Sharon Preston-Folta Reissues Memoir Telling Story of Hidden Life
The daughter of Louis Armstrong and Lucille Preston has updated her 2012 book to coincide with the jazz legend's 125th birthday.
By Natalia Thornton ·
Sharon Preston-Folta has published an updated edition of her memoir, Little Satchmo: Living in the Shadow of My Father, Louis Daniel Armstrong. St. Petersburg Press is releasing the new version this month. The timing aligns with the 125th birthday of the jazz musician, a date Preston-Folta calls a great opportunity to tie the story together with the 2024 documentary adaptation that won a Southeastern Emmy Award.
Preston-Folta, who resides in Sarasota, Florida, kept her parentage a secret for decades. Her mother, Lucille "Sweets" Preston, was a vaudeville dancer who began a relationship with Armstrong in the early 1950s. Sharon was born on June 24, 1955, but Armstrong never publicly acknowledged her because he was married to another woman, Lucille, for the rest of his life.
The family maintained a low profile while living in New York. Armstrong directed his manager to send monthly support payments and bought the mother and daughter a house in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in November 1962. Preston-Folta notes that this purchase marked the 12th year of her parents' affair. Although her mother believed Armstrong would eventually leave his fourth wife, that change never occurred before the trumpeter died in 1971.
The updated book includes a new closing letter addressed to her late mother, whereas the original 2012 self-published edition ended with a letter to her father. Preston-Folta, who earned a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from Iowa University, spent nine years as an account executive at WUSF before becoming a consultant and voiceover artist.
She explains that the secrecy surrounding her upbringing led to shame and confusion during her childhood. "The universal story is forgiveness, and owning the experience without the shame," she says. "Because as a child, when you look at these things, you just don't know how to process them."
Her mother, who died in 2020 at age 98, initially resisted the book release, worrying about public judgment. However, she attended several promotional events and received positive reactions from audiences. Preston-Folta also pursued a legal claim to her heritage, but the effort ended without a formal settlement because Armstrong's estate was small and his ex-wife, who had signed a document stating he fathered no children, died in 1983.
Source: St. Pete Catalyst
