The work of trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong both summed up the achievements of New Orleans style jazz and pointed the way to the later evolution of the music as a solo-oriented art form. His historical importance was matched by his popular appeal – a rare combination in the jazz art form, which is often suspicious of commercial success – and his career is bookmarked by the great "West End Blues" of 1928, at one end, which changed the course of jazz with its flamboyance and virtuosity, and (at the other end), by his hit records “Hello Dolly” and “What a Wonderful World,” which charmed a mass audience with their charisma and emotional directness. Critic Leslie Gourse entitled her book on jazz singers Louis’ Children, but the term could just as easily be applied to all later jazz musicians, who bask in legacy and often work in the shadow of this towering figure from the art form’s earliest days.

Armstrong was excited by the playing of cornetist Buddy Bolden, a quasi-legendary figure who never recorded but is often credited as the first musician to perform New Orleans style jazz. The youngster also admired and learned from Bunk Johnson, Kid Ory, Buddy Petit and especially the great Joe ‘King’ Oliver. When Oliver left New Orleans in 1919 to try his luck up north, Armstrong took his place in Kid Ory’s ensemble. Armstrong also played on the riverboats, and served as second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band.

Armstrong died on July 6, 1971 at age 69, the victim of a heart attack. His funeral was an all-star event in its own right, and those in attendance included Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan and Harry James. Armstrong’s last house is now a museum and historic landmark. Armstrong’s music and larger-than-life presence will no doubt still be remembered and honored at that late date.