The following is a guest post by Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis.
The Music Division presents its newest research guide: Louis Armstrong and Lillian “Lil” Hardin: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress. This guide connects researchers to primary and secondary sources such as holograph manuscript sheet music, photographs, and unpublished correspondence related to the two jazz legends. A multihyphenate by today’s standards, Armstrong’s distinctive sound and improvisational style helped to define the sound of early jazz and elevate the burgeoning American artform to a level that garnered respect worldwide.
While Louis Armstrong is a household name, less known is the inspiration behind this guide, his second wife Lillian “Lil” Hardin Armstrong. Hardin was a classically trained pianist who found her place in the Chicago jazz community alongside greats such as King Oliver. Hardin’s classical training and business acumen contributed greatly to Armstrong’s success. Although married less than a decade, the two remained close friends until Armstrong’s death in 1971.
According to James L. Dickerson author of “Just for a Thrill: Lil Hardin Armstrong, First Lady of Jazz,” after her death, Hardin’s estate was not preserved or passed down to any of her living relatives. To this day, with the exception of one letter from Armstrong that was auctioned off to a private collector, the whereabouts of her estate remain unknown. While this void in the historical record adds great difficulty to the work of preserving an authentic account of her legacy, the Music Division is proud to contribute by ensuring the safekeeping of several autograph copyright deposits in the form of lead sheets in Hardin’s own hand.
In addition to the dozens of lead sheet copyright deposits written in the hand of either Armstrong or Hardin, this guide features several other one-of-a-kind items that are unique to the Music Division’s holdings such as:
- Correspondence between Louis Armstrong and his long-time manager Joe Glaser
- Production materials from some of Armstrong’s motion picture features such as “The Five Pennies” and “The Glenn Miller Story”
- Video footage of lectures about Armstrong and Hardin delivered by jazz scholars Dan Morgenstern and Dr. Thomas Brothers
The jazz community lost both Armstrong and Hardin over fifty years ago; however, the state of scholarship surrounding their legacies continues to evolve. This guide will be updated as more is uncovered throughout the Library’s collections.