Behind the Scenes Tour of the Armstrong House – Part 4

Virtual Exhibit • April 21, 2025

Welcome to the third installment of Hyland Harris’ s behind-the-scenes walkthrough of the Louis Armstrong House Museum (in case you missed them, here are the links for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3). In the fourth and final part, Hyland shows off selections from Louis Armstrong’s record collection and takes viewers through the Armstrong’s Garden,Continue reading “Behind the Scenes Tour of the Armstrong House – Part 4”

Louis Armstrong and Comedy Part 1: Early Influences Bert Williams and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson

Virtual Exhibit • April 21, 2025

Last week, we promised a long post to scratch the surface of the gigantic topic of Louis Armstrong and Comedy. After assembling it, it was so long that frankly, we weren’t sure how many readers were going to be able to get to the end of it, especially in one shot. Thus, we will beContinue reading “Louis Armstrong and Comedy Part 1: Early Influences Bert Williams and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson”

Louis Armstrong and Comedy Part 2: “Always a Showman!” 1922-1933

Virtual Exhibit • April 21, 2025

Last week, we kicked off our multi-part examination of Louis Armstrong and comedy with an in-depth look at Armstrong’s two earliest and greatest comedic influences, Bert Williams and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. Armstrong saw Robinson at the Erlanger (still named the Palace) in Chicago in late 1922 and had his life changed right then and there.Continue reading “Louis Armstrong and Comedy Part 2: “Always a Showman!” 1922-1933″

“Satchmo Charms Congo Cats”: Louis Armstrong and Leopoldville, 60 Years Later

Virtual Exhibit • April 21, 2025

On October 27, 1960, the United Press International reported, “The United Nations Command cracked down Wednesday on unruly troops of Congolese strongman Col. Joseph Mobutu. It ordered the soldiers who have been rampaging through Leopoldville to get out of the capital and back to their barracks by today.” The report added that these soldiers “haveContinue reading ““Satchmo Charms Congo Cats”: Louis Armstrong and Leopoldville, 60 Years Later”