[Dixielandjazz] Louis & Bix

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Some thoughts:

In the past, on meeting the man, did anyone solve the problem by simply
using "Mr Armstrong" ? And no, I'm not trying to be funny. Simple common
sense would dictate that, on meeting someone, we use the formal prefix and
wait for a cue as to how the person wishes to be addressed. From previous
posts, I think we know what the answer would have been. This doesn't alter
the fact that  people close to him did call him "Loo-ee" - eg Lilian Hardin
Armstrong.

I don't doubt that we will get at least two "definitive" answers to the St
Louis question. From a jazz perspective, I point-out that Bessie sings
"Loo-ee".

The Bix/Bismark matter is not quite as straightforward as most jazz
enthusiasts say it is. The "Birth Certificate" reproduced in Sudhalter &
Evans is not an original document (a witness) - it is a 1963 extract. Do we
have any listmates in Iowa? Has anyone seen the actual register? Why not
have a look at Book 6, Page 24 in the Scott County birth records?

All the best
Anton