ON THIS DAY – LOUIS ARMSTRONG

On the fourth of July of 1900, there was no sign yet of the little baby boy from New Orleans who would later take jazz into unforeseen directions. Louis Armstrong, who always claimed he was born on Independence Day of 1900, was actually born 13 months later, on August 4, 1901. According to many, Armstrong was the ‘Pops’ of jazz. The gravelly-voiced trumpeter and singer, also nicknamed ‘Satchmo’, was jazz’s first important soloist, and became the most influential jazz musician ever. After a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York’s Town Hall in May 1947, Armstrong's manager Joe Glaser dissolved Armstrong’s big band and established a smaller, six-piece ensemble: the All Stars. In 1964, Armstrong released his biggest-selling record, “Hello, Dolly!”, and reached the top of his popular success. Celebrate Armstrong’s legacy on July 4 at 21:00 on Stingray DJAZZ with his fabled 1964 television appearance from Australia.