One of the arts that transcends culture is the art of music. Louis Armstrong was an individual who took the art of music, particularly jazz, and transformed it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Louis Armstrong was born in August 1901 to Maryann and Willie Armstrong. When Louis Armstrong was an infant, his father left the family with no money and no way to support themselves. Because Louis' mother was a poor black woman living in the South in the 1920s, she had no chance of finding a job to support her family. Maryann Armstrong, Louis' mother, chose a life of prostitution to support her family. Because of this lifestyle, Maryann became a very poor mother to Louis and his younger sister Beatrice. The children's grandmother ended up raising and caring for them. Josephine Armstrong, Louis' grandmother, raised her grandchildren with discipline and made sure they went to school and instilled the right morals in them. Louis grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for its late nights and crime. He grew up in Black Storyville, New Orleans, well known for its nightlife and violence. Black Storyville was a segregated community that shaped the person Louis became. When he was young, Louis worked several jobs just to help his family. Some of these jobs included running errands for prostitutes and selling newspapers. Even with Louis' help, his family was still very poor and struggled to even put food on the table. Due to this poverty, his childhood was particularly difficult and the only escape he could find was in music. His nights were often filled with listening to jazz music and hours spent in this new love. He soon joined a quartet and often sang for money even if it was a few cents. This lasted a few years but didn't help his family much, so he began pickpocketing and swindling others out of money. These actions put Louis on a path that led him to prison. He was soon arrested on New Year's Eve for attempting to fire a gun. He spent a year and a half in a juvenile detention center. This ended up being a blessing in Louis' life because that's where he learned to play the cornet and spent hours and hours practicing his new love. After he was released, he began playing in bars and honky-tonks and soon became a famous performer. In 1922, King Oliver, a prominent musician, asked Armstrong to move to Chicago and play second cornet in his band. He accepted the offer and was paid $52 a week. He played in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band for many months, but began to tire of the same old styles of jazz and Dixieland. While playing in the band, Louis fell in love with pianist Lilan Hardin and they married in 1924. Soon after the wedding, Armstrong's wife encouraged him to leave the band to seek further fame and develop more as a musician. So he did just that. He left for New York. There he played in many bands and then returned to Chicago where most of his great works were created. These musical masterpieces included hits such as "Wild Man Blues", "Struttin With Some Barbeque", "Hot Than Hot" and the famous "West End Blues". At this point in his musical career, Louis switched from cornet to trumpet. His technique was as unique as could be and his talent was beyond anything people had seen before. He was a musical genius who had a passion for what he played. Louis' celebrity increased in 1929, when he returned to New York City. He acted in the theater. He then continued to tour America and Europe as a trumpet soloist..