He had a reputation in jazz circles but really wasn’t a household name. VARIETY mentioned him once in a discussion of the best jazz musicians (7 Oct. 1925, page 49), and the first recording session under Armstrong’s name was held in November. But it took several years for his celebrity to build.
After my sweet, white-haired grandmother (born in 1903) died, we discovered pictures of her from the 1920’s – on the back of some guy’s motorcycle, wearing plus fours and argyle socks! I also have a great picture of her and her sisters with bobbed hair and classic flapper dresses. She even wore a flapper wedding dress for her wedding in 1928.