Satchmo at the Waldorf Satchmo was one of Louis Armstrong’s nicknames, and that it derived from “satchel-mouth” . Waldorf refers to the luxurious hotel in Manhattan called the Waldorf Astoria New York, where Louis Armstrong played and where he also stayed. The whole play takes place at what is supposed to be Louis Armstrong’s room. The printed programme (2018) indicates that the original off-Broadway production’s World Premiere was presented in Lenox, Massachusetts and in New Haven, Connecticut, in the year 2012; the play was previously premiered in Orlando, Florida in 2011. The theatrical work is based on his biography written in 2009, and titled:
What a Wonderful World song was initially offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down, although Louis Armstrong biographer Ricky Riccardi disputes this claim. The song was offered to Louis Armstrong. George Weiss recounts in the book "Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting" by Graham Nash that he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong. Weiss was inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring people of different races together. The song was not initially a hit in the United States, where it sold fewer than 1,000 copies because ABC Records head Larry Newton did not like the song and therefore did not promote it, but