When I said I was in my youth, I mean I was just into my teens. My cousin/Godmother’s husband was an avid jazz fan, his dad having roomed with Hoagy Carmichael in college. Louis made annual visits to the Riviera Ballroom in Lake Geneva, WI and my cousins started bringing me to the concerts when I turned a teenager. Today, all I listen to is jazz and standards.
I met Louis on my first concert. At the break, I went to ask for autographs from Trummy Young & Ed Hall who’d stopped at the bar for a drink (not sure it was alcohol...I was too nervous to wonder over such stuff). They said they would but asked me to come back in a little while after they’d had a few minutes to rest. True to their word, they motioned me over and we became acquainted. While talking, Louis came up, I was introduced to him, and I was never so thrilled.
The next year, he must have seen me in the audience because during the break, after coming in from the bus, he motioned me over and asked how I was doing. It was then he called me “Jimbo” for the first time, recalling my name. Over the course of the next couple years he always had time for me during the breaks.
Obviously, this wasn’t a big relationship but it was a personal one, one I’ll always remember with gratitude. He was a special man who showed a kindness to me I didn’t expect, being the ‘star’ that he was. Is there any wonder I’ve been a fan ever since?
Great story, Jimbo!
You’re probably aware that Louis filled in on trumpet for Jimmie Rodgers, the Mississippi white country music star, on “Blue Yodel no. 9” in 1930, with Louis’ wife Lillian playing piano. I don’t know if Jimmie and Louis had any kind of personal friendship, but it must have been rare, and somewhat of a risk, for RCA Victor to issue a record featuring white and black musicians back then. Both men were at the top of their game. Unfortunately Rodgers only lived 3 or 4 more years.
What a wealth of experiences our Freepers have!
What a testament to this wonderful man!