What bad things did Louis Armstrong do?

What bad things did Louis Armstrong do?

Armstrong famously criticized President Dwight D. Eisenhower over segregation. Armstrong’s hesitancy to speak out against racism was a frequent bone of contention with his fellow black entertainers, some of whom branded him an “Uncle Tom.” In 1957, however, he famously let loose over segregation.

Was Louis Armstrong a happy man?

Armstrong sounded happy—like he knew something the rest of us didn’t. He was hip to some delightful, mysterious fact. That aura of happiness has amazed and confounded Armstrong fans for more than a hundred years.

What did Louis Armstrong like to do?

Bugle-playing was his first exposure to playing a brass instrument. Shortly thereafter, Davis placed him on cornet in the band. With this, Louis found his passion. (Armstrong eventually moved on the trumpet, but the cornet was more common for honky tonk jazz bands at that time.)

Why did Louis Armstrong dropout of school?

Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. He was raised by his mother Mayann in a neighborhood so dangerous it was called “The Battlefield.” He only had a fifth-grade education, dropping out of school early to go to work.

Did Louis Armstrong smoke a lot?

By the early ’30s, Armstrong had separated from his second wife, Lil, and was smoking as much as ever, despite two brushes with the law. He recounted the busts shortly before he died to Max Jones and John Chilton, authors of The Louis Armstrong Story: 1900-1971.

What Horn did Louis Armstrong play?

Armstrong had been playing an earlier version of a Selmer trumpet since 1932. Even though he believed you could play a trumpet for a long time, he had the habit of playing his trumpets for approximately five years before he passed it on as a gift to a friend or colleague.

Why did Louis Armstrong always hold a handkerchief?

Apparently he used to abuse his chops so much that he’d get calluses on them. To continue playing though, he would cut them off with a razor blade and the handkerchief was to wipe the blood as he played.

Why did Louis Armstrong sound like that?

According to the biography Pops by Terry Teachout, Armstrong’s voice first became gravelly due to a prolonged cold playing jazz on a steamboat ca 1921. In 1936 and 1937, he had surgeries to try to repair his vocal cords, which had the opposite effect.