Famous People From Louisiana

Louis Armstrong: He redefined Jazz music and took it up to a completely different level. Louis Armstrong was from a very poor family in Louisiana. He was sent to the reform school at the age of twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year’s Eve. During this period he learned to play cornet. He was released at the age of fourteen. He earned his livelihood by doing odd jobs such as selling papers, coal, and unloading boats. He was an avid Jazz music listener and listened to bands at clubs like the Funky butt hall. He started playing his cornet at dive bars in New Orleans’ Storyville section. He played in many different Jazz bands until 1922 when he received a telegram from his mentor Joe Oliver to join his Creole Jazz Band at Lincoln gardens in Chicago. This was a turning point in his life and made him a sensation among other jazz musicians in Chicago. He married to a fellow piano player, Lillian Hardin On February 1924. In 1925 he and his ambitious wife played in their own band at the Dreamland café. He appeared in many orchestras including the Luis Russell Orchestra and the Carol Dickenson orchestra until 1931. Armstrong assembled his own band for touring purpose. He came up with his own version of Hello Dolly which became a number one single in the early 60s. He died on July 6 1971 at his home in Queens New York.

Cokie Roberts: Born on December 27, 1943 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Cokie Roberts is an American Emmy Award-winning bestselling author and journalist. A contributing news analyst for National Public Radio, Roberts works as a political commentator for ABC News. She, with her husband, also writes a weekly column syndicated by the United Media in newspapers around the United States. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to his council on Service and Civic Participation.

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