African Americans on Postage Stamps

Louis Armstrong

32-cent Louis Armstrong stamp
The Louis Armstrong stamp was issued September 16, 1995.

Even before he was a teenager, Louis Armstrong learned to play the trumpet and the cornet. His mentor was Joe "King" Oliver, and at the age of 17 he joined "Kid" Ory's New Orleans band. In 1925, Armstrong started recording with his own band, and in the 1930s he and his band became very popular and successful and toured throughout the United States and Europe. Armstrong's popularity continued into the 1960s, with the number-one hits "Hello, Dolly!" in 1963 and "What a Wonderful World" in 1968.

The Black Experience