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Top 20 Interesting Facts about Louis Armstrong

Originally published by Ruth in March 2022. Edited by Charity K on May 2023, and Updated by Charity K on January 2024.

Louis Armstrong famously known as the Father of Jazz was one of the greatest musicians this world has ever seen. He was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He recorded several songs throughout his career. Some of his famous songs include, “What a Wonderful World,鈥� 鈥淗ello, Dolly,鈥� 鈥漇tar Dust鈥� and “La Vie En Rose.鈥�

Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in a neighborhood so poor that it was nicknamed “The Battlefield.” Louis had a difficult childhood and was obligated to leave school in the fifth grade to begin working because of his absentee parents. He was taken in by a Lithuanian-Jewish family who hired him to do odd jobs for their peddling business. Louis testified that the family treated him as though he were their child, often giving him food and even loaning him money to buy his first instrument, a trumpet.

Let鈥檚 look at the top 15 Interesting Facts about Louis Armstrong

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1. Louis was arrested by Police When he was eleven

Armstrong spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didn鈥檛 receive any formal musical training until age 11. He was arrested for firing a pistol in the street during a New Year鈥檚 Eve celebration. 

The crime earned him a stint in a detention facility called the Colored Waif鈥檚 Home for Boys, and it was there that Armstrong claimed that he got to develop an intimate relationship with music.

He spent his 18-month sentence learning how to play bugle and cornet from the Waif鈥檚 Home鈥檚 music teacher, Peter Davis and eventually became a star performer in its brass band. 

2. Armstrong spent his adult life celebrating his birthday on the wrong date

Portrait of Jazz musician Louis Armstrong by Herman Hiller –

Armstrong used to say that he had been born on July 4, 1900.  However, he was 13 months off. In 1988, music historian Thaddeus Jones located a baptismal record at New Orleans鈥檚 Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. According to this document, Armstrong鈥檚 actual birth date was August 4, 1901.

While it is not crystal clear why Louis lied about his age, it is believed that he did that to join a military band. He also figured that he would have a better shot at landing performance gigs if he was over 18 years old.

3. As a child, Armstrong鈥檚 wide smile earned him nicknames like 鈥淒ippermouth,鈥� 鈥淕atemouth鈥� and 鈥淪atchelmouth.鈥�

Armstrong’s pleasant smile earned him a lot of nicknames like 鈥淪atchel mouth,鈥� 鈥淒ippermouth,鈥� and 鈥淕atemouth鈥�.

Armstrong liked the nickname 鈥淪atchmo鈥� given to him in the 1930s when a London writer mistakenly contracted the words when he met him. He went ahead to use it for an autobiography and had it engraved on some of his instruments.

4. Armstrong鈥檚 wife helped jumpstart his career

Lucille Wilson and Louis Armstrong by SAS Scandinavian Airlines –

After leaving New Orleans in 1922, Armstrong spent three years playing in jazz ensembles in Chicago and Harlem. He was largely content to be a journeyman musician, but his second wife, a pianist named Lil Hardin, believed he was too talented not to have his band.

In 1925, while Armstrong was performing in New York, Hardin went behind his back and inked a deal with Chicago鈥檚 Dreamland Caf茅 to make him a featured act. She even demanded that he be billed as 鈥淭he World鈥檚 Greatest Trumpet Player.鈥� Armstrong was hesitant at first, but it turned out to be the best move of his career. 

5. While playing before the royal family, Louis Armstrong gave King George V a new nickname

Louis was engaging and dynamic and seemed to see a friend in anyone, no matter their rank. When Armstrong performed for King George V in 1932, he ignored the rule that performers are not supposed to refer to members of the royal family.

Armstrong was requested for a royal performance. The show went well. According to Armstrong, that night鈥檚 biggest moment came right before his group started playing 鈥淵ou Rascal, You.鈥� Without warning or permission, he looked straight up at the monarch and hollered, 鈥淭his one鈥檚 for you, Rex!鈥�

6. Louis鈥� playing style took a heavy toll on his lips

Photo of Louis Armstrong by New York Sunday News –

In his career, Louis had a relentless touring schedule where he was known for hitting high Cs on the trumpet. Armstrong spent much of his career battling severe lip damage. He played with such force that he often split his lip wide open, and he suffered from painful scar tissue. 

Armstrong treated his lip callouses with a special salve or even removed them himself using a razor blade, but as the years passed, he began struggling to hit his signature high notes. Louis was so famously hard on his lips, that a certain type of lip condition is now commonly known as 鈥淪atchmo鈥檚 Syndrome.鈥� 

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7. “What a Wonderful World” didn’t make a hit in the U.S. during Armstrong’s lifetime

The song for which Louis is most widely remembered, 鈥淲hat a Wonderful World,鈥� was rarely his song at all. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would do it justice. He subsequently passed, so the duo contacted Armstrong in August 1967.

The first recording of 鈥淲hat a Wonderful World鈥� was produced by ABC Records, which did not attempt to advertise it domestically. Although the song topped the 1968 charts in Great Britain, American sales were minimal. When Louis passed away on July 6, 1971, 鈥淲hat a Wonderful World鈥� struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an often-requested radio hit.

8. Louis served as a musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department during the Cold War

Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars by Richard Proctor –

During the height of the Cold War in the late 1950s, the U.S. State Department developed a program to send jazz musicians and other entertainers on goodwill tours to improve America鈥檚 image overseas. 

Armstrong was already known as 鈥淎mbassador Satch鈥� for his concerts in many corners of the globe, but in 1960, he became an official cultural diplomat after he took off on a three-month, State Department-sponsored trip across Africa, Europe, and  Asia.

One of the most remarkable signs of Armstrong鈥檚 popularity came during his stopover in the Congo鈥檚 Katanga Province, where the two sides in a secession crisis called a one-day truce so they could watch him play. He would later joke that he had stopped a civil war. 

9. Armstrong鈥檚 鈥淗ello Dolly!鈥� surpassed The Beatles at the top of the pop charts

In late-1963, Armstrong and his All-Stars recorded the title track for an upcoming musical called 鈥淗ello, Dolly!鈥� The trumpeter didn鈥檛 expect much from the tune, but when the show debuted on Broadway the following year, it became a runaway hit. 

By May of the same year, 鈥淗ello Dolly!鈥� had soared to the top of the charts, displacing two songs by The Beatles, who were then at the height of their popularity. At age 62, Armstrong became the oldest musician in American history to have a number-one song.

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10. Armstrong was long silent publicly on race issues, something that angered some of his Black fans

Louis Armstrong was silent again about the issue of racism. He never spoke in public about it until in 1957 he heard the news of the angry segregationists and the Arkansas National Guard tried to prevent nine black students from entering a Little Rock high school.

Armstrong told the media, 鈥淭he way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell!鈥� He also criticized President Dwight D. Eisenhower for not actively intervening in the incident, saying, 鈥淭he president has no guts!鈥�

11. The Appearance of Louis In Film, and Television Series

Louis has been cast in more than a dozen Hollywood films including his most familiar role as the bandleader narrator in the 1956 musical High Society, New Orleans, Hello Dolly!, The Five Pennies, and The Glenn Miller Story.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Louis made television appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. 

12. His Awards and Honors Over The Years

In 1972, Louis was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1928, His composition the West End Blues was listed on the list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

From 1952 to 2007 Louis was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, Long Island Music Hall of Fame, and the Gennett Records Walk of Fame.

13. Louis’ Legacy Through Generations

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In the summer of 2001, New Orleans’ main airport was renamed Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The house where he lived for 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The US Open tennis tournament’s former main stadium was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in honor of Louis who lived a few blocks from the site. The park where Congo Square is locater was renamed Louis Armstrong Park because the square was a common gathering place for African-Americans in New Orleans for dancing and performing music.

14. Louis Armstrong was Honored by a Museum

The Louis Armstrong House Museum presents concerts and educational programs. It operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in archives of writings, recordings, and books which are available to the public for research.

The museum is lined with paintings that Louis got from his tour to Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

15. Louis used Religion and Faith in His Career

He was raised a Baptist and he has been noted on several occasions wearing the Star of David. He wore the star in honor of the Karnoffsky family who took him in as a child. He was baptized a Catholic in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in New Orleans. He met Pope Pius XII and Pope Paul VI.

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16. Louis Armstrong was a Representative of Jazz

Louis was a Jazz musician who was known for embodying the essence of Jazz. Since the start of his career, he personified the core values and innovations that made Jazz vibrant and dynamic. Louis was famous for being a genre-bending innovator who incorporated elements of gospel, blues, and sometimes pop into his music. He loved experimenting with different genres which created a unique sound. Through his love for Jazz, he became a global ambassador for Jazz. He toured the world extensively and broke down racial barriers through his art.

17. His Music was used for Moon Landing

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts took their giant leap for mankind on the moon. Louis Armstrong’s recording of “What a Wonderful World” was part of the music they brought with them. It was a testament to the universal reach of his music.

18. Louis Armstrong had a Strong Influence on Music and Culture

Throughout the years, Louis Armstrong’s influence on musical genres shaped the landscape of art and entertainment. His trumpet changed narratives through spontaneous melodies with personality and emotion in every note. Louis was seen as a vocal magician who added warmth and soul to every song. His global tours chipped away racial walls and paved the way for future generations of Black artists. Through his talent and passion, he became a symbol of optimism and resilience.

19. Louis was Involved in Many Philanthropic Work

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Aside from his musical pursuits, Louis contributed to society with his philanthropic efforts. Louis and his wife Lucille, founded the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation which supports music education programs and provides scholarships to music students. He was also a strong advocate for musicians’ rights and fair compensation. He even participated in union movements for better working conditions for performers.

Louis Armstrong supported various charities and causes throughout his life. He even donated to organizations that were focused on youth development, social justice, and healthcare. He served as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. He used his music and charisma to promote peace and understanding worldwide.

20. He was an Advocate for Racial Equality

Louis Armstrong used his music and public persona to advocate for racial equality. He blended African American musical styles like blues and gospel with jazz in order to showcase the richness and diversity of Black musical heritage. His international yours exposed audiences worldwide to Black American culture and talent.