March 1, 2019

Lil Harden Armstrong was one of the first important female jazz musicians. She was a pianist, composer, arranger and vocalist. She was Louis Armstrong’s second wife and she helped shape his career early on.

Lil collaborated with Louis in the 1920's including the classic Hot Five recordings. She wrote "Struttin’ with Some BBQ" among other notable tunes.

After she separated from Louis in 1931 she led her own bands and recorded throughout the 1930's. By the time the 1940's came around she left the music business for a while but continued to appear on occasion.