Skip to main content

Lil's Hot Shots Biography

lils-hot-shots

This one-time-only heading was applied to an ensemble that was essentially Louis Armstrong's Hot Five. On this particular occasion, in Chicago on May 28, 1926, Louis ceded nominal leadership of the band to his wife. In addition to his cornet and her piano, the arsenal consisted of Kid Ory's trombone, Johnny Dodds' clarinet, and Johnny St. Cyr's banjo. The resulting record was originally issued as Vocalion 1037. It also appeared on such diverse labels as Oriole, Brunswick, Odeon, and Decca. One side featured a hot instrumental bounce by Louis Armstrong called "Drop That Sack," while the flipside was devoted to "Georgia Bo-Bo," a solid stomp written by Fats Waller and Jo Trent. Louis, who sang Trent's lyrics in his best rough and uninhibited manner, reflected years later upon the meaning of the two titles: "Drop That Sack, some cat's stealing chickens. Georgia Bo Bo, that's a dance that originated in Georgia." An earlier session by the same band, billed as Lillian Armstrong's Serenaders, took place on April 20, 1926. The recordings made on that day -- "After I Say I'm Sorry" and a different version of "Georgia Bo Bo" -- were intended for use by Vocalion but were not issued until long afterwards. ~ arwulf arwulf, Rovi

Advertisement