At her urging, Mr. Oct 9, 2014. At the end of that booking Hardin returned to Chicago while the rest of the Oliver band went to Los Angeles. Genealogy profile for Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (1901 - 1971) - Genealogy Genealogy for Louis Daniel Armstrong (1901 - 1971) family tree on Geni, with … Armstrong was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2014. Cause of death. His father was William Armstrong (1881-1922) and his mother was Mary “Mayann” Albert (1886-1927. Armstrong took the advice of his wife and left Oliver's band. Hardin returned to Chicago and the house on East 41st Street. Louis Armstrong was married four times: to Daisy Parker (from 1919 until their divorce in 1923), to Lil Hardin (from 1924 until their divorce in 1938), to Alpha Smith (from 1938 until their divorce in 1942), and to Lucille Wilson (from 1942 until his death in 1971). As noted by Thomas Brothers, the discrepancies between her education and that 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. "[9] Three weeks later the band moved to a better booking at the De Luxe Café, where the entertainers included Florence Mills and Cora Green. [23], Hardin's song "Bad Boy" was recorded by Ringo Starr in 1978 and became an international pop hit[19], Armstrong's composition "Oriental Swing" was sampled by electro swing musician Parov Stelar to create the 2012 song "Booty Swing". She sang about being “born in Louisiana, raised in Algiers” (a town just across from New Orleans), but that was poetic license. She was the second wife of Louis Armstrong, with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s. She was drawn to popular music and later blues. She also appeared with jazz groups in Auburn, Mass., and in Meriden, Conn. On her 1968 appearance at the Top of the Gate, with Franz Jackson's Chicagoans, John S. Wilson, jazz critic of The New York Times, described Mrs. Armstrong as “a hearty woman with a bubbling per sonality who plays piano and sings with A zest and assur ance that completely belie her age.”, “She has described herself,” Mr. Wilson wrote, “as a ‘heavy’ pianist, originally influenced by Jelly Roll Morton. Hardin reformed her own band with Freddie Keppard, whom she considered second only to Armstrong. [2] The Defender noted that Hardin was dressed in a "Parisian gown of white crepe elaborately beaded in rhinestones and silver beads. She divorced her husbands Jimmie Johnson and Louis Armstrong. Her mother then enrolled her in Mrs. Hook's School of Music. Jazz Musician (Finished 1971) ... Lil Hardin's former father in law is William Armstrong Lil Hardin's former mother in law was Mary Armstrong Lil Hardin's former grandmother in law was Josephine Armstrong Lil Hardin's former sister in law is Mama Lucy Armstrong. The man played a song or two, got a nice hand, and returned the trumpet to Pops. Collaborators included Red Saunders, Joe Williams, Oscar Brown Jr., and Little Brother Montgomery. Louis Armstrong, the cele brated jazz trumpeter and singer, died in his sleep yester day morning at his home in the Corona section of Queens. About. He … He rose above the hardship and challenges of poverty from a young age and the racism he was subjected to throughout his life to become one of the most influential musicians of his genre. In, "Armstrong, Lil Hardin (1898–1971) | Encyclopedia.com", "Riverwalk Jazz - Stanford University Libraries", Bowling, Clarke. Age of Death. Their marriage was not a happy one, however, and they divorced in 1942. He had observed his 71st birthday Sunday. Arm strong died in New York at the age of 71 on July 6. ... Lil Hardin Armstrong’s Death – Cause and Date. What happened next was something that Lil Hardin said she’d never forget: Satch burned the place to the ground. And he would be paid $20 a week more than the $55 he had been getting from Fletcher Henderson. John S. Wilson, New York Times, 12/10/1968. Her graduation project was to make a tuxedo for Armstrong.[2]. However, when Miss Lil learned that he was not getting a billing; she made deal with the Dreamland Cafe in Chicago to bring in a small group. Hardin and Armstrong separated in 1931 when he had a liaison with Alpha Smith, who threatened to sue Armstrong for breach of promise, so he begged Hardin not to grant him a divorce. 2. None of Armstrong… She was at the Top of the Gate on Bleecker Street in 1968 and at Jimmy Ryan's, with Cecil Scott's band, in 1957. With Hardin at the piano, Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo, this group rehearsed at Armstrong and Hardin's residence on Chicago's East 41st Street and held its first session on November 15, 1925. Without Lil, you likely wouldn’t even know who Louis Armstrong was, let alone have old Satchmo maintain the title of “one of the most influential figures in jazz music.” Lil was not just Louis’ second wife: she was his manager, co-writer, stylist, publicist, and she just happened to be married to him for some of that time. Louis Armstrong, "Satchmo", at Standish Hall 1951 - popular nightspot for Ottawans.jpg 573 × 443; 156 KB Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago largely at the insistence of Lil, who wanted to expand his career and his income. When Mr. Armstrong died, she and other friends of the great trumpet player joined in plans for a concert in his memory. [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 revived by Ray Charles in 1959), "Clip Joint", and "Bad Boy" (a hit for Ringo Starr in 1978). [7], The store paid Hardin $3 a week (US$51 in 2019 dollars[8]), but bandleader Lawrence Duhé offered $22.50 (US$382 in 2019 dollars[8]). William abandoned his family for another woman when Louis was an infant; Mary left Louis and his younger sister, Beatrice Armstrong Collins (1903-1987) in the care of his grandmother … Died in his sleep. The marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce. Profession. "GM Is Editing a 'Chop Suey' Car Ad Based on How Much It's Offending You", Discography of American Historical Recordings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lil_Hardin_Armstrong&oldid=1013882305, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven members, Pages using Template:Infobox musical artist with unknown parameters, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 March 2021, at 23:51. At the time of their marriage, she was already a recognized star as a jazz pianist playing in Chicago in King Oliver's Cre ole Jazz Band. Here the principal entertainers were Alberta Hunter and Ollie Powers. When King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band replaced Duhé's group at Dreamland, Oliver asked Hardin to stay with him. When Hardin's band got a job at the Dreamland Café in Chicago she prepared for Armstrong's return to Chicago by having a huge banner that read "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player".[7]. The Oliver band returned from California and opened at the Royal Gardens with Bertha Gonzales at the piano but soon found itself back at Dreamland with Hardin at the piano. American Songwriter Lil Armstrong was born Lillian Armstrong on 3rd February, 1898 in Memphis, Tennessee and passed away on 27th Aug 1971 Chicago, Illinois aged 73. Returning to Chicago, she felt that work on her autobiography could continue, but the following month, performing at a televised memorial concert for Armstrong, she collapsed at the piano and died from a heart attack on the way to the hospital. [2], She was born Lillian Hardin in Memphis, Tennessee, where she grew up in a household with her grandmother, Priscilla Martin, a former slave from near Oxford, Mississippi. He even scored a posthumous Top 40 hit with a 1988 re-issue of "What a Wonderful World," which had been featured prominently in the film "Good Morning Vietnam" (1987). Comedian. Four decades after his death, Armstrong remained one of jazz music's most popular performers, enjoyed by audiences who knew of or cared little about the genre. This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. She made the funeral in New York and rode in the family car (with the OK from fourth wife, Lucille). "[15], Hardin took Armstrong shopping and taught him how to dress more fashionably. Legacy and Death . Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. [19], In the 1930s, sometimes billing herself as "Mrs. Louis Armstrong", Hardin led an "All Girl Orchestra", a mixed-sex big band which broadcast nationally over the NBC radio network. For a time he was a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife. 4. Returning to Chicago, she felt that work on her autobiography could continue, but the following month, performing at a televised memorial concert for Armstrong, she collapsed at the piano and died from a heart attack on the way to the hospital. When Louis Armstrong died in 1971, Hardin was deeply shaken. In the late 1940s she decided to leave the music business and become a tailor, so she took a course in tailoring. Lil Hardin Armstrong: Total quotes: 4 Louis Armstrong Birthname. She would again appear on that label in 1961, participating in its project Chicago: The Living Legends as accompanist for Alberta Hunter and leader of her own hastily assembled big band. In the 1950s and 1960s, she occasionally performed and recorded. When you hear two knocks start playing. The comedian Jan Hooks died at the age of 57. During her early years, Hardin was taught hymns, spirituals, and classical music on the piano. Death Date. In addition to updating his appearance, Hardin assisted Armstrong in learning classical music with the help of a German teacher in Chicago. As his fame grew, the couple drifted apart and eventually were divorced. In 1954, in the year that Rexal Armstrong was born, from April 22 through June 17th, the Army v. McCarthy hearings were held. The song gained notoriety when it was used in a 2013 Chevrolet commercial. Mr. Armstrong remarried, but Miss Lii did not. husband. 5. [2] Hardin and Armstrong were married on February 5, 1924 and honeymooned/toured with the Oliver band in Biglerville, Pennsylvania. Cause of death. 3. She later studied at the New York College of Music, where she earned a post-graduate diploma[11] in 1929.[12]. Lil Armstrong was previously married to Louis Armstrong (1924 - 1938). From there, the band moved up to Dreamland. Wife: Lucille Wilson (m. 12-Oct-1942, d. 1983) Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (1925-28) Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven (1927) Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1928-47) Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars Hollywood Walk of Fame By the end of 1924 she pressured Armstrong to reluctantly leave his mentor's band. [21], When Louis Armstrong died in 1971, she traveled to New York for the funeral and rode in the family car. She was actually born in Mississippi, raised in Walls, a small farming community in DeSoto County south of Memphis, according to US Census data uncovered by Dr. Bill Ellis. Mr. Armstrong would be billed, despite his embarrass ment, as “The World's Great est Trumpet Player.”. In Louis Armstrong's account in Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans, he speaks of his only venture into paternity. Here is all you want to know, and more! Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901–July 6, 1971) was a masterful trumpet player and beloved entertainer in the 20th century. "Lil Armstrong" (interview). In the same decade she recorded for Decca as a swing vocalist and performed as piano accompanist for other singers. Here is all you want to know, and more! CHICAGO, Aug. 27 (UPI)— Lil Hardin, the … Armstrong enjoyed working with Oliver, but Louis' second wife, pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, urged him to seek more prominent billing and develop his newer style away from the influence of Oliver. Will died when Lil was seven, though Dempsey later remarried to John Miller.[2][4]. The following is a list of notable performers of rock and roll music or rock music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters or in other closely related roles, who have died in the 1970s.The list gives their date, cause and location of death, and their age. She received a diploma from Fisk, returning to Memphis in 1917. The Riverside recordings led to her inclusion in a 1961 NBC network special, Chicago and All That Jazz, and a follow-up album released by Verve. Lil Hardin Armstrong was born in 1890s. Just for a Thrill: Lil Hardin Armstrong, First Lady of Jazz, by James L. Dickerson, 2002. Knowing that her mother would disapprove of her working in a cabaret, she made it known that her new job was playing for a dancing school. He was wearing a sec ond‐hand suit that didn't fit, he had a hat that was too small sitting on top of his head and I didn't like his hairdo—he had bangs sticking straight out, which was the style in New Orleans.”. In February of 1924 they were married. She thereupon told her fi ancé that it was not her plan to remain married to a second cornet. He weighed 226 pounds. Lil Hardin began listening, Daily contact grew into friend ship, and then to marriage. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Louis Armstrong, the celebrated jazz trumpeter and singer, died in his sleep yesterday morning at his home in the Corona section of Queens. Mr. Lil was a very intelligent and ambitious woman who felt that Louis was wasting himself playing in Oliver's band. While there, she fell for Jimmie Johnson, a young singer from Washington, D.C., whom she married on August 22, 1922. Mrs. Armstrong, who always preferred to be called Miss Lil, recalled that her family thought little of the prospective match. When Louis Armstrong died in 1971, she traveled to New York for the funeral and rode in the family car. Dempsey married Will Harden, and Lil was born on February 3, 1898. After her funeral, her letters and the unfinished manuscript of her autobiography disappeared from her house. Date of death: 6 Jul 1971. Hardin first received piano instruction from her third-grade teacher, Violet White. While playing in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Armstrong met Lillian Hardin, a piano player and arranger for the band. She died while playing in his honor. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as "the World's Greatest Trumpet Player". She made a trip to Europe and had a brief love affair in France, but mostly she worked around Chicago, often with fellow Chicagoans. [5] In August 1918, she moved to Chicago with her mother and stepfather. Priscilla Martin moved her family to Memphis to get away from her husband, a trek the family made by mule-drawn wagon. [17] Armstrong resigned from Oliver's band and in September 1924 accepted a job with bandleader Fletcher Henderson in New York City. By 1922, Jazz was being exported from New Orleans to Chicago, and Armstrong accepted a chance to play for King Oliver in what was the hottest group in town — the Creole Jazz Band. On Sun day she was ‘heavy’ in the sense of being strong and forth right, but the prime influence one heard was not Mr. Morton, but Earl Hines, both in the use of his treble trills and in a variation of Mr. Hines's ‘Boogie Woogie on the St. Louis Blues.’”, He added that she had “other things that were purely Miss Lil — a romping pianistic spirit and a vocal style that ranged from literal lyrics to burbling, happy mutters.”. King Oliver's band was enjoying enormous success at Dreamland when he sent for Louis Armstrong to join as second cornetist. He played for a year with Fletcher Henderson's band in New York. Mr. Armstrong had arrived in Chicago from New Orleans in 1922 at the age of 22. Occupations. Lil Hardin Armstrong is part of G.I. In the late 1920s, Hardin and Armstrong grew apart due to class differences (pretentiousness on Hardin's part) and money issues. Arm strong left the. He came to Pops and said, “hand me that horn, boy” and Armstrong, head bowed, complied. July 1946 (William P. Gottlieb 00231) - Cropped.jpg 741 × 584; 246 KB She stayed in Chicago, playing jazz piano in various clubs, with an occasional appearance in the East. The jazz singer Lil Hardin died at the age of 73. Peter Brown’s Death – Cause and Date. The U.S. Army accused Roy Cohn (chief counsel to Senator McCarthy and later trusted mentor of Donald Trump) of blackmail. Died in his sleep. Obituary, New York Times, 8/28/1971. The visitor was asked by his entourage to play something. Miss Lil was not bitter over the breakup of her marriage. King Oliver, considered then the greatest jazz cornetist of his day, told her that young Louis was so good that he intended to keep him in the band, play ing second cornet, so that Oli ver could remain King Oliver. Oliver band. She also performed with Red Allen. They would visit cabarets and after-hour spots after their job at Lincoln Gardens, but their relationship was solidified after Armstrong's mother's intervention in 1923, when she visited Armstrong in Chicago. Hardin stayed in Chicago, first with Oliver, then leading a band of her own. Clarence (Hatfield) Armstrong was born in 1915 to Louis's teenage cousin, Flora, apparently after she was molested by an old white man, who her father … 1931) Wife: Alpha Smith (m. 1938, div. ) Jazz Musician (Finished 1971) Trumpet Player (Finished 1971) ... Louis Armstrong's former wife is Alpha Smith Louis Armstrong's former wife is Lil Hardin Louis Armstrong's former wife is Daisy Parker. Wife: Lil Hardin (musician, m. 1924, div. She died an hour later. She was playing “The St. Louis Blues” when she was stricken. Lil Hardin, who was married to Mr. Armstrong from 1924 to 1938, had a profound effect on his career. They finally divorced in 1938. Richard M. Jones convinced Okeh Records to make a series of sessions under his name: the Armstrong "Hot Five" recordings. [22], In 2004, the Chicago Park District renamed a community park in her honor. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. [2] Armstrong was happy to be playing next to his idol, but Hardin at first persuaded him to manage his own money and assert himself on the bandstand and during recording sessions; eventually, she convinced him to leave Oliver and go out on his own. [2] At Fisk University, a college for African Americans in Nashville, she was taught a more acceptable approach to the instrument. [20], In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hardin worked mostly as a soloist, singing and playing piano. [10] She was with Oliver at Dreamland in 1921 when an offer came for the orchestra to play a six-month engagement at the Pergola Ballroom in San Francisco. [16] She felt that he was wasting his talent in a secondary role. In Chicago, Hardin went back to work at Dreamland as a pianist in an orchestra for Mae Brady, a violinist and vaudeville stalwart. 57 years. After her funeral, her letters and the unfinished manuscript of her autobiography disappeared from her house. [14] She and Armstrong needed to be divorced from their previous relationships (Lil Hardin to Jimmie Johnson, Louis Armstrong to Daisy Armstrong) and "claimed desertion" from said relationships to annul the marriages. In 1962, she began writing her autobiography with Chris Albertson, but she changed her mind when she realized the book would include experiences that might discomfit Louis Armstrong, so the project was delayed until his death. [6] By then she had become proficient in reading music, a skill that helped her get a job as a sheet music demonstrator at Jones Music Store. On July 6, 1971, Louis Armstrong died. [24][25], Terkel, Studs (2005). In the 1950s, Hardin recorded a biographical narrative for Bill Grauer at Riverside which was issued in LP form. See the article in its original context from. [3] Martin had a son and three daughters, one of whom was Dempsey, Lil's mother. Recalling that she had been told that “little Louis” was about to join the band, Mrs. Armstrong exclaimed: “Little Louis! TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. [18] He formed a new Hot Five with Earl Hines on piano. She got rid of his bangs and began working to foster his career. Occupations. Armstrong’s fully healed lip made its presence felt on some of the finest recordings of career, including “Swing That Music,” “Jubilee” and “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.” In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. She died before finishing the book. Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Rexal's lifetime. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. At first, Hardin was unimpressed, remembering that she "was very disgusted"[13] by Louis, who arrived in Chicago wearing clothes and a hair style that she deemed to be "too country" for Chicago,[2] but she worked to "take the country out of him", and a romance developed (to the surprise of other band members, some of whom had been trying to woo her for some time with no success). She is most remembered for Song: Don`t Jive Me. Jan Hooks’ Death – Cause and Date. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. Concierto Presentación del álbum "Colours", en el Teatro Bellas Artes de Madrid. Born (Birthday) Apr 23, 1957. Biography - A Short WikiJazz singer, pianist, and bandleader who collaborated with her husband Louis Armstrong. Less than two months after Louis’ death, Lil collapsed at the piano while playing the "St. Louis Blues" at a televised Armstrong tribute concert. Jazzwomen 1900 to the Present, by Sally Placksin, 1982 . Lil Hardin Armstrong turned away from music and began working as a clothing designer (Louis was a customer), a restaurant owner, and then music and French teacher. Mrs. Armstrong, who was 73 years old, was an accomplished jazz pianist. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader. For a year Armstrong played in Fletcher Henderson's band in New York on many recordings. Armstrong was beginning to make a name for himself in New Orleans and regarded Oliver ("Papa Joe") as his mentor. CHICAGO, Aug. 27 (UPI)— Lil Hardin, the second wife of the late Louis Armstrong, died of a heart attack today while playing at a concert in the Civic Center Plaza in his mem ory. Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, into a very poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana. "General Motors Apologizes After Chevrolet Ad Includes Chinese, Japanese Racist Stereotypes", Abad-Santos, Alexander. Louis Armstrong's 2d Wife, Lil Hardin, Dies at a Tribute, https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/28/archives/louis-armstrongs-2d-wife-lil-hardin-dies-at-a-tribute.html. All About Jazz: Lil Hardin Armstrong biography.