[Dixielandjazz] Banjoist on Armstrong's "Hello Dolly"

[Bill Haesler]

Robert Ringwald wrote:
> Joe Darensbourg told me that the Armstrong band recorded Hello Dolly sometime before leaving for a concert tour in maybe Porto rico. Unfortunately I am not good at remembering stories, facts and history told to me by the great musicians.  
> He said that they promptly forgot the song. They started getting requests for it on tour and couldn’t remember it. He said they had to have a record of it flown down to them from New York so they could relearn it. Once they played it in concert, the audience went wild. I also heard that the banjo was dubbed in Las Vegas later, after the recording session.But I can’t remember if it was Joe that told me that fact. But I can’t remember if it was Joe that told me that fact.  

Dear Bob,
Your memory ain't too bad for a young fella.
<big grin>
In Joe Darensboug's 1987 book ' Jazz Odyssey' he says on (pages 182-83) that they were in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1963, "around Christmas" when "Hello Dolly' started making the charts in America", they had all forgotten the tune, the lead sheet had been lost by Bob the band boy, the single could not be found in San Juan and one was flown down from New York.  
Louis premiered it on stage at the Hotel San Juan and "he had to take about eight curtain calls, so we knew right then that we had a hit."
Regarding the banjo player, Darensbourg says, "At the recording session Jack Kapp, the owner of the record company, and his son were there and they weren't satisfied with 'Dolly'. 'You know what we ought to do on this thing? It needs something to pep it up a little.' Somebody in the band said, 'Why don't you try banjo. Put something in there in front, that's unusual, might fit in.' They had a banjo player that lived close and they got hold of him. That's how that banjo part happened to come in there – just a second thought. I think it helped the record some."
Which could imply that it was added later. But not Las Vegas. 
Very kind regards,
Bill.