On July 6, 1971, Louis Armstrong, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, died at the age of 69. A world-renowned jazz trumpeter and vocalist, he was born into poverty in New Orleans and learned the cornet when he was incarcerated in a Boys’ Home for firing a gun into the air on New Year’s eve. He went on to become one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world with a style all his own.
