Twenties Today has your exclusive peek into the secret life of Louis Armstrong. In this article, we piece together the inside details of his 4 marriages, numerous affairs, and the eccentricity of his lifestyle.
He was born in New Orleans in 1901 into a poverty stricken home. His father ran off with another woman when Louis was still an infant. His mother-who was only 15 at the time of his birth-worked as a prostitute. Louis had to learn early how to make it out on the tough streets of the Storyville District-the part of New Orleans known as the ghetto.
He started out his life of trouble at the age of 12 when he was arrested and sent to a juvenile boys home for disrupting the peace. He was released two years later. At the young age of 18, Armstrong met and married a prostitute named Daisy Parker-the first of his marriages to quickly end in divorce.
Armstrong was later invited to join the Creole Jazz Band in Chicago. There he met fellow band mate and pianist Lillian Hardin. They quickly fell in love and were married in 1924.
In this time period, Armstrong turned to marijuana to help him deal with the stress of constant performances. He later says in his autobiography Gage that “The first time that I smoked Marijuana, or Gage as they so beautifully call it, was a couple of years after I had left Flecther Henderson's Orchestra…And I'm telling you, I had myself a Ball.”
Armstrong was arrested in 1931 for possession of marijuana, but released 6 months later.
After divorcing his 2nd wife Lillian in 1938, he married Alpha Smith, who was, in short, a gold-digger and fame seeker.
Only four years later, he divorced again, this time to marry a dancer named Lucille Wilson. They remained together until his death in 1969.
Louis also had numerous affairs throughout his married life, most with women who remain unknown. In a quote taken from www.bestofneworleans.com, it is said that Armstrong had “three big reasons why he likes to return often [to New Orleans] and why he has a good time when he does return. In the accompanying photograph, the "three big reasons" are identified: they are Miss Patterson Hotel, Miss Rip's Playhouse and Miss Grand Hotel, finalists in the Miss New Orleans contest. The beauties are all making eye contact with the photographer; only Louis looks elsewhere, probably at a fourth finalist standing off camera.” (“Louis and Women” by By Bruce Boyd Raeburn)
Although he went through several messy divorces, Armstrong is said to have had good relationships with each of his ex-wives.
So, it is asked again, "Louis Armstrong: Greatest Jazz Musician of all time, or Player addicted to drugs and love?" You decide.
