Music Is My Life

Daniel Stein is Professor in North American Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Siegen, Germany.

...Daniel Stein's book is the first to examine Armstrong's autobiographical record carefully to see what it reveals about the man, his life, and his music. The result is a fascinating book that is likely to offer unexpected insights and information to even the best-read Armstrong researcher." — Robert Rawlins, Rowan University, Popular Music and Society"Meticulous citations and helpful appendixes enhance the strength of this important, though complex, work. Highly recommended." — T. E. Buehrer, Choice"The contributions of Stein’s book to the study of Louis Armstrong and his music are manifold. With a rare historical and contextual awareness, Stein illustrates the extent to which Armstrong’s autobiographical self-performances conflicted with and challenged appropriations of Armstrong by such jazz writers and critics as Horace Gerlach, Robert Goffin, Hugues Panassié, and Rudi Blesh, among others." — Mario Dunkel, Jazz Research News"It is really gratifying to find a study of a jazz performer that recognises so comprehensively the deeper historical and cultural framework of a music that has been so often deracinated or romanticised." — Bruce Johnson, Popular Music"Stein gives Armstrong's autobiographical performance a much more thorough, detailed analysis than has heretofore been attempted, and the resulting study shines a bright light not only on Armstrong the person but, more importantly, also on the identity of Louis Armstrong as an iconic public figure." — Ken Prouty, Fontes Artis Musicae