago.

In the 1920s, everyone was talking about jazz jazz and more jazz. And the jazz player most people were talking about was Louis Armstrong.

Louis started singing as well as playing trumpet. His voice had a very different sound.

For many years Louis played the cornet. One night he played the trumpet. It was larger than the cornet. He liked its sound. From then on he played the trumpet.

Louis also made records with many different bands. More and more people heard his music. He made them love the sounds of Storyville jazz the same way he did. Its a hot sound, he said. Then he would wipe his face with a big, white handkerchief.

At last Louis started his own band. They went all over the United States playing jazz jazz and more jazz.

Sometimes when Louis played he also sang. His voice sounded like he had a bad cold. But that was his own special sound.

Louis worked very hard to please a crowd. Music makes me happy, he told them. I want to make you happy, too. And he did.