Written and maintained by the Louis Armstrong Fellows.
In April of 1933 rising star Louis Armstrong made headlines when a British tabloid newspaper known as the Daily Express declared him deceased. The front-page article offered no cause of death. Follow-up reports proved unhelpful for readers since they featured contradicting and strange information. For example, one report claimed that Armstrong died from a dog... Continue Reading →
The year was 1914, he was 13 years old in New Orleans, Louisiana. The year was 2008, she was 13 years old in Coconut Creek, Florida. 1 state, 830 miles and 94 years separated him from her and her from him. He spent his last night singing with his boys and celebrating the turning of... Continue Reading →
Within the American music industry well-known performers must deal with a variety of challenges such as the pressures of fame, loneliness, adrenaline highs and lows, public scrutiny, creative blocks, round-the-clock travel, and inconsistent working hours. In the last several years, some journalists have made attempts to spotlight the topic of “artists’ well-being,” especially young musicians’... Continue Reading →
In the most recent weeks, I have been working towards creating a virtual tour about Louis through the voices and perspectives of women in his life, along with Maglyn Bertrand, who is also serving as a museum fellow. While exploring this topic, the concept in many ways keeps offering parallels to some of the artwork... Continue Reading →
In my last post, I raised questions concerning Armstrong and his musical taste: How and when did Armstrong acquire his musical taste? In what ways did “good music” impact his work? This week I add another inquiry: How did listening to his favorite music allow Armstrong to strengthen his relationships to non-human and human entities... Continue Reading →
…Well, what is progressive? You tell me cause all we play is good music. We never did worry about styles. There ain’t no such thing as styles in music. There ain’t but two kinds -- good or bad -- that’s all…[1] -- Louis Armstrong The above quotation, stated by Louis Armstrong during an interview in... Continue Reading →
A few of my past blog posts have briefly mentioned what America was like when Louis Armstrong was born in the southern state of Louisiana. To elaborate further I would like to paint a picture for you, it was 1901, the turn of the twentieth century, and Louisiana was still battling the effects of being... Continue Reading →
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) and Bing Crosby (1903-1977) are two of the most well-known performers of the twentieth century. Born three years apart in states at opposite ends of the country, the two left their childhood homes in New Orleans and Spokane in the 1920s to pursue a music career in Chicago and Los Angeles. The... Continue Reading →
Typically the game was very simple. The rules were that someone from the group would knock on the chosen door really hard, then everyone takes off running in any direction. Sprinting down the hall to be sure to get out of sight before the person on the other side of that door opens it and... Continue Reading →
Louis Armstrong has one of the world’s most recognizable voices. To many, his raspy voice is iconic, marvelous, beautiful, incredible, and timeless. After reading comments left in the “comment section” of YouTube videos featuring Armstrong’s songs, I was not surprised that many people remarked that his voice inspires smiles and evokes nostalgia. Several recent comments... Continue Reading →
