Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong didn't just play jazz — he essentially invented what jazz solos could be. Born in New Orleans in 1901, he learned cornet at the Colored Waifs Home and became the most influential musician in jazz history.

His recordings with the Hot Five and Hot Seven in the late 1920s are considered among the most important in music history. His trumpet playing combined unprecedented range, tone, and rhythmic freedom.

In 1957, he publicly criticized President Eisenhower's handling of Little Rock desegregation — a rare political stand that cost him bookings but earned lasting respect.