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Just for a Thrill: Lil Hardin Armstrong, First Lady of Jazz
"Hot Miss Lil" Hardin was the star pianist of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band when, in 1922, a trumpet player named Louis Armstrong joined the band in Chicago. The educated and polished Hardin was decidedly unimpressed with Armstrong's lack of sophistication, yet she recognized a wealth of untapped potential in the shy young trumpeter. Over the course of the next few years, Hardin taught Louis how to read music, urged him to take the spotlight, and eventually became his second wife. Encouraging his own natural talent, Lil Hardin Armstrong helped turn Louis Armstrong from a gifted second coronet into a jazz legend.
In Just for a Thrill , biographer James Dickerson tells Lil's remarkable story, from her childhood in Memphis with a mother who beat her for playing 'the devil's music,' to her death onstage during a memorial jazz concert for Louis in 1971. Her marriage to Louis and the musical innovations that came from their years as jazz's first power couple forms the centerpiece of Lil's story. Their divorce, according to Dickerson, was a blow from which Lil never recovered.
Dickerson guides readers through the underworld of jazz's past, when Memphis's red light district and mob clubs in Chicago were among the only places jazz musicians could perform, and when, despite Lil's warnings, Louis took on gangsters as business partners. His account of Lil's years with Louis recalls the landmark recordings they made together, the career lows that followed the highs, and Lil's commitment to free Louis from the poverty and racism that he never thought he could escape.
A prolific songwriter, an energetic recording artist, and an exemplary entertainer, Lil Hardin Armstrong has been overlooked for decades. Dickerson's book sets the record straight, revisiting the triumphs and heartbreaks of her life and calling overdue attention to her remarkable contributions to American music.
In Just for a Thrill , biographer James Dickerson tells Lil's remarkable story, from her childhood in Memphis with a mother who beat her for playing 'the devil's music,' to her death onstage during a memorial jazz concert for Louis in 1971. Her marriage to Louis and the musical innovations that came from their years as jazz's first power couple forms the centerpiece of Lil's story. Their divorce, according to Dickerson, was a blow from which Lil never recovered.
Dickerson guides readers through the underworld of jazz's past, when Memphis's red light district and mob clubs in Chicago were among the only places jazz musicians could perform, and when, despite Lil's warnings, Louis took on gangsters as business partners. His account of Lil's years with Louis recalls the landmark recordings they made together, the career lows that followed the highs, and Lil's commitment to free Louis from the poverty and racism that he never thought he could escape.
A prolific songwriter, an energetic recording artist, and an exemplary entertainer, Lil Hardin Armstrong has been overlooked for decades. Dickerson's book sets the record straight, revisiting the triumphs and heartbreaks of her life and calling overdue attention to her remarkable contributions to American music.
- GenresBiographyMusicNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 28, 2022
It is utterly heartbreaking to think of all the untold stories of the individuals who have walked this earth. I was reminded of this fact while reading this book.
Lil Hardin is known as the second wife of Louis Armstrong, but it is often forgotten that she was a talented pianist, singer, and music arranger. Among historians, Lil is credited as the brains behind Louis' success. She wrote and arranged music that are known as jazz classics (i.e. Struttin' with Some Barbeque, Just for a Thrill, Lindy Hop).
But do we talk about her? No. Not only was she a woman in the male-centered world of early jazz, but she was a Black woman.
Dickerson's book isn't quite comprehensive of Lil's life (despite its best efforts), but it does a great job of paralleling her life with the racial, cultural, and economic tensions within the US during the early 20th Century. It also draws comparisons between Lil's musical career and the careers of other well-known jazz musicians (including Louis). I definitely recommend if you enjoy reading about history!
Lil Hardin is known as the second wife of Louis Armstrong, but it is often forgotten that she was a talented pianist, singer, and music arranger. Among historians, Lil is credited as the brains behind Louis' success. She wrote and arranged music that are known as jazz classics (i.e. Struttin' with Some Barbeque, Just for a Thrill, Lindy Hop).
But do we talk about her? No. Not only was she a woman in the male-centered world of early jazz, but she was a Black woman.
Dickerson's book isn't quite comprehensive of Lil's life (despite its best efforts), but it does a great job of paralleling her life with the racial, cultural, and economic tensions within the US during the early 20th Century. It also draws comparisons between Lil's musical career and the careers of other well-known jazz musicians (including Louis). I definitely recommend if you enjoy reading about history!
February 15, 2018
Not great literature, but also far from poorly written, and full of illuminating stories and anecdotes about this seriously under-valued jazz pioneer. The author makes the case that Louis Armstrong would basically not have been who he was or did all that he did without her hard work and constant input. Educational more than anything else, this is still a fun read for anyone with an interest in the roots of this uniquely American form of music.
March 16, 2020
Lil really was a ball of fire. I wish I had her talent and determination. I like to remember Lil dying doing what she loved best.The end of this book is so sad. Who would loot a dead woman's house?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2014
Rarely does one find a published biography so poorly researched, misleading, and lacking in pertinent information. I give it a single star because the subject's name is spelled correctly, but that is being generous.
The author obviously has little to say about his subject, so he has filled the book with irrelevant material about other performers, gangsters, the Confederacy, etc. What little there is about Lil Hardin Armstrong is based on his assumptions into which he laces a thin thread of commonly known facts. Even people who played important roles in Lil's life have been left out of this appalling, sloppy piece of work.
Dickerson does the memory of Lil a disservice—this isn't even good fiction.
The author obviously has little to say about his subject, so he has filled the book with irrelevant material about other performers, gangsters, the Confederacy, etc. What little there is about Lil Hardin Armstrong is based on his assumptions into which he laces a thin thread of commonly known facts. Even people who played important roles in Lil's life have been left out of this appalling, sloppy piece of work.
Dickerson does the memory of Lil a disservice—this isn't even good fiction.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews