The Corona Collection – Interview with James Blake

“I had the best seat in the house.”

In this clip from our Corona Collections oral history series, neighbor James Blake recalls listening to Louis Armstrong play his horn on the steps of his garden in Corona Queens after a long day.

The stars were out, the block was quiet, and Louis’s sound drifted through the neighborhood joy and magic carried together in one note.

This is Interview #2 in our Corona Collection series, a project capturing the stories of Armstrong’s neighbors and their memories of life in Corona. The full exhibition is now on view at the Louis Armstrong Center, inviting visitors to explore the community that shaped the man behind the music.

Visit us to listen, watch, and experience these moments firsthand.