Louis Armstrong at the Mets

Did you know that Louis Armstrong once dreamed of singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” at Shea Stadium? In a 1973 radio interview, Lucille Armstrong said:

“The two things Louie wanted to do in his lifetime that he never did were record The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ and sing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ at Shea Stadium. He used to have me rehearse with him, write out the lyrics… we would rehearse it again and again. And he’d say, ‘They’re going to ask me one day! They never got around to it.’”

While there’s no recording of Satchmo singing the Anthem, he famously closed concerts with it throughout the 1940s and 1950s—so we can only imagine the magic it would have been.

Fast forward to today: our Louis Armstrong House Museum trumpet students brought that same spirit to the ballpark, lighting up the Mets’ 7th-inning stretch with Take Me Out to the Ballgame, while our incredible instructors kicked off the game with a powerful National Anthem performance.

The spirit of Satchmo was alive and well at the stadium! Stay tuned for the full video of their performances coming soon.