Ricky Riccardi

All of a sudden, once people had access to these tapes and to these journals and to these scrapbooks and his unpublished writings, it was like, oh my goodness, you know, this guy, he was aware, he knew the story and he was street smart. And I think that this book, you know, kind of doing it in backwards fashion the way I did, you realize that what he learned on those streets in New Orleans was

All of a sudden, once people had access to these tapes and to these journals and to these scrapbooks and his unpublished writings, it was like, oh my goodness, you know, this guy, he was aware, he knew the story and he was street smart. And I think that this book, you know, kind of doing it in backwards fashion the way I did, you realize that what he learned on those streets in New Orleans was

Nobody was going to pull the wool over his eyes. He was aware at all times of who he was. He was aware of his talent. He was aware that people wanted him to perform and all this stuff. But he knew how the money worked. He knew how the country worked. He puts his career on the line to tell off President Eisenhower over the way he handled Little Rock.

Nobody was going to pull the wool over his eyes. He was aware at all times of who he was. He was aware of his talent. He was aware that people wanted him to perform and all this stuff. But he knew how the money worked. He knew how the country worked. He puts his career on the line to tell off President Eisenhower over the way he handled Little Rock.

Nobody was going to pull the wool over his eyes. He was aware at all times of who he was. He was aware of his talent. He was aware that people wanted him to perform and all this stuff. But he knew how the money worked. He knew how the country worked. He puts his career on the line to tell off President Eisenhower over the way he handled Little Rock.

And so all that stuff is bubbling under the surface. And he did it himself. You know, he was his own archivist. He makes these tapes. He curates his own archive. And I think he realized on a deep level that he could not go on Johnny Carson or Ed Sullivan in 1967 and talk about being black in America and talk about marijuana and talk about all these subjects.

And so all that stuff is bubbling under the surface. And he did it himself. You know, he was his own archivist. He makes these tapes. He curates his own archive. And I think he realized on a deep level that he could not go on Johnny Carson or Ed Sullivan in 1967 and talk about being black in America and talk about marijuana and talk about all these subjects.

And so all that stuff is bubbling under the surface. And he did it himself. You know, he was his own archivist. He makes these tapes. He curates his own archive. And I think he realized on a deep level that he could not go on Johnny Carson or Ed Sullivan in 1967 and talk about being black in America and talk about marijuana and talk about all these subjects.

But he left behind a record of his feelings on all these things. And so now, you know, I've done three books, but I honestly there's enough information. in those archives for 50 more books. And I really feel like he was playing the long game. He knew that one day future historians and musicologists would want to study his life.

But he left behind a record of his feelings on all these things. And so now, you know, I've done three books, but I honestly there's enough information. in those archives for 50 more books. And I really feel like he was playing the long game. He knew that one day future historians and musicologists would want to study his life.

But he left behind a record of his feelings on all these things. And so now, you know, I've done three books, but I honestly there's enough information. in those archives for 50 more books. And I really feel like he was playing the long game. He knew that one day future historians and musicologists would want to study his life.

He even said, I quote it in the book, he said, they're going to write about me in the history book someday. And so as long as he was in charge of his own archives, people would have to go to him. And you could agree or disagree with his takeaways, but the key is he is now allowed to speak for himself.

He even said, I quote it in the book, he said, they're going to write about me in the history book someday. And so as long as he was in charge of his own archives, people would have to go to him. And you could agree or disagree with his takeaways, but the key is he is now allowed to speak for himself.

He even said, I quote it in the book, he said, they're going to write about me in the history book someday. And so as long as he was in charge of his own archives, people would have to go to him. And you could agree or disagree with his takeaways, but the key is he is now allowed to speak for himself.

You read my mind.

You read my mind.

You read my mind.

Yeah. So the next chapter of Armstrong's life was covered in the previous chapter of my previous book, which was called Heart Full of Rhythm, The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong. Again, my intention was never to do this in reverse chronology, but it actually kind of worked out pretty interestingly.

Yeah. So the next chapter of Armstrong's life was covered in the previous chapter of my previous book, which was called Heart Full of Rhythm, The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong. Again, my intention was never to do this in reverse chronology, but it actually kind of worked out pretty interestingly.

Yeah. So the next chapter of Armstrong's life was covered in the previous chapter of my previous book, which was called Heart Full of Rhythm, The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong. Again, my intention was never to do this in reverse chronology, but it actually kind of worked out pretty interestingly.