About The Louis Armstrong Discography
This online discography was begun in 1996 by Scott Johnson,
a musician and graphic artist
who became enamored with Armstrong's music in the mid-1980s
but lamented the absence of comprehensive and readily available
discographic information for Armstrong. Much of the material
came from CD liner notes, Hans Westerberg's rare 1981 published discography
The Boy from New Orleans, and from user comments.
With the publication of Jos Willem's definitive Armstrong discography in 2006,
Johnson felt the site had served its purpose and was taken down.
However, I recognized that there was still some value in having
an online Armstrong resource and offered to adopt the site in early
2007, posting it on my personal website.
The site was upgraded from static HTML to XML/CSS/PHP and relaunched in May, 2007
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The quintessential source for discographic information on Louis Armstrong is
Jos Willems' All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong,
which was released in 2006 and is available from
amazon.com.
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"Satchmo" by Gary Giddins (1988, Anchor Books),
served as the source for most of the Armstrong portraits that bring beauty to the endless type.
It cannot be recommended highly enough; gw'on, buy a copy and give Mr. Giddins his due!
You should also seek the video of the same name, a sensational and indispensable documentary.
Another most helpful resource has been "LOUIS" by Max Jones and John Chilton (1971, DaCapo),
which covers Armstrong's story in great detail.
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By far, the most interesting and comprehensive biography yet is Laurence Bergreen's
1997 publication of "Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life." Bergreen has
painted his portrait of Louis with strikingly vibrant colors and daring brushstrokes
that, rather than dab at his life story with muted respect, creates an astonishingly
well-rounded picture of a vital figure of our century, one who never shunned or sought
to hide his own history. Every follower of Armstrong has by now devoured this priceless volume.
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All the CD covers incorporated in this website are the property of their respective record
companies. Generally, if they are included, they can be considered well worth accumulating for
your own collection. There are a vast number of released collections presenting various
permutations of Armstrong's recordings in widely varying levels of quality based on
the physical sources and restoration/mastering techniques. You would be well-advised to
do a web search for buyer reviews and comments before purchasing an unfamiliar collection.
All book covers are the property of their respective publishers.
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