July 16, 1930: Jimmie Rodgers Meets Louis (and Lil) Armstrong

If they ever posed for a picture together,

Google Images doesn't have it.

July 16, 1930: "Standing On the Corner," also known as "Blue Yodel #9," is recorded in Los Angeles. It's early proof that "country music," music for poor rural white people, and "the blues," music for poor rural black people, not only can go together, but it's natural for them to do so.

The lead singer is Jimmie Rodgers, a country singer known as "The Singing Brakeman," for his earlier job on a railroad. The Mississippi native was known for his yodeling, and for his wise-guy attitude, of which this song has plenty.

Not billed on the RCA Victor record label were the song's trumpeter and its pianist. It wasn't because they were both black, and Rodgers was white, and Jim Crow was still in effect -- although that may explain why the song was recorded in Southern California, and not in the South. No, the trumpeter and the pianist were not billed because they were signed to Okeh Records, which was then owned by Columbia Records, and thus affiliated with CBS, arch-rival to NBC, which was owned by RCA.

The trumpeter was Louis Armstrong. The pianist was his wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong. Yes, the man called "The Father of Country Music" made a record with the King and Queen of Jazz.

According to Thomas Brothers, who wrote a biography of Louis, the irregular blues form along with the irregular phrases used by Jimmie frequently threw him off, until he reached his own solo chorus, where he stuck to a regular 12 bar blues form.

In 1970, 40 years later, and with not much longer to live, Armstrong appeared on The Johnny Cash Show, and played while Cash sang the song.

By that point, Ray Charles had released a couple of big-selling albums of his take on country music, and Charlie Pride had been the 1st black singer to really make it in the genre. A few have followed, including Darius Rucker, who left his rock band Hootie & The Blowfish to sing country. In 2019, Lil Nas X released "Old Town Road," a duet with Billy Ray Cyrus, and it became the biggest song of the year, reminding everyone that black people singing country music was not only possible, but should be encouraged.

UPDATE: In 2024, Beyoncé, a native of Houston, released "Texas Hold 'Em," an obvious country song, and hit Number 1, triggering a lot of racists.

*

July 16, 1930 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 2-1 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Ed Wells went the distance for the win. He did his best pitching in the 1929-31 period when the Yankees were in transition, and the Philadelphia Athletics won the American League Pennant. He did pitch for them in their title-winning season of 1932, but did not appear in the World Series.

Babe Ruth did not play. Lou Gehrig went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Part of the aforementioned transition is that, following the sale of Bob Meusel to the Cincinnati Reds, they didn't have a star left fielder again until Charlie Keller in 1939. For this game, Earle Combs, normally in center field, moved over to left, Harry Rice was in center, and Sammy Byrd, known as "Babe Ruth's Legs" for filling in for him for defensive purposes so many times, played the whole game in right. Rice hit a home run.

* The New York Giants lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-1 at the Polo Grounds. Bill Terry went 0-for-3 with a walk. Mel Ott went 1-for-4.

* A doubleheader was split at Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn Dodgers -- or the Brooklyn Robins, as they were known while Wilbert Robinson was their manager, from 1914 to 1931 -- lost the opener to the Chicago Cubs, 6-4. They won the nightcap, 5-3.

* A doubleheader was split at Braves Field in Boston. The Boston Braves won the 1st game, 4-3. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 2nd game, 9-5.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-5 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.

* A doubleheader was split at League Park in Cleveland. The Washington Senators won the 1st game, 10-4. The Cleveland Indians won the 2nd game, 13-6.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Navin Field in Detroit. (That ballpark was later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium.)

* And the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 14-7 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The A's Hall-of-Famers all contributed. Lefty Grove started on the mound, and got a hit, but, with the A's already leading 9-3, manager Connie Mack pinch-hit for him in the top of the 3rd. Mickey Cochrane and Al Simmons each went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jimmie Foxx went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. But the biggest hitter on this day was not a Hall-of-Famer: Bing Miller went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs.

July 11, 1922: The Hollywood Bowl Opens

July 11, 1922: The Hollywood Bowl opens. The name makes it sound like a football stadium. And, not far away, in Pasadena, the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum were under construction. Instead, this is an amphitheatre built into a natural bowl, with the world's most famous "band shell."

It is home to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and is the Summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. And, unlike the HOLLYWOOD sign, which isn’t even within walking distance of a bus stop, it’s only a mile from a station on L.A.’s relatively new subway.

Its 17,500 seats have hosted, among others:

* 1956: Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

* 1964 and 1965: The Beatles.

* 1966: The Rolling Stones.

* 1967: Diana Ross & The Supremes.

* 1967: The Monkees.

* 1968: The Doors, with Steppenwolf and The Chambers Brothers as opening acts.

* 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968.

* 1970: A tribute to songwriter Richard Rodgers, hosted by Ed Sullivan and edited for broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show, with Rodgers' songs, written with both Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein, sung by, among others, Johnny Mathis and "Mama" Cass Elliott.

* 1972: Alice Cooper.

* 1972: Pink Floyd.

* 1973: Elton John.

* 1980: The cast of Monty Python's Flying Circus, performing some of their most popular sketches.

* 1991: Sting.

* 1997: Prince.

* 2000: The Who.

* 2005: Cher on her "Farewell Tour."

* 2008 Hanson.

* 2012: The Beach Boys’ 50th Anniversary Tour.

* 2015: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett together.

* 2017: Queen, with Adam Lambert singing lead. (They never played there with Freddie Mercury.)

* 2021: Christina Aguilera.

On April 10, 1978, this clue was given on the TV game show Match Game: "When the Jolly Green Giant eats breakfast, he doesn't eat out of a cereal bowl, he eats his breakfast out of the (blank) bowl." The contestant said, "The Hollywood Bowl." He matched actress Brett Somers, actor and game-show host Richard Dawson and actress Joyce Bulifant. Comedian Tom Dreesen, actor Charles Nelson Reilly and actress Debralee Scott said "The Rose Bowl," which is a much bigger bowl than the Hollywood Bowl.

On May 4, 1922, the Bowl hosted the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, and comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked onstage. He wasn’t hurt.

*

July 11, 1922 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 2-1 at the Polo Grounds. Bullet Joe Bush outpitched Urban Shocker, a once-and-future Yankee with a great name for a New Yorker, although he was actually from Cleveland. Aaron Ward hit a home run for the Yankees. Each team's best player, the Yankees' Babe Ruth and the Browns' George Sisler, went 0-for-4.

* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-0 at Cubs Park (renamed Wrigley Field in 1926) in Chicago. Jesse Barnes pitched a 5-hit shutout. Casey Stengel went 1-for-2.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known from 1914 to 1931, when Wilbert Robinson was their manager) lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-4 at Redland Field (renamed Crosley Field in 1934) in Cincinnati. Zack Wheat went 1-for-4 for Brooklyn. For Cincinnati, Babe Pinelli hit a home run. He later became an umpire, and was behind the plate for Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Guy Morton pitched a 4-hit shutout. Indians player-manager Tris Speaker went 1-for-4.

* The Philadelphia Athletics swept a doubleheader from the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 and 9-8 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Tigers player-manager Ty Cobb went 4-for-8 over the 2 games.

* The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-2 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Eddie Collins went 0-for-4.

* The Boston Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Jesse Haines pitched a 2-hit shutout.

July 6, 1971: Louis Armstrong Dies

You might be cool, but you'll never be as cool as

Louis Armstrong on the phone, wearing pajamas and a Mets cap,

in his home recording studio.

July 6, 1971: Louis Armstrong dies of a heart attack at his home in the Corona neighborhood of the Borough of Queens, in New York City.

The all-time icon of jazz had been billed as being born in New Orleans, which was correct, on the 4th of July, 1900, which was not. It was later discovered that his actual date of birth was August 6, 1901, so he was not quite 70 when he died. He was buried at Flushing Cemetery in Queens.

Known as "Satchelmouth" for his big mouth, which was later shortened to "Satchmo" and "Satch," and "Pops" as he got older, Louis was a big sports fan. In the 1930s, he sponsored Negro League baseball teams. He had season tickets to the Yankees until Shea Stadium was built just a few blocks from his house, and so he switched to the Mets.

Billy Crystal remembered that, for his first live major league game, on May 30, 1956, his father had used his connections in the music business, and got Louis' seats at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees beat the Washington Senators, and Mickey Mantle hit a home run off the facade on the right field roof, less than 2 feet from going completely out of the Stadium.

And for some reason, unusual for black Americans in his time, Louis loved tennis. When the National Tennis Center was established in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in 1978, the stadium known as the Singer Bowl, built for the 1964 World's Fair, was made its centerpiece, and it was renamed Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The original Louis Armstrong Stadium

When Arthur Ashe Stadium was built in 1997, it was decided to tear Armstrong Stadium down and build a new stadium with the name, to act as the U.S. Open's secondary facility. It opened in 2018, and seats 14,000 people.

The new Louis Armstrong Stadium

Angry over the lack of progress in New Orleans, Louis chose to keep his residence in New York. Nevertheless, on August 4, 2001, in honor of the Centennial of his birth, the city renamed its airport Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

*

July 6, 1971 was a Tuesday. It was the off-season for the NFL, the NBA, the ABA and the NHL. But there were Major League Baseball games played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 12-7 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Roy White and Ron Hansen hit home runs for the Yankees, but Stan Bahnsen got knocked out of the box in the 2nd inning, and Mickey Lolich went the distance for the Tigers.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 5-1 at Shea Stadium.

* A doubleheader was split at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles won the 1st game 6-2, and the Washington Senators won the 2nd game 3-2.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Atlanta (later Atlanta-Fulton County) Stadium. Hal King hit a home run for the Braves. Hank Aaron did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Dick Drago pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-5 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The Houston Astros beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Joe Morgan and Cesar Cedeno each got 3 hits for the Astros, and Bob Watson had 2 RBIs, to make a winning pitcher out of Jack Billingham. Bobby Bonds hit a home run for the Giants. Willie Mays did not, but went 1-for-3.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres had a scheduled day off during their series at San Diego Stadium. 

February 26, 1926: Louis Armstrong Gets the Heebie Jeebies

Left to right: Johnny Dodds, Louis Armstrong,

Johnny St. Cyr, Kid Ory and Lil Hardin Armstrong.

February 26, 1926: Louis Armstrong gets the heebie jeebies.

His band was billed as "Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five." His wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong, played piano. It was she who "took the country out of him" and convinced him to assert himself, both on the bandstand and with money. This would end up working against her: Within a few years, he divorced her for spending too much of his money.

The others were musicians he'd previously worked with in his hometown of New Orleans: Edward "Kid" Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Johnny St. Cyr on guitar, and sometimes banjo.

Although all of the Hot Five got their professional starts in New Orleans, their initial recording, on November 12, 1925, was in Chicago, at the studio of Okeh Records. He had previously recorded as the trumpet player in the jazz band of Joe "King" Oliver, but this was his 1st time recording a band he led. They recorded Louis' compositions "Yes! I'm in the Barrel" and "Gut Bucket Blues," and Lil's composition "My Heart."

Their next session was on February 26, 1926. Among the songs they recorded was "Heebie Jeebies," written by saxophone player Boyd Atkins. The term "heebie jeebies" was coined by Billy DeBeck, the cartoonist who wrote the Barney Google strip. It means a feeling of anxiety or apprehension.

In addition to playing trumpet like nobody's business, Louis, known as "Satchelmouth" for his big mouth, eventually shortened to "Satchmo" or "Satch," tried scat singing, and this made the record his first real hit.

Armstrong, Ory and St. Cyr would all later admit that the reason Armstrong was scatting -- something already well-known in jazz circles, but not on record -- is that he didn't know the words, and was reading them off a sheet of paper, and he dropped it, and had to improvise. His scatting was the defining "roar" of the Roaring Twenties.

(There's an old joke: "Why does a hummingbird hum? Because he doesn't know the words." And another: Musicians are playing in an apartment, and a woman in the apartment building next door opens her window and yells across the alley, "Don't you know people are trying to sleep?" And the bandleader, acting as if "People Are Trying to Sleep" is a song title, says, "No, but if you hum a few bars of it, we'll catch on!")

In 1928, Armstrong formed a new Hot Five, replacing everyone but himself with members of the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra: Fred Robinson on trombone, Jimmy Strong on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Earl Hines (later nicknamed "Fatha," short for "Father") on piano, Mancy Carr on banjo, and Arthur "Zutty" Singleton on drums. So now it really was Louis Armstrong and a Hot Five. It was this group that recorded the landmark instrumental "West End Blues" in 1928.

Louis Armstrong died on July 6, 1971, of heart trouble, in New York, a few days short of his 70th birthday. Lil Hardin Armstrong died a few weeks after that. Johnny Dodds, the greatest jazz clarinetist of the 1920s, was an alcoholic, and it gave him a fatal heart attack in 1940. Mancy Carr followed in 1946, Johnny St. Cyr in 1966, Kid Ory in 1973, Zutty Singleton in 1975, Jimmy Strong in 1977, Earl Hines in 1983, and Fred Robinson in 1984.

In 1956, rock and roll pioneer Little Richard recorded a different song titled "Heebie Jeebies." It was not a hit.

*

February 26, 1926 was a Friday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. There was 1 game played in the NHL: The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Montreal Maroons, 1-0 at the Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh. The Pirates moved in 1930, becoming the Philadelphia Quakers, and folded after 1 more season. The Maroons won the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935, but lost money, and folded in 1938.