“Ain’t Misbehavin'” was written in 1929, with lyrics by Andy Razaf and music by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, for a Harlem cabaret show called Connie’s Hot Chocolates. It later moved to Broadway, with the title shortened to Hot Chocolates, with Louis Armstrong conducting the orchestra. Armstrong’s trumpet solo of “Ain’t Misbehavin'” was so popular that he eventually played it on stage instead of from the orchestra pit. Waller released it in 1929, and so did Armstrong and four others. It is probably best known today from Waller’s filmed 1942 performance in Stormy Weather, which you can see at The Faculty Lounge.
Posted by Steve Lubet on August 30, 2025 at 06:12 AM