Armand Hug
b. 6 December 1910, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. d. 19 March 1977. Taught to play piano by his mother, Hug worked for a while as a pianist in silent movie theatres before starting to play in a dance band. Still only in his early teens, he quickly built a solid reputation in his home town. In the mid-30s he recorded with Sharkey Bonano but by the end of the decade had decided upon a career as a soloist. He played several long club residencies in New Orleans culminating, in 1967, in a lifetime contract at a leading Cresent City hotel. In later years, Hug occasionally returned to playing in bands, including those led by Bonano and Johnny Wiggs, but was at his best as a single. His repertoire mixed traditional New Orleans music with the popular songs of his hey-days. Solid, reliable, with a stirring left hand, Hug was a thorough professional and throughout his career ably continued the great tradition of New Orleans jazz pianists.