Louis Armstrong

Performed by Marvin Jefferson

Louis Armstrong, one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century, transformed American music with his groundbreaking trumpet playing and singing. Born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong grew up in extreme poverty in a neighborhood known as "The Battlefield." Despite his challenging upbringing with a father he rarely spoke of and a mother who worked tirelessly to support her family, Armstrong cherished the life lessons of resilience and respect he learned from her. His early life was shaped not only by his family but also by the Karnofsky family, Jewish employers who treated him like one of their own, helped him buy his first cornet, and exposed him to the broader realities of prejudice. These experiences, combined with the rich cultural mosaic of New Orleans, forged an artist whose legacy would span the globe.

Join Armstrong as he recounts his humble beginnings to becoming a self-made man adored worldwide.