Louis Armstrong: Gangsters, the CIA, and Hot Music

DISGRACELAND

Jake Brennan

True Crime, Music, Society & Culture

4.6 • 13.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You know Louis Armstrong, right? Jazz icon? Satchmo? Nice guy from the movies with the trumpet? Did you know he was part of a CIA coup in Africa? Did you know he compelled a President into civil rights action? Did you know Louis Armstrong was controlled by gangsters? There’s a lot to learn about this one-of-a-kind musician in DISGRACELAND. Louis Armstrong famously served as a "jazz ambassador" for the United States. If you could choose one musical artist to represent America overseas, who would it be? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership. Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter) Facebook Fan Group TikTok To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Double Elvis.
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0:29.1	Shopify is made for entrepreneurs like you.
0:31.6	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:37.6	Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis.
0:49.9	This is the story of one of music history's giants.
0:53.5	An artist so big and so influential that the word icon doesn't do the man justice.
0:59.3	It's a story about a trumpet player, an accidental jazz innovator and reluctant jazz ambassador.
1:06.1	It's a story about a drug bust, a pissed off president, racist southern lawmakers, a CIA coup, and it's a story about a drug bust, a pissed-off president, racist southern lawmakers, a CIA coup, and it's
1:13.6	a story about gangsters, lots and lots of gangsters, because this is a story about the great jazz
1:23.0	man, Louis Armstrong, which of course means it's a story about great music. Unlike that music, I played
1:30.7	a few at the top of the show. That wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from my Melotron
1:36.5	called Roll'em if you got them, MK1. I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to Tammy by Debbie Reynolds.
1:47.1	And why would I play you that specific slice of Princess Leia's mom's cheese?
1:52.1	Could I afford it?
1:54.1	Because that was the number one song in America on September 17, 1957.
2:00.3	And that was the day that Louis Armstrong gave an interview
2:02.6	that instantly changed how the public thought of him.
	...

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