Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), known by nicknames such as "Satchmo," "Satch," and "Pops," was an American jazz and blues trumpeter and singer. He was one of the most important people in the history of jazz, and his career lasted for fifty years across many different times in the development of the genre. Armstrong received many awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for "Hello, Dolly!" in 1965, and he won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award after his death in 1972. His influence reached many types of music, and he was honored in the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others.

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. He became famous in the 1920s as a creative trumpet and cornet player, and he helped change jazz from group improvisation to individual performances. Around 1922, Armstrong followed his teacher, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong gained recognition at "cutting contests," and his talent caught the attention of band leader Fletcher Henderson. He later moved to New York City, where he became a popular and influential musician in bands and on recordings. By the 1950s, Armstrong was a well-known international artist, appearing on radio, television, and in films. In addition to his music, he was admired as an entertainer, often making jokes with audiences and keeping a cheerful public image.

Some of Armstrong's most famous songs include "What a Wonderful World," "La Vie en Rose," "Hello, Dolly!," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "When You're Smiling," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." He worked with singer Ella Fitzgerald, creating three records together: Ella and Louis (1956), Ella and Louis Again (1957), and Porgy and Bess (1959). He also appeared in films such as A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932), Cabin in the Sky (1943), High Society (1956), Paris Blues (1961), A Man Called Adam (1966), and Hello, Dolly! (1969).

Armstrong had a deep, rich voice that made him a respected singer and a skilled improviser. He was also known for scat singing, a style where singers use nonsensical sounds and words. By the end of his life, his influence reached many types of music. He was one of the first African-American entertainers to gain wide popularity with both white and international audiences. Armstrong rarely talked about racial issues in public, which sometimes upset other Black Americans, but he supported desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. He was able to reach high levels of society at a time when this was difficult for Black men. His recording of “Melancholy Blues” is part of the Voyager Golden Record, a collection of Earth's sounds and images sent into space.

Early life

Louis Armstrong’s birth date is uncertain. Some believe he was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, but he often claimed to have been born on July 4, 1900. His parents were Mary Estelle “Mayann” Albert and William Armstrong. Mary Albert was from Boutte, Louisiana, and gave birth at home when she was about 16. Less than a year and a half later, she had a daughter, Beatrice “Mama Lucy” Armstrong (1903–1987), whom she raised. William Armstrong left the family shortly after that.

Louis Armstrong was raised by his grandmother until he was five, after which he returned to his mother. He lived in poverty in a rough neighborhood called The Battlefield, on the southern part of Rampart Street. At six years old, he began attending the Fisk School for Boys, a school for Black children in New Orleans during a time when schools were separated by race.

During this time, Armstrong lived with his mother and sister and worked for the Karnoffsky family, a Jewish family from Lithuania. He helped their sons collect trash and deliver coal. In 1969, while recovering from health issues in New York City, Armstrong wrote a memoir titled Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, LA., the Year of 1907. In it, he described singing a “Russian Lullaby” with the Karnoffskys and credited them with teaching him to sing from the heart. However, the lyrics he quoted in the memoir matched a song copyrighted by Irving Berlin in 1927, about 20 years after Armstrong said he learned it as a child. His doctor, Gary Zucker, shared the lyrics with him, and Armstrong included them in the memoir. This mistake may have happened because he wrote the memoir over 60 years after the events. The Karnoffskys treated Armstrong kindly, providing him with food and care, especially since he had no father.

In his memoir, Armstrong wrote about learning from the Karnoffskys about living with determination and facing discrimination. He described how white people in New Orleans treated Jewish families unfairly. He also wrote that the Karnoffskys taught him how to live with purpose. His first musical performance may have been near the Karnoffskys’ junk wagon, where he played a tin horn to attract customers. Morris Karnoffsky helped Armstrong buy a cornet from a pawn shop. Later in life, Armstrong wore a Star of David given to him by his Jewish manager, Joe Glaser, as a tribute to the Karnoffskys.

When Armstrong was 11, he left school. His mother moved into a small house on Perdido Street with Armstrong, his sister Lucy, and Lucy’s common-law husband, Tom Lee. Armstrong joined a group of boys who sang for money on the streets. Cornetist Bunk Johnson taught him to play by ear at a music hall called Dago Tony’s honky tonk. In his later years, Armstrong credited King Oliver for his musical training. He once said, “Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans… It has given me something to live for.”

At age 12, Armstrong borrowed his stepfather’s gun without permission, fired a blank into the air, and was arrested on December 31, 1912. He spent the night at New Orleans Juvenile Court and was sent to the Colored Waif’s Home, a strict institution where life was very basic. Mattresses were not provided, and meals often consisted of only bread and molasses. The home was run like a military camp, and children were punished physically.

Armstrong improved his cornet skills by playing in the home’s band. Peter Davis, a musician who visited the home, became Armstrong’s first teacher and chose him as the bandleader. At 13, Armstrong caught the attention of Kid Ory, a famous musician.

On June 14, 1914, Armstrong was released to live with his father and his new stepmother, Gertrude. He lived with his father and two stepbrothers for several months. After Gertrude had a baby, Armstrong’s father no longer welcomed him, so Armstrong returned to his mother, Mary Albert. He shared a small bed with his mother and sister in their home on The Battlefield. His mother still lived in that neighborhood, which made it hard for Armstrong to avoid old temptations, but he tried to find work as a musician.

Armstrong found a job at a dance hall owned by Henry Ponce, who had connections to organized crime. He met Black Benny, a six-foot-tall drummer who became Armstrong’s guide and protector. Around age 15, Armstrong worked as a pimp for a prostitute named Nootsy, but their relationship ended when she stabbed him in the shoulder. His mother nearly choked Nootsy to death.

Armstrong briefly studied shipping management at a local community college but had to leave because he could not afford the fees. While selling coal in Storyville, he heard spasm bands—groups that used household objects to make music. He also listened to early jazz played in brothels and dance halls, such as Pete Lala’s, where King Oliver performed.

Career

Louis Armstrong began his career playing in brass bands and on riverboats in New Orleans during the late 1910s. He traveled with the band of Fate Marable, which performed on the steamboat Sidney as part of the Streckfus Steamers line along the Mississippi River. Marable valued Armstrong's musical skills and required him and other musicians to learn sight reading. Armstrong called this time with Marable "going to the University" because it gave him more experience with written music. In 1918, Armstrong's mentor, King Oliver, left Kid Ory's band to move north, and Armstrong took Oliver's place. Armstrong also became the second trumpet in the Tuxedo Brass Band.

During his time on riverboats, Armstrong's musical abilities grew. By age 20, he could read music. He became one of the first jazz musicians to perform long trumpet solos, showing his unique style. He also began singing in his performances.

In 1922, Armstrong moved to Chicago at King Oliver's invitation, though he returned to New Orleans often later in life. Playing second cornet in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band at the Lincoln Gardens, Armstrong earned enough money to quit his day job. Chicago offered opportunities for Black musicians, including factory work and jobs in entertainment.

Oliver's band was one of the most important jazz bands in Chicago during the early 1920s. Armstrong lived comfortably in an apartment with a private bathroom and wrote letters to friends in New Orleans. He could play 200 high Cs in a row. As his fame grew, other musicians challenged him to cutting contests.

Armstrong's first studio recordings were made with Oliver for Gennett Records in April 1923. The band traveled to Richmond, Indiana, where they recorded in a small, poorly equipped studio. The recordings were acoustic, meaning the band played directly into a funnel connected to the recording needle. Better recording technology was not available until 1926. Because Armstrong's playing was so loud, he had to stand 15 feet away from Oliver to be heard.

In 1924, Lil Hardin, who later married Armstrong, encouraged him to gain more recognition and develop his own style. She suggested he play classical music in church concerts and dress more neatly. Her advice eventually caused tension between Armstrong and Oliver, especially over pay issues. Armstrong's mother, Mayann Albert, visited him in Chicago in 1923 after hearing he was struggling. Hardin helped her find an apartment to stay in.

Armstrong and Oliver parted ways amicably in 1924. Soon after, Armstrong joined the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York City, the top African-American band at the time. He switched to the trumpet to fit in with his section. His influence on Henderson's saxophonist, Coleman Hawkins, can be heard in the band's recordings from this period.

Armstrong adapted to Henderson's strict style, playing the trumpet and experimenting with the trombone. His emotional playing style affected the other musicians. His performances included singing and storytelling about New Orleans characters, especially preachers. The Henderson Orchestra played at venues like the Roseland Ballroom, which only allowed white patrons. Duke Ellington's orchestra visited to hear Armstrong perform.

During this time, Armstrong recorded with Clarence Williams, the Williams Blue Five, Sidney Bechet, and blues singers Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith.

In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago after feeling disillusioned with New York. Hardin arranged a recording session with Okeh Records and a gig at the Dreamland Cafe. She promoted Armstrong as "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player," which he disliked. For a time, Armstrong worked for his wife in her band and formed Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. The group recorded hits like "Potato Head Blues" and "Muggles," a slang term for a drug Armstrong used.

The Hot Five included Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lil Armstrong (piano), and no drummer. Over 12 months starting in November 1925, the group recorded 24 songs. Armstrong's leadership style was relaxed, as St. Cyr noted: "One felt so relaxed working with him… always did his best to feature each individual."

The Hot Five and Seven recordings included "Cornet Chop Suey," "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," "Hotter Than That," and "Potato Head Blues," all featuring Armstrong's creative solos. According to Thomas Brothers, recordings like "Struttin' with Some Barbeque" were so well planned that they may have been performed at the Sunset Café. Later recordings with pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines, such as the 1928 "Weather Bird" duet and Armstrong's solo in "West End Blues," became major influences in jazz history. Young trumpet players across the country studied his solos.

Armstrong now had freedom to develop his style, which included lively jive songs like "Whip That Thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr. Johnny Dodds, Aw, Do That Clarinet, Boy!"

He also played with Erskine Tate's Little Symphony, providing music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical pieces like "Madame Butterfly." This experience helped Armstrong grow as a performer and introduced him to scat singing, which he first recorded on the Hot Five's 1926 "Heebie Jeebies." The recording became extremely popular, making the group the most famous jazz band in the United States despite rarely performing live.

After separating from Lil, Armstrong played at the Sunset Café for Al Capone's associate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, later renamed Louis Armstrong and His Stompers. Earl Hines was the music director, and Glaser managed the orchestra. Hines and Armstrong became close friends and successful collaborators. At the Sunset Café, Armstrong accompanied singer Adelaide Hall, who developed her scat singing with his help.

In early 1927, Armstrong formed his Hot Seven group, adding drummer Al "Baby" Dodds and tuba player Pete Briggs.

Personal life

The Louis Armstrong House Museum website states:

In a memoir written for Robert Goffin between 1943 and 1944, Armstrong wrote, "All white folks call me Louie," which suggests he may not have used nicknames like "Pops" when white people addressed him. However, he was listed as "Lewie" in the 1920 U.S. census. On some live recordings, such as the 1952 performance "Can Anyone Explain?" from the album In Scandinavia vol. 1, he was called "Louie" on stage. In his 1952 studio recording of "Chloe," a choir in the background sings "Louie… Louie," and Armstrong responds, "What was that? Somebody called my name?" "Lewie" is the French way to say "Louis" and was commonly used in Louisiana.

Armstrong met Daisy Parker, a local woman, while performing at the Brick House in Gretna, Louisiana. They began a relationship. Armstrong returned to Gretna several times to visit her and eventually found out she had a common-law husband. Later, Parker traveled to Armstrong’s home on Perdido Street, and they stayed at Kid Green’s hotel that evening. The next day, March 19, 1919, Armstrong and Parker married at City Hall. They adopted a three-year-old boy named Clarence, whose mother, Armstrong’s cousin Flora, had died shortly after giving birth. Clarence had a mental disability caused by a head injury as a child. Armstrong cared for him for the rest of his life. Their marriage ended in 1923.

On February 4, 1924, Armstrong married Lil Hardin Armstrong, who was King Oliver’s pianist. She had divorced her first husband a few years earlier. Armstrong’s second wife helped him grow his career, but they separated in 1931 and divorced in 1938. Armstrong then married Alpha Smith. Their relationship began during the 1920s when he was playing at the Vendome and lasted until 1942, when they divorced.

In October 1942, Armstrong married Lucille Wilson, a singer at the Cotton Club in New York. They remained married until Armstrong’s death in 1971.

Armstrong’s marriages did not produce any children. However, in December 2012, Sharon Preston-Folta, who was 57 years old, claimed to be Armstrong’s daughter from an affair in the 1950s with Lucille "Sweets" Preston, a dancer at the Cotton Club. In a 1955 letter to his manager, Joe Glaser, Armstrong said he believed Preston’s newborn baby was his daughter and ordered Glaser to pay $400 monthly to support the child and mother (equivalent to $6,009 in 2025 dollars).

Armstrong was known for his lively personality and charm. His autobiography confused some historians because he often told stories, especially about his early life, and these stories were not always consistent.

In addition to being a performer, Armstrong was a well-known public figure. He was beloved by many Americans, even though black performers rarely had access to private lives outside of their public roles. Armstrong lived a private life with more freedom than most black Americans during his time.

Armstrong generally stayed neutral in politics, which sometimes upset other black Americans who expected him to speak out more about civil rights. However, he criticized President Eisenhower for not taking strong action on civil rights issues.

Playing the trumpet can be hard on the lips, and Armstrong had lip damage throughout much of his life. This was caused by his intense playing style and his use of narrow mouthpieces, which pressed into his lips. During his 1930s European tour, Armstrong had a severe ulceration that forced him to stop playing for a year. Later, he used salves and creams on his lips and even cut scar tissue with a razor blade. By the 1950s, Armstrong became an official spokesperson for Ansatz-Creme Lip Salve.

In 1959, Armstrong met trombonist Marshall Brown backstage and was told to see a doctor for his lips instead of using home remedies. However, he delayed this until his later years, when his health was already poor, and doctors considered surgery too risky.

In 1959, Armstrong was hospitalized in Italy for pneumonia. Doctors were worried about his lungs and heart, but he recovered by June.

The nicknames "Satchmo" and "Satch" come from "Satchelmouth." The origin of the nickname is unclear. One story says that as a young boy in New Orleans, Armstrong put coins in his mouth to keep them safe from bigger children, leading someone to call him "satchel mouth." Another story says he was nicknamed for his large mouth.

Early in his career, Armstrong was also called "Dipper," short for "Dippermouth," a name linked to the song "Dippermouth Blues" and his unique way of playing the trumpet.

The nickname "Pops" came from Armstrong’s habit of forgetting people’s names and calling them "Pops" instead. The nickname was later used as the title of a 2010 biography about Armstrong by Terry Teachout.

After a competition at the Savoy, Armstrong was given the nickname "King Menelik," after the Emperor of Ethiopia, for defeating "ofay jazz demons."

Armstrong celebrated his identity as a Black man from a poor neighborhood in New Orleans and avoided appearing overly formal. Some younger Black musicians criticized him for performing in front of segregated audiences and for not taking a stronger stand in the civil rights movement. When he did speak out, it made national news. In 1957, after the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, Armstrong criticized Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, calling the president "two-faced" and saying he had "no guts." He also said he would cancel a planned tour of the Soviet Union for the U.S. government, stating, "The way they’re treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell." The FBI kept a file on Armstrong for his comments. Some, like Jackie Robinson and Lena Horne, supported him, while others, like a Mississippi radio station, banned his music. Armstrong’s road manager, Pierre Tallerie, tried to downplay his remarks, but Armstrong strongly disagreed and insisted on speaking for himself.

When asked about his religion, Armstrong said he was raised a Baptist, always wore a Star of David, and was friends with the pope. He wore the Star of David in honor of the Karnoffsky family, who helped him as a child by giving him money to buy his first

Music

Louis Armstrong was known for his skill with the cornet and trumpet. His cornet solos included melodies that sounded like a clarinet and high notes. He also played with a strong, rhythmic style called "swing," which involved playing on the beats and using patterns that worked together. His most famous trumpet recordings were from the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions, as well as those by the Red Onion Jazz Babies. Armstrong’s improvisations were complex for his time but also smooth and musical. His solo on "Potato Head Blues" is often considered his best from that series.

Before Armstrong, jazz groups mostly changed the melodies of songs during solos. Armstrong was the first to create new music based on the chord harmonies of songs instead of just the melodies. This change made jazz a music focused on individual creativity.

Armstrong often changed pop songs to make them more interesting for jazz listeners. He also wrote many original melodies and used different rhythms. His trumpet technique, developed through practice, allowed him to play with a wider range and better sound. Armstrong helped create the role of the jazz soloist, turning jazz from a group music into a form where individual expression was important.

Armstrong used his recordings to improve his playing. He collected many recordings, including reel-to-reel tapes, and listened to them at home. He would sometimes practice with his older recordings or the radio.

As Armstrong’s music became more popular, his singing also became important. He was not the first to sing scat, but he was very skilled at it. His first scat recording, "Heebie Jeebies," became a hit. The story about him singing nonsense syllables when the sheet music fell is true, according to Armstrong himself. He also sang "I done forgot the words" during a recording of "I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas."

Scat singing became a major part of his performances. Earlier, Armstrong experimented with his voice, changing the length of phrases and adding improvisations. He once said his scat style came from an Orthodox Jewish style of chanting.

Armstrong wrote over 50 songs, some of which are now jazz standards, like "Gully Low Blues" and "Swing That Music."

He performed with many famous musicians, including Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald. Crosby was influenced by Armstrong, as seen in his early recordings. Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald recorded two albums together, "Ella and Louis" and "Ella and Louis Again," with the Oscar Peterson Trio.

His albums for Columbia Records, "Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy" and "Satch Plays Fats," were considered masterpieces. In 1961, he recorded with Duke Ellington on "The Great Summit" and "The Great Reunion." He also performed in "The Real Ambassadors," a musical by Dave Brubeck.

In 1964, Armstrong’s recording of "Hello, Dolly!" reached number one on the charts, knocking The Beatles off the top. The album sold well and won a Grammy for best male pop vocal performance.

Armstrong had 19 "Top Ten" records, including "Stardust" and "What a Wonderful World." "We Have All the Time in the World" was featured in a James Bond film and later in a Guinness ad. In 1968, he performed in Italy and had a hit in the UK with "What a Wonderful World."

Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, including blues, classical music, and Latin songs. He blended these influences into his performances. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his early influence on music. Some of his 1950s solos, like his version of "St. Louis Blues," show how he influenced other musicians as well.

Film, television, and radio

Louis Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, often playing a bandleader or musician. His most well-known role was as the bandleader and narrator in the 1956 musical High Society, which featured Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm. Armstrong appeared in the film throughout, sang the title song, and performed a duet called "Now You Has Jazz" with Crosby. In 1947, Armstrong played himself in the movie New Orleans, which showed the end of the Storyville district and the movement of musicians from New Orleans to Chicago. In the 1959 film The Five Pennies, Armstrong played himself, sang, and performed several classic songs. He also performed a duet of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with Danny Kaye, during which Kaye imitated Armstrong. Armstrong appeared in the film The Glenn Miller Story alongside James Stewart.

In 1937, Armstrong became the first African American to host a nationally broadcast radio show. In 1969, he had a short role in Gene Kelly’s film version of Hello, Dolly!, where he sang the title song with actress Barbra Streisand. Armstrong’s solo recording of "Hello, Dolly!" is one of his most famous performances. He was heard on radio programs such as The Story of Swing (1937) and This Is Jazz (1947). He also appeared on television, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, including on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

In 1949, Armstrong’s life was dramatized in the Chicago WMAQ radio series Destination Freedom by scriptwriter Richard Durham.

Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, who said he admired Armstrong, claimed that a 1952 Louis Armstrong concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris inspired him to create fictional creatures called Cronopios, which appear in many of Cortázar’s short stories. Cortázar once called Armstrong himself "Grandísimo Cronopio" (The Great Cronopio).

There is a key scene in the 1980 film Stardust Memories where Woody Allen is deeply moved by a recording of Armstrong’s song "Stardust" and has a moment of strong emotional realization.

In 2022, a documentary film titled Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues was made about Armstrong.

Death

In March 1971, Louis Armstrong performed for two weeks at the Waldorf-Astoria's Empire Room, even though his doctor had advised him not to. After the engagement, he was hospitalized due to a heart attack. He was released from the hospital in May and soon began practicing his trumpet again. Despite his health issues, Armstrong hoped to return to performing. However, he passed away from a heart attack on July 6, 1971, while sleeping in his home in Corona, Queens, New York City.

Louis Armstrong was buried in Flushing Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, New York City. His honorary pallbearers included Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Benny Goodman, Alan King, Johnny Carson, and David Frost. Peggy Lee sang "The Lord's Prayer" during the funeral, while Al Hibbler performed "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." Fred Robbins, a close friend, delivered the eulogy.

Awards and honors

Louis Armstrong received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972 after he died. This award is given by the Recording Academy's National Trustees to musicians who made important artistic contributions to music during their lifetimes.

Recordings of Louis Armstrong were added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973. This special award honors recordings that are at least 25 years old and have important historical or artistic value.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included Armstrong's song "West End Blues" in a list of 500 songs that influenced the development of rock and roll.

In 1995, the U.S. Post Office released a 32-cent stamp featuring an image of Louis Armstrong to celebrate his life and work.

In 1999, Louis Armstrong was considered for the American Film Institute's list of 100 Years … 100 Stars, which recognizes famous actors and performers in film.

Legacy

In 1950, Bing Crosby, the most successful singer of the first half of the 20th century, said, "He is the beginning and the end of music in America." In 1971, Duke Ellington, a writer for DownBeat magazine, stated, "If anyone was a master, it was Louis Armstrong. He was and will continue to be the symbol of jazz." Although Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters and others performed scat singing on record before Armstrong in the 1920s, according to Gary Giddins and others.

Harold Bloom, a literary critic, said, "The two great American contributions to the world's art are Walt Whitman and, after him, Armstrong and jazz. If I had to choose between the two, I would say the genius of this nation at its best is Walt Whitman and Louis Armstrong."

In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Armstrong at No. 39 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

In 1991, an asteroid was named 9179 Satchmo in honor of Armstrong. In 2001, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth, New Orleans's main airport was renamed Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The entrance to the airport's former terminal building has a statue of Armstrong playing his cornet. In 2002, the Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925–1928) were added to the United States National Recording Registry, a collection of recordings chosen yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation at the Library of Congress. The former main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in his honor, as he had lived near the site.

Congo Square was a place where Black people in New Orleans gathered to dance and perform music. The park where Congo Square was located was later renamed Louis Armstrong Park. The park, dedicated in April 1980, includes a 12-foot (3.7 m) statue of Armstrong holding a trumpet.

A Wonderful World, a musical based on Armstrong's life, had its first performance at Miami New Drama from December 4, 2021, to January 16, 2021. The musical had previews starting March 5, 2020, but its opening night on March 14, 2020, was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. The show will later perform in New Orleans (October 1–8, 2023) and Chicago (October 11–29, 2023) before its Broadway debut in 2024. The musical tells Armstrong's story from the perspective of his four wives. It was created by Christopher Renshaw, a Drama Desk Award winner and Tony Award nominee, and novelist Andrew Delaplaine. Aurin Squire wrote the original story for the musical.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum

The house where Louis Armstrong lived for nearly 28 years was designated a National Historic Landmark and opened to the public for guided tours in 2003. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, located at 34–56 107th Street between 34th and 37th Avenues in Corona, Queens, offers concerts, educational programs, and serves as a historic house museum. It allows the public to access its archives, which include writings, books, recordings, and memorabilia, for research. The museum is managed by Queens College, City University of New York, following instructions in Lucille Armstrong’s will, and is operated by the nonprofit Louis Armstrong House Museum. It officially opened to the public on October 15, 2003. A new visitors center was opened across the street from the Armstrong home in the summer of 2023. The museum’s website provides access to digitized archives, which are available for public search 24 hours a day.

Essential discography

• The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings
• The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935–1946) (Mosaic Records, 2009)
• All Stars (Louis Armstrong's Town Hall Concert) (1947)
• Struttin' (1947)
• Satchmo Serenades (1950)
• Satchmo at Pasadena (1951)
• Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1955)
• Louis Armstrong at the Crescendo, Vol. 1 (1955)
• Satch Plays Fats (1955)
• The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve – contains Ella and Louis, Ella and Louis Again, Porgy and Bess (1997)
• Louis and the Angels (1957)
• Louis and the Good Book (1958)
• Satchmo In Style (1959)
• Hello, Dolly! (1964)

Further readings

• Brothers, Thomas (2006). Louis Armstrong's New Orleans. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, New York, N.Y.
• Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, New York.
• Feather, Leonard (1960). The Jazz Encyclopedia. Published by Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-80214-7.
• Giddins, Gary (1988). Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong. Published by Da Capo Press.
• Gioia, Ted (2022). The History of Jazz (Third Edition). Published by Oxford University Press.
• Jones, Max, and Chilton, John (1988). Louis: The Louis Armstrong Story, 1900–1971. Published by Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306803246.
• Riccardi, Ricky (2012). What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. Published by Vintage, New York. ISBN 9780307473295. OCLC 798285020.
• Riccardi, Ricky (2020). Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong. Published by Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 9780190914110. OCLC 1137836373.
• Riccardi, Ricky (2025). Stomp off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong. Published by Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 9780197614488. OCLC 1427941152.
• Storb, Ilse (1999). Louis Armstrong: The Definitive Biography. ISBN 0820431036.
• Willems, Jos (2006). All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong. Published by Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810857308.