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..Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong was born in Dayton, Tennessee, and grew up in LaFollette. As a young teenager he taught himself to play the fiddle, and joined a band led by Blind Roland Martin and his brother Carl. They toured America performing a wide range of music, from work songs and spirituals through popular Tin Pan Alley tunes and foreign language songs.In 1929 he recorded with Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell. The following year he recorded in Knoxville for Vocalion Records, with his brother Roland Armstrong and Carl Martin, billed as the Tennessee Chocolate Drops. Adding guitarist Ted Bogan, the band toured as part of a medicine show and backed blues artists like Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Minnie. They also performed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. In 1934 Armstrong and Bogan recorded "State Street Rag" and "Ted's Stomp" on the Bluebird label, with Armstrong using the stage name "Louie Bluie" which he had been given by a fan.After serving in World War II, he moved to Detroit and worked in the auto industry until 1971. With a revival of interest in oldtime African American music, Martin, Bogan and Armstrong reunited to perform. The band recorded, performed at clubs and festivals and went on a tour of South America sponsored by the State Department. They played together until Martin's death in 1979.Armstrong was the subject of two documentaries, Louie Bluie and Sweet Old Song. He continued to perform with a younger generation of musicians, and released his first solo album Louie Bluie in 1995, earning him a W.C. Handy Award.He died in Boston, aged 94, following a heart attack.
