HWOF

Louis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an innovative cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music’s focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive raspy voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or wordless vocalizing.

Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and deep, instantly recognizable voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong’s influence extended well beyond jazz, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. It has been said that “Louis Armstrong was probably the greatest musician that ever lived.”

• Birth name: Louis Armstrong
• Born: August 4, 1901 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
• Died: July 6, 1971 (aged 69) Corona, Queens, New York City, U.S.
• Genres: Dixieland, jazz, swing, traditional pop
• Occupations: Musician
• Years active: c. 1914–71
• Associated acts: Joe “King” Oliver, Ella Fitzgerald, Kid Ory, Bobby Hackett

Read more about Louis Armstrong at Wikipedia or at the Internet Movie Database

Ukulele star Tapia dies aged 103
BBC Entertainment, 2011-12-04 09:23:13
Ukulele player Bill Tapia, who performed with the likes of Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley, dies aged 103.

Elvis Costello: Don't buy my box set
USA Today Music, 2011-11-29 16:15:00
The singer is causing a lot of buzz with a blog post on his website in which he tells fans to buy Louis Armstrong instead.

Elvis Costello: Buy Louis Armstrong, not me
MSNBC Entertainment, 2011-11-29 14:57:03
A new box set of Elvis Costello's work is being released, but the price — says Elvis himself — is too high, and he's urging fans to purchase Louis Amstrong's works instead.