Louis Armstrong
Among the greatest jazz icons was trumpet virtuoso Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the heart of jazz music in the United States, Armstrong developed his talent at an early age, listening to ragtime bands and singing on street corners with his friends. He began performing professionally on the cornet in his teenage years and was mentored by another jazz great, Joe "King" Oliver (1885–1938), composer of our Focus Example, "West End Blues." Armstrong earned a reputation playing with riverboat bands and for high-society functions in New Orleans before accepting Oliver's invitation to join his highly successful Creole Jazz Band in Chicago in 1922. Within a few months, Armstrong made a name for himself and soon left Oliver's band in search of greater financial reward. He had a brief stint playing in New York City before returning to Chicago to perform under his own name with his groups Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five and, later, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven, which consisted primarily of musicians he had played with during his early years in New Orleans.