KHP Louis Armstrong 1

1957: Ultra rare photograph of Louis Armstrong and his band at Chilhowee Park's Jacob Building in 1957. Armstrong’s concert drew national attention when segregationist terrorists interrupted it with a dynamite bomb during the Clinton High desegregation crisis. White "spectators" were allowed to sit in the upper gallery of what was mainly a show for a Black audience. It's believed the concert was targeted for the bombing because Armstrong was traveling with a mixed-race band; his drummer was white. No one was hurt in the explosion, outside the auditorium, which briefly interrupted but did not end the concert. (Martin Lang Collection/KHP.)