John McCusker: When Dippermouth Met Kid Ory

Saturday, July 31, 2021 3:00pm – 4:00pm One of the more critical events in Armstrong’s early life was the day he met band leader Edward Kid Ory in 1913. This meeting had implications that reverberated beyond the New Orleans music scene and continued through the 1920s jazz age. Kid Ory’s life intersected with Louis’ childhood, his early professional work and his ascendency to a featured recording and performing artist in Chicago. Their lives crossed paths in a variety of ways throughout the years, providing a story that tells us so much of what Armstrong’s earliest professional work was like, and the direct bearing this meeting had on the man and musician he became.

Added 6 Jul 2026