American singer, pianist, Tin Pan Alley composer, and booking agent (1879-1951). Two items: an AMQS titled and signed at the top, "Sweet Adeline, Composed by Harry Armstrong," on an off-white 9 x 5.5 musically-lined sheet, comprising nine bars of music and lyrics from the barbershop standard; and a TLS signed "Harry Armstrong" with the addition of two bars from "Sweet Adeline," one page, 8.5 x 11, United Entertainment Producers letterhead, March 24, 1939, in part: "I was seventeen years old when I first started to compose Sweet Adeline and it was published in 1903…Judging from the communications I receive, Sweet Adeline is sung all over the world and one of the greatest kicks I ever got out of the song was in 1924 when I was standing on the Street corner in London near the Piccadilly Circus about one o'clock in the morning and a crowd came up the street singing it. I was almost tempted to rush up to these people and tell them that I was the composer, but I realized had I made such an assertion, they probably would have said to me, 'go on, you bloomin Yankee, you never wrote anything.'" In very good to fine condition, with old toned tape to a tear at the bottom of the letter.
