An original architect of jazz and one of America's most beloved musical ambassadors, Louis Armstrong was around almost at the beginning of jazz, and he quickly followed in the footsteps of New Orleans legends and mentors like King Oliver and Bunk Johnson. Moving to Chicago, the young trumpeter and cornet player hit his stride in the '20s with his Hot Five and Hot Seven bands, helping to create “hot jazz” and influencing everyone from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. By the '30s, he was a superstar, appearing in films and recording the vocal tunes that would help him cross over to the mainstream.