[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong birthday broadcast

[Anton Crouch]

Hello Rae Ann

Sorry, but I can't find  the social security application on the internet 
or the Mississippi Rag reference. Do you have specific web addresses? Or 
a copy of the photo of the application?

To date the only document that I have known of, giving a birth date and 
signed by Armstrong, is the September 1918 WW1 Draft Registration Card - 
see:

http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/draftcards2.html#musdc

This shows the 4th July 1900 date and Armstrong's age as 18. Would 
Armstrong have intentionally given his age as 18 knowing that, as a 17 
year old, he was not required to register? Did he actually want to join 
the army?

All the best,
Anton


On 14/07/2012 23:36, rahberry at comcast.net wrote:
> Louis knew when his real birthday was. He put August 4 on the form
> he filled out when he applied for a social security card. He did make himself
> a year older than he really was, however, probably for a work-related reason.
>
>
> Anyone can find his social security application on the internet.
> I gave a copy of this application to a musician friend in about 2001. He wrote
> an article about it which was published, with a photo of the application, in the
> Mississippi Rag, acknowledging me as the finder.
> -- Rae Ann