ABSTRACT
F Or About Thirty Years, from the early 1940s until his death in 1971, Louis Armstrong was the most beloved entertainer in the world. People smiled when they heard his name and grinned when they heard his voice. He brought a deep and lasting joy that had nothing to do with pop charts or movie stardom; he was loved for his very being. No one, including the three popes who reigned during this period (and who didn't get around as much as Armstrong), received as many warm and extravagant welcomes as he did. Besides the adoration of millions of fans, he owned the unqualified respect of musicians everywhere. And for once, great affection for a celebrity was well placed. Armstrong earned it by his generosity in performance and by his nonstop travels to deliver his gifts. While Santa made his universal rounds in one night, Satchmo took more than three hundred nights a year to make his. Like Santa, Satch knew what everyone wanted, and, unlike Santa, he never disappointed anyone who believed in him.
