NEW ORLEANS BOOTBLACKS

Biography

The New Orleans Bootblacks was a studio recording group that existed briefly in 1926, formed when members of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five recorded for Columbia Records under an alternate name. Since Armstrong was contractually bound to the Okeh label, he could not appear on the session, though he collaborated on three of the four songs recorded. The group consisted of Lil Hardin on piano, Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny St. Cyr on banjo, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and George Mitchell on cornet. The Bootblacks recorded four compositions—all written by Louis Armstrong—on July 14, 1926, in Chicago: "I Can't Say," "Mixed Salad," "Mad Dog," and "Flat Foot." These recordings were released alongside four additional tracks recorded the previous day under the name New Orleans Wanderers, representing a creative solution to contractual restrictions that allowed these accomplished musicians to document their collaborative work.

Fun Facts

• The New Orleans Bootblacks was created as a contractual workaround: Louis Armstrong could not perform on the recordings because he was under exclusive contract to Okeh Records, yet he still composed all four songs and collaborated on three of them.
• The group recorded under two different names on consecutive days in July 1926—four songs as the New Orleans Wanderers on July 13 and four songs as the New Orleans Bootblacks on July 14—allowing the same musicians to release eight compositions for Columbia Records.
• All four compositions recorded under the Bootblacks name were written by Louis Armstrong, showcasing his prolific songwriting during this period of his career.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Louis Armstrong - Leader of the Hot Five ensemble; composed all four songs recorded by the Bootblacks ("I Can't Say," "Mixed Salad," "Mad Dog," "Flat Foot") [1926]

Key Collaborators

• Lil Hardin - Pianist and organizer of the recording session; member of Armstrong's Hot Five (New Orleans Bootblacks and New Orleans Wanderers sessions) [1926]
• Kid Ory - Trombonist; member of Armstrong's Hot Five (New Orleans Bootblacks and New Orleans Wanderers sessions) [1926]
• Johnny Dodds - Clarinetist; member of Armstrong's Hot Five and King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (New Orleans Bootblacks and New Orleans Wanderers sessions) [1926]
• Johnny St. Cyr - Banjo player; member of Armstrong's Hot Five (New Orleans Bootblacks and New Orleans Wanderers sessions) [1926]
• George Mitchell - Cornet player who substituted for Armstrong on the recording session (New Orleans Bootblacks and New Orleans Wanderers sessions) [1926]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia