Lil Hardin Armstrong was a unique woman who broke through many barriers in her career as a female jazz performer. She was talented, smart and had intense tenacity and perseverance in all areas of her life. She was a singer, composer, band leader, and pianist.
She was born on February 3, 1898 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her name at birth was Lillian Beatrice Hardin. Her parents divorced when she was quite young so she was raised mainly by her mother, Dempsey Hardin, who worked as a cook for a local white family. She was raised as an only child because her only sibling died as a baby.
Ms. Armstrong grew up in a boarding house in Memphis and became acquainted with tune through her Baptist church. She learned to play the organ at the tender age of six. She began to attend musical school and at age sixteen, won a contest which pointed her toward her musical career. Her mother tried to keep her away from the rowdy local musical lifestyle by sending her away to a Christian college.
Lil was quite well educated for a black woman of her era. She attended Fisk University, Chicago College as well as New York College of Music. Though she and her mother were poor, Dempsey put all of her money toward the education of her daughter.
Despite her mother's best efforts, Lil was drawn back to the jazz scene. She ended up playing blues in Memphis, a genre of music that her mother called "devil's music". She also worked in a record store where she met ragtime pianist, Jelly Roll Morton, the reported inventor of jazz. Eventually her mother accepted her daughter's musical path, deciding it was better than a life as a cook.
Ms. Armstrong originally married another musician named Jimmy Johnson. The marriage didn't last and she eventually met Louis Armstrong, who would be her next husband. Louis fell in love with "Hot Miss Lil" at first sight. She wasn't so sure about him initially, but the two developed a deep bond that became as much a business partnership as it was a marriage. She is credited at recognizing Louis' talent and catapulting him to stardom, with her finesse, savvy and business management skills.
Their marriage lasted for fourteen years but broke up after his repeated infidelities became too much for her to bear. In the early years following their divorce, she still wrote songs for him. Finally, though, distraught over the breakup of their relationship, Lil lost interest in her music for a while. She worked as a fashion designer, a soul food restaurant owner, and as a piano and French teacher.
Lil Hardin Armstrong was a strong and tenacious woman as well as a talented musician. By the time she passed away on August 27, 1971, she had left her mark on American music and women's rights.
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