I went to Blues Week for the first time in 1992. I had never really tried to learn harmonica, but I brought my harps and it was there, in Elkins, West Virginia, that I had my first lessons in blues.

One of the instructors teaching fiddle was Howard Armstrong. I went to a couple of his sessions, even though I was not interested in learning how to play blues on a violin.

Howard started each song with “Keep up the rhythm. You’ve go to step it up and go. If you can’t keep up, you can’t catch up. This ain’t no funeral march.” Words to live by.

He banged the fiddle so hard that the horse hair on the bow broke and flapped around as he played.

He was a good artist and I have a t-shirt that he designed.

His real name was Howard Armstrong, but we all called him Louie Bluie. He was a great guy, full of life and amazing talent. He passed in 2003.

Read a short biography at:

ON THIS DAY IN JAZZ AGE MUSIC!: MARCH 4TH.