Struttin' with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz

Lil Hardin and her man, Louis Armstrong, were musical royalty--inventing a new kind of sound--makin' jazz. Believe it, baby!

This is the true story of Lil Hardin Armstrong: pianist, composer, and bandleader in the early days of jazz. Ahead of her time, Lil made a career for herself--and for Louis Armstrong, her modest, unassuming husband. Louis might never have become the groundbreaking jazz player he was, if it hadn't been for Lil. Scat-inspired verse celebrates how Lil overcame race and gender barriers to become the first lady of the Chicago jazz scene.

"Brimming with a contagious love of jazz and its first lady, this work brings down the house"--Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review