On February 28th, 1958, I attended a University of Iowa fraternities dance with Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars group. I managed to get autographs of the whole band on the back of the dance program. Louis Armstrong - cornet and singer Edmond Hall - clarinet Danny Barcenlona - drums Mort Herbert - bass Trummy Young - trombone Velma Middleton - singer Billy Kyle - piano The original members of the All-Stars performed together in 1947 beginning in Boston and toured the Northeast. The initial success of the All-Stars was great compared to the final years of Louis' big band, but the group was not an overnight smash. However, they gained a reputation as one of the hardest working combos in jazz history, touring and recording nearly non-stop. The All-Stars performed with Louis Armstrong on and off from 1947 until his death in 1971, as a result, many changes occurred in the line-up, effecting the setting but never diminishing the energy or the perfect backdrop for Louis's sound. James Trummy Young was Louis' closest friend, who made several movies with Armstrong including High Society. After 12 years with the All-Stars Trummy was off to form his own band

Velma Middleton remained the feature female singer with the All- Stars until her death in 1961. Edmond Hall joined Louis Armstrong's All Stars in 1955, bringing to the band a much-needed fire and excitement at a time when it was beginning to sound a little jaded. The original pianist Earl Hines was replaced by Billy Kyle, who remained with the All-Stars until his death in 1966. Mort Herbert was one of several bassists for the All-Stars, and had a long career, playing with most of the legends of jazz. In April, 1961, the two most important artists in the history of jazz, Armstrong and Duke Ellington got together in a New York studio for their only encounter, recording "The Great Summit" album. Louis brought his trumpet, voice and all-stars Trummy Young, Danny Barcelona, and Mort Herbert. 6 of these 7 All-Stars, except Edmond Hall (replaced by Peanuts Hucko) were behind Louis on the recording "Satchmo Plays King Oliver" in October 1959