Louis Armstrong

The Beatles owned the Billboard charts in early 1964. From February to May they had three consecutive No. 1 singles, a record, and held all five sports in the top five in early April, a record. They had a total of 14 songs in the top 100 in mid-April…another record. It looked like the American artists were done. But in May of 1964, jazz great Louis Armstrong, at the age of 63, broke the Beatles’ streak with the No. 1 hit “Hello Dolly.” Satchmo was of the most influential artists in jazz history. He always said, “If it hadn’t been for jazz there would be no rock and roll.” Louis’ recording of “What a Wonderful World” was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. This was one of his last interviews.