What a wonderful world it is for Louis Armstrong; indisputably one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, responsible for largely shaping jazz from the 1920s to the 1960s. As a great trumpeter, conductor, singer, soloist, movie star and comedian, Armstrong accomplished great things in his life. He was one of the first African American entertainers to become very popular among both whites and blacks in society. His importance, however, was not only as a musician, but as a human being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Growing up in poverty and facing racial discrimination, Armstrong was seen as a juvenile delinquent. With his father a factory worker and his mother engaging in prostitution, Armstrong was forced to leave school in fifth grade and start working. On New Year's Eve, he fired his father's rifle into the air and was arrested on the spot, but that encounter didn't stop him from finding his love and passion for music. At thirteen he was sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys and, under the guidance of Peter Davis, learned to play the cornet correctly, eventually becoming the leader of the Waif's Home Brass Band. Once released, he began to gain a reputation as a good blues musician. But from then on Armstrong wasn't done yet; he intended to become a professional musician. He sought out Joe "King" Oliver, the city's best cornet player, as his mentor, and soon gained popularity in his city. He was able to stop doing manual labor and start focusing full time on his cornet. He started playing at parties, dances and bars. When the two joined forces, Armstrong dated the pianist, Lillian Harden, who urged Armstrong to make it on his own. From there he moved to New York and played with Fletcher Henderson's band, introducing the concept of swing. He transformed this band into what is generally considered the first great jazz band. When Armstrong's Southern roots no longer fit with Henderson's urban ones, Armstrong returned to Chicago. What is to come for Armstrong will be the influential jazz records made by the Armstrong Hot Five, and later his Hot Seven. His improvised solos transformed jazz from ensemble music into solo art, while his voice also incorporated scat singing with an underlying swing feel. Songs like "Cornet Chop Suey" and "Potato Head Blues" changed the history of jazz by featuring different rhythmic choices, swing paraphrases and high notes. When New Orleans style music came out, Louis Armstrong's creativity created a new type of jazz. By this time he had begun to play the trumpet, in which his skill was far superior to that of the others. He quotes, “My life, my whole soul, my whole spirit, is to blow that horn.” At the time of his greatest popularity, Armstrong performed in a Dixieland band, in which Louis Armstrong and his All Stars toured relentlessly. Eventually, he was nicknamed "Ambassador Satch." Armstrong had not only been a great jazz musician, but had been a great pioneer of civil rights for his race, going against the norm and breaking barriers as a young man. He took his role seriously and kept an eye on the achievements of other African Americans. In 1957 he spoke out against school segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, in which he sent a telegram to President Dwight Eisenhower urging him to "personally take those little Negro children to Central High School along with your wonderful troops." He also told the press that Eisenhower "had no courage" in letting Faubus rule the country and how