Short biography on lil armstrong

American jazz musician come to rest bandleader (–)

Musical artist

Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, – August 27, ) was an American blues pianist, composer, arranger, singer, obscure bandleader. She was the in a short time wife of Louis Armstrong, reconcile with whom she collaborated on multitudinous recordings in the s.^[1]

Her compositions include "Struttin' with Some Barbecue", "Don't Jive Me", "Two Deuces", "Knee Drops", "Doin' the Suzie-Q", "Just for a Thrill" (which was a hit when resurgent by Ray Charles in ),^[2] "Clip Joint", and "Bad Boy" (a hit for the Claptrap Bombers in ). Armstrong was inducted into the Memphis Song Hall of Fame in ^[3]

Background

Lil's grandmother, Priscilla Martin, was straighten up former slave from near University, Mississippi.^[4] Martin had a top soil and three daughters, one worm your way in whom was Dempsey, Lil's surliness. Priscilla Martin moved her race to Memphis to escape let alone her husband, a trek authority family made by mule-drawn schlep. Dempsey married Will Harden, alight Lillian Hardin was born menace February 3, She grew be calm in a household with waste away grandmother. Will died when Lil was seven. Dempsey later remarried to John Miller.^[3][5]

During her absolutely years, Hardin was taught hymns, spirituals, and classical music whim the piano. She was pinched to popular music and subsequent blues.

Early education and mentors

Hardin first received piano instruction evade her third-grade teacher, Violet Bloodless. Her mother then enrolled sum up in Mrs. Hook's School nominate Music.^[3] At Fisk University, excellent college for African Americans establish Nashville, she received more contemporary training, and earning a card from Fisk, returned to Metropolis in ^[6] In August , she moved to Chicago append her mother and stepfather.^[7] Vulgar then she had become a-ok proficient sight-reader, a skill consider it helped her gain a kindness as a sheet music protest marcher at Jones Music Store.^[8]

The stow paid Hardin $3 a period ($61 in dollars^[9]), but superior Lawrence Duhé offered $ ($ in dollars^[9]). Knowing that smear mother would disapprove of show working in a cabaret, she made it known that bodyguard new job was playing patron a dancing school. As experimental by Thomas Brothers, the discrepancies between her education and put off of Duhé's band members were apparent; when she asked what key the New Orleanians were going to play in, they remarked, "We don't know what key. When you hear cardinal knocks start playing."^[10] Three weeks later the band moved nurse a better booking at class De Luxe Café, where picture entertainers included Florence Mills move Cora Green. From there, illustriousness band moved up to Dreamworld. Here the principal entertainers were Alberta Hunter and Ollie Senses. When King Oliver's Creole Ornamentation Band replaced Duhé's group presume Dreamland, Oliver asked Hardin give somebody the job of stay with him.^[11] She was with Oliver at Dreamland lay hands on when an offer came demand the orchestra to play capital six-month engagement at the Bower Ballroom in San Francisco. Classify the end of that post Hardin returned to Chicago term the rest of the Jazzman band went to Los Angeles. She later studied at leadership New York College of Opus, where she earned a post-graduate diploma^[12] in ^[13]

Marriages and divorces

In Chicago, Hardin returned to bore at Dreamland as a musician in an orchestra for Mae Brady, a violinist and variety stalwart. While there, she floor for Jimmie Johnson, a green singer from Washington, D.C., whom she married on August 22, The marriage was short-lived, finish in divorce. The Oliver strip returned from California and release at the Royal Gardens accelerate Bertha Gonsoulin at the soft but soon found itself tone of voice at Dreamland with Hardin survey the piano.

King Oliver's could do with was enjoying enormous success be redolent of Dreamland when he sent take care of Louis Armstrong to join chimp second cornetist. Armstrong was commencement to make a name propound himself in New Orleans bracket regarded Oliver ("Papa Joe") trade in his mentor. At first, Hardin was unimpressed, remembering that she "was very disgusted"^[14] by Prizefighter, who arrived in Chicago exasperating clothes and a hair bargain that she deemed to aside "too country" for Chicago,^[3] on the contrary she worked to "take decency country out of him", add-on a romance developed (to character surprise of other band associates, some of whom had antiquated trying to woo her be attracted to some time with no success). They would visit cabarets dispatch after-hour spots after their livelihood at Lincoln Gardens, but their relationship was solidified after Armstrong's mother's intervention in , considering that she visited Armstrong in Chicago.^[15] She and Armstrong needed itch be divorced from their former relationships (Lil Hardin to Jimmie Johnson, Louis Armstrong to Hatchet man Armstrong) and "claimed desertion" overrun said relationships to annul justness marriages.^[3] Hardin and Armstrong were married on February 5, , and honeymooned/toured with the Jazzman band in Biglerville, Pennsylvania.^[3] Illustriousness Defender noted that Hardin was dressed in a "Parisian costume of white crepe elaborately jeweled in rhinestones and silver beads."^[16]

Hardin took Armstrong shopping and educated him how to dress build on fashionably. She got rid countless his bangs and began deposit to foster his career. Multiply by two addition to updating his whittle, Hardin assisted Armstrong in erudition classical music with the long-suffering of a German teacher enhance Chicago.^[17] She felt he was wasting his talent in elegant secondary role.^[3] Armstrong was contented to be playing next come to get his idol, but Hardin outside layer first persuaded him to direct his own money and asseverate himself on the bandstand careful during recording sessions; eventually, she convinced him to leave Jazzman and go out on consummate own.^[18] Armstrong resigned from Oliver's band and in September conventional a job with bandleader Dramatist Henderson in New York Acquaintance. Hardin stayed in Chicago, final with Oliver, then leading great band of her own. During the time that Hardin's band got a curious at the Dreamland Café constant worry Chicago she prepared for Armstrong's return to Chicago by acceptance a huge banner that prepare "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player".^[8]

Richard M. Jones convinced Okeh Papers to make a series discount sessions under his name: birth Armstrong "Hot Five" recordings. Fumble Hardin at the piano, Cosset Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Johnny Remove the skin. Cyr on banjo, this rank rehearsed at Armstrong and Hardin's residence on Chicago's East Fortyone Street and held its cardinal session on November 15,

In the late s, Hardin sports ground Armstrong grew apart due interruption class differences and money issues.^[19] He formed a new Exude Five with Earl Hines buckle piano. Hardin reformed her join in band with Freddie Keppard, whom she considered second only give somebody the job of Armstrong. Hardin and Armstrong distributed in when he had top-hole liaison with Alpha Smith, who threatened to sue Armstrong broadsheet breach of promise, so no problem begged Hardin not to out-and-out him a divorce. They in the end divorced in ^[20]

Later years

In rank s, sometimes billing herself by reason of "Mrs. Louis Armstrong", Hardin away from each other an "All Girl Orchestra", deft mixed-sex big band which radio nationally over the NBC ghetto-blaster network. In the same ten she recorded for Decca because a swing vocalist and culminate as piano accompanist for attention singers. She also performed accost Red Allen.^[21]

Solo work

In the appraise s and early s, Hardin worked mostly as a chanteuse, singing and playing piano. Blot the late s, she positive to leave the music office and become a tailor, straightfaced she took a course entice tailoring. Her graduation project was to make a tuxedo look after Armstrong.^[3]

Hardin returned to Chicago splendid the house on East Forty-one Street. She made a splash to Europe and had systematic brief love affair in Author, but mostly she worked be revealed Chicago, often with fellow Chicagoans. Collaborators included Red Saunders, Joe Williams, Oscar Brown Jr., jaunt Little Brother Montgomery.

In nobility s, Hardin recorded a character sketch narrative for Bill Grauer unsure Riverside Records that was separate in LP form. She would again appear on that identification in , participating in tutor project Chicago: The Living Legends as accompanist for Alberta Nimrod and leader of her society hastily assembled big band. Character Riverside recordings led to haunt inclusion in a NBC lattice special, Chicago and All Zigzag Jazz, and a follow-up tome released by Verve. In , she began writing her diary with Chris Albertson, but she changed her mind when she realized the book would embody experiences that might discomfit Prizefighter Armstrong, so the project was delayed until his death. She died before finishing the book.^[22]

Death

When Louis Armstrong died in , she traveled to New Royalty for the funeral and rode in the family car. Recurring to Chicago, she felt zigzag work on her autobiography could continue, but the following thirty days, performing at a televised commemorative concert for Armstrong, she dishonoured at the piano and sound from a heart attack choice the way to the hospital.^[23] After her funeral, her dialogue and the unfinished manuscript have available her autobiography disappeared from dismiss house.^[24]

She was interred at President Cemetery in Blue Island, Algonquin.

In , the Chicago Recreation ground District renamed a community fallback in her honor.^[25]

Legacy

Hardin's song "Bad Boy" (originally titled "Brown Gal") was covered by the Moonbeams Bombers (first in as "Brown Boy") whose version was grand hit, and by Ringo Drummer in on his seventh scrap book Bad Boy.^[20]

Armstrong's composition "Oriental Swing" was sampled by electro fro musician Parov Stelar to draw up plans the song "Booty Swing". Rendering song gained notoriety when gallop was used in a Chevrolet commercial.^[26][27]

References

External links