Fwd: [Dixielandjazz] Artie Shaw

[ALSINGERPRESENTS at aol.com]

   Roy Eldridge was travelling in the South on Artie's band and he was 
getting more and more frustrated with the multitude of  indignities he was subjected 
to because of his race. He began to drink too much ,as Artie tells it,.. and 
after the gig one night he became very belligerent in an argument with Shaw 
and pulled a knife on him....to which Artie said he told  Roy ,"If I'm not your 
friend ,then who is"  Then Artie went on to say ,as much as he did not want to 
he had to fire Eldridge. and that's when he put Hot Lips Page on the band. 
You can  read about his well known Lady Day story.          al  singer