Louis Armstrong - An Extravagant Life (Paperback, 1st trade pbk. ed)

Louis Armstrong was the founding father of jazz and one of this century's towering cultural figures, yet the full story of his extravagant life has never been told.

Born in 1901 to the sixteen-year-old daughter of a slave, he came of age among the prostitutes, pimps, and rag-and-bone merchants of New Orleans.  He married four times and enjoyed countless romantic involvements in and around his marriages.  A believer in marijuana for the head and laxatives for the bowels, he was also a prolific diarist and correspondent, a devoted friend to celebrities from Bing Crosby to Ella Fitzgerald, a perceptive social observer, and, in his later years, an international goodwill ambassador.

And, of course, he was a dazzling musician.  From the bordellos and honky-tonks of Storyville--New Orleans's red light district--to the upscale nightclubs in Chicago, New York, and Hollywood, Armstrong's stunning playing, gravelly voice, and irrepressible personality captivated audiences and critics alike.  Recognized and beloved wherever he went, he nonetheless managed to remain vigorously himself.

Now Laurence Bergreen's remarkable book brings to life the passionate, courageous, and charismatic figure who forever changed the face of American music.

General

Imprint:	Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	June 1998
First published:	June 1998
Authors:	Laurence Bergreen
Dimensions:	216 x 141 x 35mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	564
Edition:	1st trade pbk. ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-7679-0156-7
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Composers & musicians Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Film, television, music, theatre Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Theory of music & musicology > General Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Jazz Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Ethnic studies > Black studies Books > Biography > Film, television, music, theatre Books > Music > Composers & musicians Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Jazz Books > Music > Theory of music & musicology > General
LSN:	0-7679-0156-8
Barcode:	9780767901567

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