Interview with Louis Armstrong is a high note
Louis Armstrong spread the message of music.
When I was 16, I met one of my musical heroes— Louis Armstrong, one of the alltime greats of jazz. The occasion was a concert given by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars on Nov. 24, 1956, at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
A junior at nearby Whitehall High School, I was sports editor of the school newspaper. Our faculty adviser knew I was into jazz and suggested that I interview Armstrong. My dad was active in many civic associations and knew the sponsors of the concert, so I was granted access to the band’s dressing room.
My favorite of Armstrong’s albums was one he made a year earlier. Called Ambassador Satch, it was recorded in 1955 in Europe while Armstrong and his band were touring as cultural diplomats for the U.S. State Department. Showing how long he’d been making records, one of the songs on that album was a revival of “West End Blues,” which he first recorded to great acclaim in 1928.
I started my interview by saying, “Mr. Armstrong, I want to tell you that I’m collecting your records and I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time.”
He gave me a big smile and said simply, “Thank you, Daddy.”
He talked about his early career, and also told me he hoped to play in Russia. Unfortunately, that tour never materialized. He said he never took vacations, and just wanted to make music.
Meanwhile, my dad spotted a professional photographer he knew and talked him into taking a picture of me with Armstrong. My interview and the picture ran on the front page of the school paper.