Louis Armstrong loved Christmas and it shows in his recordings

The New York Times City Room blogged about the Louis Armstrong House and how much Louis Armstrong loved Christmas. During part of his childhood, he spent time at a New Orleans orphanage and never had a Christmas tree of his own. He told this to his wife, and she was “adamant about decorating the house for the holidays.”

Armstrong developed a deep love of Christmas and made a bunch of recordings for the holidays. From Armstrong House Museum archivist Ricky Riccardi:

Armstrong makes clear his love for Christmas throughout his home recordings, including a two-hour-long Christmas tape that he made shortly after acquiring his first portable reel-to-reel tape player in 1950, Mr. Riccardi said. Armstrong kept two reel-to-reel recorders in his den, where he also meticulously cataloged his tapes in longhand on loose leaf paper. The press of a wall button again brought his voice into the room, singing a novelty number called, “Zat You, Santa Claus?” with lines like “I can see old/ Santa in the keyhole.”

On a shelf was a 45-r.p.m. record of Armstrong reciting “The Night Before Christmas,” which was recorded several months before he died and was the last issued recording in his lifetime, Mr. Riccardi said, with more than a million copies printed. At the end of the famous poem, Armstrong wishes, “A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.” ut then Armstrong, naturally, adds a line of his own: “A very good night – that goes for Satchmo too.”

The Armstrong House Museum normally holds tours, but this month they are giving holiday tours which feature Armstrong’s Christmas tapes, as well as artist compilations he put together – “Louis’s holiday mix-tapes,” is what Ricardi calls them. They feature artists such as Elvis, Mantovani and Mitch Miller.

Going Home for Christmas, With the Armstrongs [NYT]