No Louis without Lil.

“The second wife of Louis Armstrong”. That is the most prominent and popular tag line used in search results when you look up Lil Hardin-Armstrong— but that’s not quite the story I’ve gathered. The most interesting thing I’ve found about Lil’s story is that there’s really two major accounts of it: what you believe about Lil depends on where you got your information from. Some really did just see her as one of the women who married Louis Armstrong, lots have never even heard of her, and the others know that reducing her to the title of “second wife” is nothing short of offensive. I fall into that last category. What better month than Black History Month to get some of the real history straight, and clear up how yet another Black woman’s influence is being slept on?

Without Lil, you likely wouldn’t even know who Louis Armstrong was, let alone have old Satchmo maintain the title of “one of the most influential figures in jazz music.” Lil was not just Louis’ second wife: she was his manager, co-writer, stylist, publicist, and she just happened to be married to him for some of that time. She was also a very talented jazz musician and composer herself— she wrote “Just for a Thrill”, (a hit when Ray Charles performed it later) AND she wrote “Bad Boy” (which a lot of people think Ringo Starr wrote— nope, a talented black woman not getting credit once again). Lil wasn’t some groupie fawning over Louis at a show when they met, she was playing in that band along with him, and long before he showed up.

Lil was mastering the keys at a young age, and word has it that her mother tried her best to keep her out of that evil jazz scene by having her learn more about piano at University away from Chicago, but Lil found her way to the scene anyway. Lil’s knack for reading sheet music landed her a modest job in the Jones music shop, but that was where her fate caught up; this was where Lil her met and learned rag time style piano from Jelly Roll Morton. The rumours of Lil‘s talent was sweeping Chicago, and soon enough she was the only female in a local cabaret jazz band, soon to become King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. You know, the mega popular jazz band that had jazz sweeping the nations. Yeah, she was there. And don’t you forget it.

Years, gigs, songs, shows came and gone, and Lil was still tickling the ivories in an all male jazz band much to her mother’s dismay. She married a singer named Jimmy, and made a pretty penny playing music for a living: life was good... until a few years later. Who strolled into the King Oliver’s Creole Jazz band but this country bumpkin dude named Louis playing a coronet with a bad haircut. Interestingly enough, this one part of Lil’s story that is rarely disputed: she was utterly unimpressed by Louis, and found him honestly quite annoying. Lil detested his clothing, his hair, and his general mannerisms, and yet, being the determined, creative, badass woman she was, she decided to help his dumb ass out, only to make a mark on history by literally creating Louis Armstrong.

Lil taught Louis to dress, to perform, to be Louis; she taught him how to better win over the big city audiences and to properly showcase his talent. Sure enough, throughout the arduous process of trying to teach a man to act right, she seemed to fall for the guy. Lil and Louis each divorced their first spouses to be together chasing the jazz musician’s dream. Eventually Lil told Louis to move on to other bands and eventually on to his solo career. She helped him compose and perform his music, playing the unmistakable jazz piano in his most influential early records. They each continued to make music, both together and apart, quite successfully.

Despite Lil’s best efforts, Louis was cheating, boozing, and carrying on in the jazz scene as per usual, and after a short while, Lil decided she had had enough. Now, this whole chapter of Lil’s story is something not all folks agree on. Lil and Louis seperated and remained separated for several months before divorce was filed, and so, many people assumed that Lil was hoping Louis would leave the jazz lifestyle behind to reconcile. However, some sources revealed that in fact, Louis begged Lil not to file, because he didn’t want to lose out financially. Might I point out that at the time divorce was filed, Louis was already shacked up with Alpha Smith, soon-to-be third wife and woman he cheated with Lil on at the time. Lil said screw it and she filed anyway.

What’s VERY interesting to me, is that in a time where women, much less Black women, were largely discounted as deserving or trustworthy individuals in comparison to men in these times, Lil won her divorce settlement. She got all of her property and all of the rights to the music she had written with Louis. So the general public must have known her impact on the industry, on Louis’ career, in order for the legal system to make such a statement. She wasn’t asking for anything less than what she deserved, and not once did she let the fact that she was outnumbered in the industry, overlooked by society, and looked down upon by her oppressors, stop her from demanding she get the credit that was due. She knew her worth, added tax, and asked for it on paper. She really said, “Really, Lou? I made you.” AND SHE WAS RIGHT.

After that, she just... kept going. She made more music, she created more art, and she kept on living her life, never to marry again. Louis married two more times. He may have found love, settled down, achieved happiness, but I can guarantee you he never found a manager or composer as impactful as Lil.

And the best part? Well Hot Miss Lil came back one more time to steal the show from Louis about 40 years later. That’s right. Louis passed away sometime in the late 70’s, and Lil was asked to give a tribute at his funeral. So she made her way there, sat down to play, and she died. She had a massive coronary and died AT THE PIANO. If that isn’t some sort of poetic ironic justice... well, actually, it just is. That is possibly the most badass way for a jazz musician to die. Period. Especially at their ex husband’s funeral.

Classically trained, iconically mentored, legendarily performed, an ICONIC literally show-stopping death, and yet, still somehow not a household name. Lil Hardin— I think we’d better let the children know.