considered jazz classics. They recorded until 1927. At this time he was becoming a true star and was playing with numerous popular bands. In 1931, Armstrong went back to Chicago to form his own touring band. That same year he went back to New Orleans for the first time in more than ten years, except this time he was greeted as a star. In 1931 Lil Hardin and he separated. Armstrong went to California before heading out for a large tour in Europe. He returned to the states and hired Joe Glaser to be his manager. Glaser took care of everything, leaving Armstrong to focus on his music. He also hired the Louis Russel Orchestra that was largely made up of people that he had played with in King Oliver’s Band. The band was re-named Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. They became very popular in the swing era. He married his second wife, Alpha, but after a year they were divorced. Armstrong quickly married Lucille whom he stayed with for the rest of his life. In 1947 Glaser fired the band and replaced it with a smaller group that is known today as one of the greatest bands in jazz history. The band stayed together for more than 20 years despite the many changes it went through. In the 1960s Louis became known as America’s Ambassador because he had toured so much of the world. He came out with an international hit, “Hello Dolly,” which topped the charts in 1963, years after jazz was no longer popular. Armstrong’s health began to fail soon after he recorded “What a Wonderful World.” He died in New York in1971....
