The Armstrong Twins

The Armstrong Twins were one of the last duets to master the great harmonies of the traditional country music that came from '30s and '40s. The twins, guitarist Lloyd and mandolin player Floyd, were born in DeWitt, Arkansas but were raised in Little Rock. They made their radio debut at age five and by the age of nine were hosting their own radio show. Greatly influenced by the Blue Sky Boys and the Bailes Brothers, the Armstrongs were appearing on two daily radio shows and on The Arkansas Jamboree by 1946. Between then and 1951, they cut over a dozen songs, most of which were bluegrass covers. Occasionally, they would also record instrumentals. The twins moved to Odessa, Texas, in 1952 and began appearing on local radio and television programs. They then began touring with Johnny Horton and later worked on Louisiana Hayride. In the late '50s, they moved to California and began appearing on The Town Hall Party in Compton.They were unique in that they were most popular on the West Coast at a time when local charts were dominated by Western swing and honky tonk tunes. After that, they moved back to Little Rock. Decades later, their old recordings were reissued, and the Armstrongs began a new series of festival and club engagements, even releasing a new album in 1980. Due to Floyd's ill health, the brothers had to curtail personal appearances and only played occasionally during the 1980s.
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