E-Mail This Article to a Friend ‘Louie Bluie’ A tribute to the late Howard Armstrong BY TED DROZDOWSKI

Club Passim’s first annual "Living Legends" benefit, honoring string musician Howard Armstrong, seems at first glance like a grand event. Bluesman Guy Davis and jug-band leader Jim Kweskin will be among the performers. Leah Mahan’s documentary Sweet Old Song, which chronicles the 22-year romance between Howard and his wife, the artist Barbara Ward Armstrong, will be screened. And the food will be prepared by chef Olivia English of the renowned Olives Restaurant in Charlestown, where the event — whose beneficiary is Passim’s Culture for Kids campaign — will be held next Sunday. The only problem is, Armstrong is no longer living. He died in late July, at age 94, leaving behind a legacy of musicmaking that began in the 1920s.

Armstrong had already agreed to be the guest of honor at the benefit when his heart failed — so now the "Living Legends" appellation is sadly ironic. Perhaps somewhere he’s having a cosmic chuckle at the organizers’ expense. "He was an extremely giving person and funny as hell," Barbara Ward Armstrong says. "He was extremely humorous. He was even fun to fight with."

Greg Sarni, who heads the non-profit Blues Trust and stages the free Boston Blues Festival at the Hatch Shell each September, recalls that when he made a reference to Armstrong’s age as he called the veteran musician to the stage to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, "Howard hit a step and pretended he was going to fall, and when I went to catch him, he straightened up and shot me a wink."

Indeed, anyone who saw Armstrong perform "John Henry" or any of the classic American blues, jazz, and folk songs that were his repertoire could see the twinkle in his eyes as he introduced those numbers or took a playful solo on violin or mandolin. Although he was not as rewarded or recognized for his achievements as he deserved, "there was nothing bitter inside him," Barbara points out. "He was a generous and giving soul — as a husband, as a musician mentoring young players, and to people on the street."

Armstrong began playing at the age of nine on a mandolin given to him by his father in their home town of LaFollette, Tennessee. He soon switched to violin; eventually, he had a command of 20 stringed instruments. He began performing for black and white audiences in a string band with his brothers in the 1920s. His recording career began in the 1930s in Chicago, where he was a member of the Tennessee Chocolate Drops. He settled in Detroit, where he worked for decades on the Chrysler assembly line and added painting to his artistic pursuits. After he retired from the auto plant, he returned to music full time, playing clubs and festivals throughout the world before moving to Boston. He was the subject of Crumb director Terry Zwigoff’s 1985 documentary Louie Bluie, and in 2002 Leah Mahan completed Sweet Old Song.

Barbara, who will attend the "Living Legends" night to accept Howard’s award, notes that he was attuned to the goals of Club Passim’s Culture for Kids program, which teaches the music, dance, art, and cuisine of other cultures to local children from low-income neighborhoods. "Trying to teach and help low-income kids is something we had in common — Howard through his music and me with in my work with my art. Howard was very pleased to know that this event was another way for him to contribute to — as he put it — ‘my neighborhood.’ Which for him was everyone he reached."

"Living Legends: An Evening in Honor of Howard Armstrong" will take place next Sunday, September 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Olives Restaurant, 10 City Square in Charlestown. Tickets are $200; call (617) 491-2382.