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HEY BLAKE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE TERM “TALL SUGAR PINES” MAKES REFERENCE TO IN THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG SONG “DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS”? THOSE TREES AREN’T FOUND IN NEW ORLEANS. OR ARE THEY?
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Sugar pines, the tallest pines in the world, have very long cones and are among the most valuable softwoods. They typically movie New Orleans in Eddie DeLange wrote “Do thrive at elevations You Know What It Means 1947 and was perforto Miss New Orleans?” for between 3,000 and med by Armstrong and the 1949 film New Orleans, 7,500 feet, and are Billie Holiday. in which it was performed found mostly in the DeLange died in 1949 by Louis Armstrong and mountain regions of at age 45. He was la-ter Billie Holiday. the far Western Uniinducted into the Nated States — but not tional Academy of Popin Louisiana. In the Bayou State we have ular Music’s Songwriters Hall of Fame. loblolly pines, longleaf pines, shortleaf pines, slash pines and spruce pines — but HEY BLAKE, no sugar pines. Armstrong also sings the phrase “miss IS THERE IS A PORTRAIT IN NEW them moss-covered vines.” Well, just ORLEANS OF ABDIL DAILY CROSSabout everybody in Louisiana knows MAN, WHO WAS MAYOR BETWEEN that moss grows only on trees, not on 1846 AND 1854? vines, telephone poles or fences. Spanish ANNETTE PECK moss (also called Florida moss) is not a true moss. It is an epiphytic plant, which DEAR ANNETTE, grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients. It most There isn’t a portrait of Crossman commonly adopts oak or cypress trees as hanging any where, but you can see a hosts but may be found on other species. picture of him and get more informaIt’s pretty clear the man who wrote tion at the New Orleans Public Library’s the lyrics to one of our favorite songs website (http://www.nutrias.org/exhibwasn’t worried about botanical accu- its/charter/crossman.htm). Crossman racy. It’s also possible songwriter Eddie was the 12th mayor of New Orleans and DeLange had never been to New Orleans. served three consecutive terms. He was He was born on Long Island, N.Y. in 1904. born in Maine in 1803, the same year as After graduating from the University of the Louisiana Purchase. He received little Pennsylvania in 1926, he spent five years formal education but learned his father’s in Hollywood, acting and working as a trade and became a hatter. stuntman in both silent and talking films. Arriving in New Orleans in 1829 with In 1932 he returned to New York and only $5 to his name, Crossman opened a began his career as a lyricist — and a very hat shop on Canal Street. He soon earned successful one at that. During the 1930s a good reputation and ran for various DeLange had his own orchestra, which offices. By 1844 he was elected to the performed in clubs and on the radio. Louisiana Legislature. On the Municipal It had many top hits. Along with Louis Council, Crossman showed his talent for Alter, who wrote the music, DeLange administration, which led to his nominapenned one of the most popular songs tion for mayor. He had a successful public about our city. It was written for the career before he died in 1859.