Louis Armstrong was not only a virtuoso musician, singer, composer and actor, but also a dedicated writer who carried a typewriter with him on his constant travels around the globe, turning out hundreds of letters and reminiscences. The man never stopped creating. His unique verbal, musical and visual content and style permeated everything he touched.
Included in this career biography are the major events of his life, his artistic innovations and cultural achievements, a detailed survey of his recordings and live performances, and in-depth discussions of his screen performances—not only Hollywood feature films but short films, European concert films, and dozens of television shows.

Scott Allen Nollen was educated in film and history at the University of Iowa. He has written and edited more than 40 books on the history of film, literature and music.

Scott Allen Nollen
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 239
Bibliographic Info: 58 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010 [2004]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4918-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface: The Most Righteous Cat      1

Introduction: You’ve Got to Dig Pops      7

1 Big Easy to Big Apple      13

2 Jim Crow and the Jazz Man      34

3 Silver-Screen Swing      68

4 To Hell with That      91

5 Take Me Along, Daddy      131

6 Wild Man and Duke      153

7 Richer Than Rockefeller      174

8 Dead Man Blues      194

Appendix A: Swingin’ Satchmo Sides      199

Appendix B: Satchmo in Hollywood      200

Appendix C: A Glossary of Satchmo-speak      210

Notes      213

Bibliography      219

Index      225

“compact and thorough…well documented”—ARBA.