“God, How I Loved That Man”: Lucille Armstrong’s Condolence Letters Part 2

Last week, we began a new series of posts sharing some of the thousands of condolence letters Lucille Armstrong received after the passing of Louis on July 6, 1971. That post centered on contributions from entertainers and politicians; today’s will focus on musicians, songwriters and those in the music business. As one can imagine, musicians from around the world wrote to Lucille so this will be quite a lengthy post and it still won’t include all such letters Lucille received.

We’re going to being with trumpeters, opening with a passionate letter from Frank Assunto of the Dukes of Dixieland (which gave us the title for this post):

Bill Coleman, writing from France:

A card that accompanied flowers from Chris Clifton, who had an emotional visit with Louis a few weeks earlier (as covered in this post):

Multiple mass cards from Dizzy and Lorraine Gillespie:

We should also share Dizzy’s beautiful tribute to Louis in the New York Times, as saved by Lucille:

Harry James and his manager Pee Wee Monte (the note on the side mentions a western Union strike; more on that later):

Doc Cheatham:

A Visitors Card from St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan sent by two trumpet titans, Roy Eldridge and Jimmy Maxwell:

Naturally, many of Armstrong’s former sidemen wrote to Lucille. Here’s a bunch, beginning with clarinetist Barney Bigard:

Since the ink is faded on that one, here is a transcription: “Words cannot express our feelings of deep, deep sorrow, + mostly for you, Lucille, dear. We are so thankful that we had such a nice telephone conversation with you both on July 2nd. Although there’s little we can do, We wanted you to know Our hearts now share your sorrow And you are not alone. May God Bless you + give you a mountain of strength at this time + always. With all our love – Dorothe + Barney Bigard + Family”

Drummer Cozy Cole:

Bassist Arvell Shaw:

Pianist Marty Napoleon:

Bassist Johnny Williams, who recalls doing “Rockin’ Chair” with Louis at Carnegie Hall in February 1947::

Saxophonist George James, who played in Armstrong’s big band in the early 1930s:

A card from trombonist Tyree Glenn and his wife Gloria:

Gloria Glenn followed up with a handwritten note mentioning that their son, Tyree Glenn Jr., had also written a condolence letter:

Here’s Tyree Jr.’s letter:

Lucille also heard from numerous widows of musicians who played with Louis. Here’s Winnie Hall, Edmond Hall’s widow:

A sympathy card from Ruth Pugh, widow of Louis’s longtime valet Hazes “Doc” Pugh:

A mass card from Henry “Red” Allen’s widow, Pearly Mae.

An especially heartfelt two-page letter from Mrs. Francis J. “Muggsy” Spanier, widow of the late cornetist:

A condolence letter from Dixie Rollini, the widow of multi-instrumentalist Adrian Rollini:

The family of W. C. Handy sent a nice note with a personal inscription to Lucille from Mazie Handy:

A card from Johnny Hodges’s widow, Cue:

Sticking with an Ellington theme, here’s a nice note from Evie Ellington, wife of Duke:

Ellington’s longtime reedman Russell Procope:

A card from fellow Queens residents Count Basie and his wife Catherine and their daughter Diane:

Lucille asked for donations to the Kidney Foundation and received this receipt of a contribution from Frank Sinatra:

A mass card from Mary Lou Williams:

A card from Harold “Duke” Dijan and the Olympia Brass Band of New Orleans:

A telegram from Sy Oliver, who arranged many of Louis’s biggest hits, and his wife, vocalist Lillian Clark:

A two-page personal remembrance by bandleader Ray Conniff, naming Louis as the person he most admired:

Rhythm and Blues king Bill Doggett:

Rhythm and Blues queen Nellie Lutcher:

A telegram from the legendary Tito Puente:

Representing the opera world, a two-page note from Robert Merrill and his wife Marion Machno:

The hippest label at the time, Stax Reords, sent a sympathy card (this scrapbook page also includes entries from Canadian friends Cathan and Harold Shoniker, Joseph Goode, the first African American Locality Mayor of Suffolk County, New York, and officers and members of St. Peter’s Church):-

The Nicholas Brothers:

Here’s a series of different vocalists, beginning with Dakota Staton:

Thelma Carpenter:

Matt Dennis:

Lee Wiley:

Beryl Bryden:

Pug Horton, wife of Bob Wilber:

To close, a series of cards from non-musician figures in the jazz world, opening with two different submissions from members of The Duke Ellington Society:

A card from Helen Ennico of the Duke Ellington Society and the New York Hot Jazz Society:

The Left Bank Jazz Society of Baltimore:

Jo Schmidt of the New Orleans Jazz Museum:

Disc-jockey Art Vincent:

Lucille Meyer, manager of the music publishing of composer Jimmy McHugh:

Sticking with composers, the pioneering African American actor Clarence Muse, who co-wrote “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South”:

And a letter from another “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South” co-composer, Leon Rene:

Rene references new lyrics he composed to “Sleepy Time”–here they are:

Next, a trio of critics who could be pretty tough on Armstrong during his lifetime but put it aside to write to Lucille in her moment from grief. First, two letters from George T. Simon, the first in his role as Executive Director of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the second more personal:

A handwritten note from producer and critic John Hammond:

Finally, a telegram from Leonard Feather:

Feather’s is one of the only telegrams in this post–why? Because there had been a Western Union strike since May 31, 1971, something referenced in this condolence letter from the great John Bubbles of Buck and Bubbles:

The Western Union strike, however, didn’t apply to overseas telegrams, which Lucille received enough of to fill up an entire scrapbook. We will share those and other overseas letters in our next installment of this series.