Louis Armstrong

Hello there. My name is Louis Armstrong, but my friends all called me Satchmo. I was born on a hot day, August 4th, 1901, in a wonderful city called New Orleans. In my hometown, music was everywhere, just like sunshine. You could hear it on street corners and coming out of open doorways. From the time I was a very little boy, I knew that I wanted to spend my whole life making music. It felt like the most joyful thing in the world, and I couldn't wait to be a part of it.

My childhood wasn't always easy, and sometimes things were tough. Around the year 1913, when I was still a boy, I got into a bit of trouble. I was sent to live at a special home for boys. But something wonderful happened there that changed my life forever. It was at that home that I was given my very first instrument—a small brass horn called a cornet. Holding it in my hands felt like magic. I had a kind teacher named Peter Davis who showed me how to play. He helped me make my first real music, and I felt so much joy with every note I played. I practiced every chance I got.

I practiced and practiced, and soon I got better and better on my horn. One day, something amazing happened. My hero, a great musician named Joe 'King' Oliver, asked me to come play with his band. I was so excited. In 1922, I packed my bags and moved all the way to the big city of Chicago to join him. Playing in his famous band was a dream come true. A few years later, in the mid-1920s, I started my own bands called the Hot Five and the Hot Seven. Together, we helped create a brand-new kind of music full of energy and fun. People called it jazz.

Playing the trumpet wasn't the only way I made music. I loved to sing, too. My voice wasn't smooth and soft; it was deep and gravelly, like pebbles rolling around. Sometimes, instead of singing words, I would sing fun, nonsense sounds. This is called 'scat' singing, and I helped make it famous around 1926. My music took me all over the world, and people started calling me an 'ambassador of goodwill' because I shared so much happiness. In 1967, I recorded one of my most famous songs, 'What a Wonderful World.' I wanted that song to remind everyone of all the beautiful things in life, like blue skies and red roses.

I lived to be 69 years old, and I filled every one of those years with as much music as I could. My whole life was about sharing the feeling of joy that music gave me. Today, people all around the world still listen to my songs when they want to smile, tap their feet, and dance. I hope that whenever you hear my trumpet or my voice, it reminds you that even when things seem tough, it is still a wonderful world, and a little bit of music can always make everything better.