SONG FROM THE ROAD: BILLIE HOLIDAY & LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Storyville was the red-light district of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1897 through 1917. Locals usually simply referred to the area as “The District,” which was two blocks inland from the French Quarter. Speakeasies, gambling joints and prostitution were also regularly found in the area despite repeated police raids.
This clip features the song “Farewell to Storyville” from the 1947 musical drama New Orleans, and features Billie Holiday as a singing maid and Louis Armstrong as a bandleader. It tells a fictional story (based on historical events) of the police shut down of the district.
Key Lyric: “The law step-in and call it sin to have a little fun. The police car has made a stop and Storyville is done.”
