Lillie Delk Christian with Louis Armstrong

Lillie Delk Christian

Source: Jazz Lives

Born in Chicago on 30 January 1896 (?), Lillie Delk Christian was among the numerous lesser figures populating Chicago in its bustling early jazz period. Her major claim to fame is having issued eight titles with the great Louis Armstrong during a recording career of less than three years, putting away jazz versions of songs highly popular during the latter Roaring Twenties. Beyond the sixteen titles that she released — few enough to stack all of them in chronological order below — not a lot is known about her.

Delk is thought to have scratched her first titles to issue in March of 1926 with Johnny St. Cyr for release in May on Okeh 8317: 'Sweet Georgia Brown' / 'Sweet Man'. Christian is said by St. Cyr to have been his landlady. The author at Jazz Lives has them romantically involved but doesn't elaborate.

'Sweet Man'   Lillie Delk Christian w Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Recorded 5 March 1926 in Chicago on matrix 9573-A toward OKeh 8317

Christian's debut recording

Music: Ben Bernie / Maceo Pinkard   Lyrics: Kenneth Casey

'Sweet Georgia Brown'   Lillie Delk Christian w Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Recorded 5 March 1926 in Chicago on matrix 9574-A toward OKeh 8317

Music: Ben Bernie / Maceo Pinkard   Lyrics: Kenneth Casey   1925

'Lonesome and Sorry'   Lillie Delk Christian w Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Recorded 15 June 1926 in Chicago on matrix 9717-A toward OKeh 8356

Clarinet: Jimmie Noone

Music: Con Conrad   Lyrics: Benny Davis

'Baby o' Mine'   Lillie Delk Christian w Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Recorded 15 June 1926 in Chicago on matrix 9718-A and 9718-B both toward OKeh 8356

Clarinet: Jimmie Noone

Composition: Richard M. Jones

'It All Depends On You'   Lillie Delk Christian w Richard M. Jones and his Jazz Wizards

Recorded 6 May 1927 in Chicago on matrix 80841-A toward OKeh 8475

Clarinet: Artie Starks   Piano: Richard M. Jones   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Composition: Buddy DeSylva / Lew Brown / Ray Henderson

'Ain't She Sweet'   Lillie Delk Christian w Richard M. Jones and his Jazz Wizards

Recorded 6 May 1927 in Chicago on matrix 80842-A and 80842-B both toward OKeh 8475

Clarinet: Artie Starks   Piano: Richard M. Jones   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Music: Milton Ager   Lyrics: Jack Yellen   1927

'My Blue Heaven'   Lillie Delk Christian

Recorded 12 Dec 1927 in Chicago on matrix 82046-A toward OKeh 8536

Clarinet: Jimmie Noone   Guitar: Johnny St. Cyr

Music: Walter Donaldson   Lyrics: George A. Whiting   For Ziegfeld Follies of 1927

'Miss Annabelle Lee'   Lillie Delk Christian

Recorded 12 Dec 1927 in Chicago on matrix 82047-A toward OKeh 8536

Clarinet: Jimmie Noone   Guitar: Johnny St. Cyr

Composition: Lew Pollack / Sidney Clare   1927

It was 1928 when Delk teamed up with the Louis Armstrong Hot Four on multiple titles from 'You’re a Real Sweetheart' (Okeh 8607) to 'I Must Have That Man' (Okeh 8660). Along with Armstrong at trumpet the Hot Four consisted of Jimmie Noone at clarinet, Earl Hines at piano and Mancy Carr at guitar. Titles with Armstrong would see later release in December 1995 on 'Hociel Thomas and Lillie Delk Christian in Chronological Order 1925-1928' by Document Records.

'You're a Real Sweetheart'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 26 June 1928 in Chicago on matrix 400954-B toward OKeh 8607

Music: Cliff Friend   Lyrics: Irving Caesar

'Too Busy'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 26 June 1928 in Chicago on matrix 400955-B toward OKeh 8596

Music: Chester Cohn   Lyrics: Ned Miller

'Was It a Dream?'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 26 June 1928 in Chicago on matrix 400956-A toward OKeh 8596

Composition: Sam Coslow / Larry Spier / Andy Britt

'Last Night I Dreamed You Kissed Me'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 26 June 1928 in Chicago on matrix 400957-A toward OKeh 8607

Composition: Carmen Lombardo / Gus Kahn

'I Can't Give You Anything But Love'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 11 Dec 1928 in Chicago on matrix 402206-A toward OKeh 8650

Music: Jimmy McHugh   Lyrics: Dorothy Fields   1928

'Baby!'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 11 Dec 1928 in Chicago on matrix 402207-B toward OKeh 8660

Music: Jimmy McHugh   Lyrics: Dorothy Fields

'Sweethearts on Parade'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 12 Dec 1928 in Chicago on matrix 402208-A toward OKeh 8650

Composition: Charles Newman / Carmen Lombardo

'I Must Have That Man'   Lillie Delk Christian w Louis Armstrong's Hot Four

Recorded 12 Dec 1928 in Chicago on matrix 402209-B toward OKeh 8660

Christian's final recording

Music: Jimmy McHugh   Lyrics: Dorothy Fields

Christian makes an abrupt disappearance from history after recordings with Armstrong, living in obscurity until her death a few decades later in Chicago in January 1966. In addition to the sixteen issues above she recorded 'When' with Albert Wynn's Gut Bucket Five in Chicago on 25 June 1926 released on Okeh 8350.