Born on this day in New Orleans in 1901, legendary composer, trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong, who was affectionately called Pops, Satch, Satchmo or Louie by his fans, enjoyed a fruitful career that spanned 50 years.
Some of his popular hits include “What a Wonderful World,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and “Hello Dolly.”
With just a year to gain full independence from the British and with Kwame Nkrumah as Prime minister, Armstrong visited Ghana.
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His two-day visit to the Gold Coast was as part of his role as jazz ambassador, with the expectation of bridging the gap between African Americans and Africans through music. At the time, Ghanaian music was widely celebrated with the Tempos Band in the lead. The then leader of the Tempos Band, E.T Mensah, was heavily influenced by Armstrong.
His visit has been described as a 2-day open-air concert with several bands and cultural artists performing for Armstrong while he entertained the audience with his All Stars band.
Watch some videos of his visit below:
