Question 1

True or false: Armstrong played trumpet with his left hand because he was naturally left-handed.

Accepted Answer

False. He was right-handed but held the trumpet with his left hand to free his right for valves, a common technique.

Question 2

True or false: Armstrong was a prolific composer who wrote over 100 songs himself.

Accepted Answer

False. Though a brilliant performer, he wrote few songs himself. Most hits were by others; he focused on improvisation.

Question 3

True or false: He recorded the first ever scat singing on 'Heebie Jeebies' in 1926 after dropping his lyric sheet.

Accepted Answer

True. According to legend, he dropped the sheet and improvised nonsense syllables, inventing modern scat singing.

Question 4

True or false: He mentored a young Ella Fitzgerald early in her career, helping her get her big break.

Accepted Answer

True. Armstrong championed Fitzgerald, inviting her to tour and record with him in the 1940s, boosting her fame.

Question 5

True or false: Louis Armstrong was born on July 4, 1900, in New Orleans.

Accepted Answer

True. He always claimed this date, but records suggest he was actually born August 4, 1901. Still, the July 4 myth stuck.

Question 6

True or false: Armstrong was arrested in 1957 for refusing to leave a whites-only concert stage in the South.

Accepted Answer

False. He was never arrested for that. He did criticize segregation and canceled a Soviet tour over racial issues.

Question 7

True or false: His gravelly voice came from a childhood injury caused by firing a pistol on New Year's Eve.

Accepted Answer

True. At age 12, he fired a pistol into the air and was arrested. In a home, he damaged his vocal cords from yelling.

Question 8

True or false: Armstrong performed for British royalty and was nicknamed 'The King of Jazz.'

Accepted Answer

False. He played for King George V but was called 'Satchmo' or 'Pops.' Paul Whiteman was actually 'King of Jazz.'

Louis Armstrong Trivia Questions