Louis "Sachmo" Armstrong, a renowned trumpet player and singer, was also a goodwill ambassador, movie star, prolific writer and collage artist. For many years, however, “the Father of Jazz” kept silent on the issues of race. He never marched or made appearances with civil rights leaders or anything like that. When criticized for not taking any public stand Armstrong would simply reply, “I don’t get involved in politics. I just blow my horn.”
The above video is from 1957... learn more after the jump.
In an interview in 1957, reporter Larry Lubenow (21 years old) quickly changed Louis Armstrong's image as a passive political representative or silent activist. In order to get a longer and earlier interview with the legend, Lebenow posed as a hotel waiter and brought Sachmo a lobster dinner. When he revealed himself Armstrong was down to do what would become the famous and controversial interview on the spot, “It’s getting almost so bad a colored man hasn’t got any country,” Armstrong said. He called President Dwight Eisenhower, “two faced”, and said he had “no guts”. When discussing his upcoming tour abroad he exclaimed, “People over there are going to ask me what’s wrong with my country. What am I supposed to say?” Lubenow let the legend read over the interview after he'd finished compiling it. “Don’t take nothing out of that story,” Sachmo demanded. “That’s just what I said, and still say.” He then wrote “solid” on the bottom of the story and signed his name. Just recognize flex.
And one of my favorites.
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