Louis Armstrong in his den at Corona, Queens, New York speaking on the telephone Photo by Jack Bradley Louis Armstrong was born 122 years ago today. Nicknamed “Satchmo” or “Pops,” Armstrong was an jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance.