Louis Armstrong was born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Louis learned to play the cornet. A cornet looks and sounds like a trumpet. But the cornet is shorter than a trumpet.

Louis played in bands in New Orleans. Louis was very good. Louis was asked to join a band in Chicago, Illinois. Louis moved to Chicago. Louis took the town by storm. He became popular.

Louis moved to New York in 1924. He joined a band. It was called Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra. Louis played well. Louis made the band great. It became one of the first jazz bands. Jazz is a kind of music. Jazz is the kind of music that Louis played.

Louis made many records in New York. He worked with many famous musicians. But he wasn’t happy in New York. So he moved back to Chicago.

Louis was much happier in Chicago. He formed his own band. It was called Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. Later, it became Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven. Louis began to sing. Louis sang with his band. He did scat singing. Scat singing is singing sounds. Scat singing is not real words. It sounds like “Scooby doo wap wap.”

Louis became famous. In 1926, he sang the song “Heebie Jeebies.” Americans loved it. That year, Louis started to play the trumpet instead of the cornet.

Louis went to England in 1932. Louis was on tour. Louis performed all over England. Louis got the nickname “Satchmo” while he was there.

Louis and his trumpet became very famous. Louis acted in movies. Louis recorded songs. Louis played all over the world. Louis died in 1971.