New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A Cornet for Louis
Every legend has a beginning, and for Louis Armstrong, it started with a bit of help from a tailor. On South Rampart Street, the Karnofsky family ran a shop and residence starting…
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Every legend has a beginning, and for Louis Armstrong, it started with a bit of help from a tailor. On South Rampart Street, the Karnofsky family ran a shop and residence starting in 1913. For a young Louis, this was a second home.
He was hired by the Karnofskys at just seven years old to help with their coal and junk wagons, often sharing meals with the family. But the most pivotal moment came when the Karnofskys loaned Louis the money to buy his very first cornet. That single act of kindness helped ignite a musical fire that would change the world.
Though Hurricane Ida destroyed the building in 2021, the legacy of that first instrument still rings through every jazz note played in the city today.
Updated June 2026