He was one of the most influential figures in jazz history , famous for hits such as What a Wonderful World, appearing in Hollywood movies and working with stars from Bing Crosby to Ella Fitzgerald.
Armstrong was born in in New Orleans. By the s, his recordings β notably his version of the title song from the musical Hello, Dolly! Armstrong spoke adoringly of his mother and sister, forever grateful for their encouragement. While biographers have written about his tough childhood, there has been no proof β although much speculation β that they had to turn to prostitution to make ends meet. Now police reports and interviews have come to light revealing that his mother, Mayann, and sister, Beatrice, were arrested on numerous occasions, spending days in jail.
Now I have the black-and-white proof. The incredible part is that all the police records were uploaded to ancestry. He loved people and gave his mother all the credit for teaching him how to behave.
But, at the same time, she would disappear for a month at a time. I found a tape where he talked about that and showed off his scar, and talked about his mother almost killing the prostitute when she found out. It was a common thing in those days. Armstrong never stopped performing until his death in He pushed himself to the brink, performing every night. View image in fullscreen. Reuse this content. Most viewed.
