National African American country music treasure Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong would have turned 100 on March 4, 2009. The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and other venues around the country will celebrate his centennial with screenings of his documentary SWEET OLD SONG.Howard died July 30, 2003, one year after the premier of SWEET OLD SONG. During that year he and Barbara performed at several screenings and Howard was able to return to his home state of Tennessee to receive the Governor’s Award in the Arts.
A screening of SWEET OLD SONG will be at The Country Music Hall of Fame on March 22nd at 2pm. Made possible in part by “P.O.V.,” in partnership with Nashville Public Television. Howard actually performed here in 2002 when the film was released.
Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong (born William Howard Taft Armstrong), was an string band and country blues musician who played fiddle, mandolin, guitar and sang. He was also a notable visual artist and raconteur.
Howard Armstrong was born in Dayton, Tennessee, and grew up in LaFollette. As a young teenager he taught himself to play the fiddle, and joined a band led by Blind Roland Martin and his brother Carl. They toured America performing a wide range of music, from work songs and spirituals through popular Tin Pan Alley tunes and foreign language songs.
In 1929 he recorded with Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell. The following year he recorded in Knoxville for Vocalion Records, with his brother Roland Armstrong and Carl Martin, billed as the Tennessee Chocolate Drops. Adding guitarist Ted Bogan, the band toured as part of a medicine show and backed blues artists like Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Minnie. They also performed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. In 1934 Armstrong and Bogan recorded State Street Rag and Ted's Stomp on the Bluebird label, with Armstrong using the stage name "Louie Bluie" which he had been given by a fan.
Howard Armstrong was born in Dayton, Tennessee, and grew up in LaFollette. As a young teenager he taught himself to play the fiddle, and joined a band led by Blind Roland Martin and his brother Carl. They toured America performing a wide range of music, from work songs and spirituals through popular Tin Pan Alley tunes and foreign language songs.
In 1929 he recorded with Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell. The following year he recorded in Knoxville for Vocalion Records, with his brother Roland Armstrong and Carl Martin, billed as the Tennessee Chocolate Drops. Adding guitarist Ted Bogan, the band toured as part of a medicine show and backed blues artists like Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Minnie. They also performed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. In 1934 Armstrong and Bogan recorded State Street Rag and Ted's Stomp on the Bluebird label, with Armstrong using the stage name "Louie Bluie" which he had been given by a fan.
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