Author Archives: Ricky Riccardi

Lucille Wilson Armstrong was born on January 13, 1914, 110 years ago today! Previously, we did a deep dive on Lucille’s full life in this post from 2020, but for today’s celebration, we will stick to Lucille’s widowhood and share some rare audio and video of Lucille in conversation that we recently digitized for theContinue reading ““Louis’s Lady Lucille”: Lucille Armstrong 110th Birthday Celebration!”

Welcome to part 40 in our ongoing series chronicling the friendship between Louis Armstrong and Jack Bradley. Our last post was spent at Nola Rehearsal Studios in Manhattan in mid-February 1968 as Louis and the All Stars prepared to record what turned out to a pretty forgettable pair of songs for Kapp Records. Today’s postContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 40–Disney Songs Rehearsal and Session February 1968″

Happy New Year, everyone. We’re starting 2024 just as we closed 2023, with part 39 of our ongoing series paying tribute to the friendship between Louis Armstrong and Jack Bradley. Today is a special day to publish a new entry as Jack Bradley himself was born on this date 90 years ago! We miss JackContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 39–Rehearsal for Kapp Session February 1968″

In our previous post, Louis Armstrong found himself in the recording studio, struggling mightily–and eventually succeeding–to sing four songs in Italian on December 11 and 12, 1967. He’d be back in the studio on December 18 for what turned out to be a much more relaxing experience, though the results were arguably heard by lessContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 38–Mitch Miller Session and Waldorf Christmas Benefit”

And now for something completely different! Has anyone out there heard Louis Armstrong sing in Italian? If you have, consider yourself a die-hard Pops fan, but if you haven’t, you’ve come to the right place as this post will contain the music, photos, and stories behind one of the most unique Armstrong recording projects inContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 37–Italian Sessions December 1967″

Our previous post dealt with a memorable few days Louis Armstrong spent making the rounds with Jack Bradley in Chicago in late October 1967. In it, we discussed a mysterious All Stars rehearsal that appeared to be for an upcoming Brunswick recording date. That turned out to be the case but it wasn’t until researchingContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 36–Roseland Benefit and Brunswick Session”

Our previous post ended with Louis Armstrong and His All Stars going back on the road on October 12, 1967, doing a string of one-nighters before winding up in Chicago towards the end of the month with a few days off. Coincidentally, Jack Bradley would be in Chicago at the same time! “I’ll never forgetContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 35–Chicago October 1967″

Our previous post was centered on a 25th wedding anniversary party Louis and Lucille Armstrong threw at their Corona, Queens home on October 7, 1967, but it also dealt with the release of two immortal Armstrong records that hit the market in September 1967: the Decca LP reissue (with influential liner notes by Dan Morgenstern)Continue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 34–Brunswick Session and Tonight Show Taping October 1967″

At the end of our last post, Louis Armstrong wrote a rollicking four-page letter to Jack Bradley and Jeann “Roni” Failows from Reno, Nevada in September 1967, shortly before ending up in the hospital for a few days with his second bout of pneumonia of the year. Around this same time, Decca Records released oneContinue reading ““The World’s Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 33–“Rare Items,” “What a Wonderful World,” and Corona Anniversary Party 1967″

This is the third, and final, post of our three-part series on Louis Armstrong’s August 1967 engagement at Caesar’s Monticello in Framingham, Massachusetts. If you’d like to catch up, Part 1 focused on photos Jack Bradley took of Armstrong, his sidemen, and entourage at the Monticello Motel, while Part 2 was stuffed with dozens ofContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 32–Funny Girl Cast Party and Reno Letter 1967″