Born in Memphis in 1898, Lil Hardin loved jazz. Unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed to play what her mother dubbed “Devil’s music,” but Lil added her own beat and style to the organ music she played at Sunday school. She learned to improvise after losing her place during a piano contest at Mrs. Hicks’s School of Music. When her family moved to Chicago, Lil landed a job at a music store, the meeting (and jamming) place for many of the city’s jazz musicians. Soon, she was asked to join the New Orleans Creole Jazz Band, and she became a fixture in the scene. She met, and then married, Louis Armstrong before he was a jazz legend, while her own fame garnered attention. A woman of many talents, Lil continued jamming until her death in 1971. Written in first person, this biography crackles with Lil’s confident character and passion for music. End matter provides additional information, a timeline, bibliography, and a list of Lil’s most famous songs. (Ages 5–9)

Here is the story of "Hot Miss Lil" Hardin Armstrong, legendary jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader--and a female pioneer on the music stage.

Ever since she was a young girl, Lil Hardin played music with a beat. She jammed at home, at church, and even at her first job in a music store. At a time when women's only place in jazz was at the microphone, Lil earned a spot playing piano in Chicago's hottest band. She went on to achieve fame as a bandleader and composer, and "swung" with many of the greatest early jazz musicians, including her husband, Louis Armstrong. Award-winning author Mara Rockliff and acclaimed illustrator Michele Wood brilliantly capture the rhythms and passions of this jazz pioneer and legend whose music and story deserve to be heard. This biography contains strong back matter which includes archival images, further information about Lil, a list of some of her songs and recordings, a timeline, an author's note, and a bibliography.