Early Years With Lucille (ca. 1970)

Abstract This untitled document begins in mid-paragraph and ends in mid-sentence. Armstrong describes his courtship with Lucille, beginning in 1938, their marriage in 1942, and their purchase of a house in Corona, New York. A good supplement to this document is an article from Ebony (Armstrong 1954b) titled “Why I Like Dark Women,” which includes reflections on Lucille’s success as a dancer at the Cotton Club: “When I first saw her the glow of her deep-brown skin got me deep down. When we first met, she was dancing in the line at the old Cotton Club and was the darkest girl in the line. Dark, that is, by prevailing standards of Negro beauty. Lucille was the first girl to crack the high yellow color standard used to pick girls for the famous Cotton Club chorus line. I think she was a distinguished pioneer. I suppose I’m partial to brown and dark-skinned women, anyhow. None of my four wives was a light-colored woman.”