The Louie Bluie Music and Arts Festival is named in honor of Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong who grew up in LaFollette in the 1920s and became one of the nation’s finest black string-band musicians and named a national treasure by the National Endowment for the Arts. Born in 1909, Armstrong began performing with his family in the 1920’s after his father made a fiddle for him out of an old store crate. By 1925, at the age of 14, Armstrong was well on his way to becoming a professional musician, mastering techniques on both the fiddle and the mandolin. In 1930, Armstrong recorded for the Vocalion label in Knoxville, Tennessee at the landmark St. James Hotel sessions. He was known as the backbone of the Martin, Bogan and Armstrong trio, a group that folk-legend Steve Goodman would later call “the best string band ever!

Armstrong proved to be a true Renaissance Man, excelling in a variety of artistic endeavors during his amazing 80-year career including storytelling, poetry and painting. He managed to conquer nearly every genre of music, learned to play 22 instruments and spoke seven languages. One of his most celebrated accomplishments involved learning traditional folk songs in their native tongues and then performing them flawlessly to the astonishment of ethnic audiences.

Armstrong’s life was connected to the world in many ways. He played Carnegie Hall, painted political signs for Estes Kefauver, occupied a Civil Service position in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor, toured South America on a U.S. State Department funded project, recorded and performed with many of the first generation Chicago Blues greats, served as a consultant on the film “The Color Purple,” became immortalized by comic book illustrator R. Crumb, and performed at two World Fairs nearly 50 years apart; Chicago 1933 and Knoxville 1982.

Armstrong’s fans span the world. Notable collectors of Armstrong’s works include Morgan Freeman, Quincy Jones and Roger Ebert.

Armstrong was part of a whole generation of African-American string-band artists who played Americana in the 1920’s and 30’s for black and white audiences alike, everything from Tin Pan Alley tunes to gospel and blues. Like “Louie Bluie” who was an accomplished musician, painter, and storyteller, the Louie Bluie Festival will showcase the arts, crafts, music, and stories of our region.

Howard’s music in the early days

"New State Street Rag" – Howard Armstrong, mandolin, Ted Bogan, guitar

"Ted’s Stomp" – Howard Armstrong, fiddle, Ted Bogan, guitar

"When He Calls Me I Will Answer" – Howard Armstrong, mandolin

“Knox County Stomp” – Tennessee Chocolate Drops with Howard Armstrong, fiddle; Carl Martin, banjo; and Roland Armstrong, bass. Recorded at the St. James Hotel, Knoxville, TN. April 3, 1930. Originally issued on Vocalion 1517, reissued on Vocalion 5472 (78 RPM) (The 5472 issue has them billed as "Tennessee Trio") This recording taken from the 1994 CD "Carl Martin (1930-1936)/Willie "61" Blackwell(1941)"