International Sweethearts of Rhythm
Encyclopedia
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the first integrated all women's band in the United States
. During the 1940s the band featured some of the best female musicians of the day. They played swing and jazz
on a national circuit that included the Apollo Theater
in New York City
, the Regal Theater
in Chicago
, and the Howard Theater in Washington, DC After a performance in Chicago in 1943, the Chicago Defender
announced the band was, "One of the hottest stage shows that ever raised the roof of the theater!" More recently, they have been labeled "the most prominent and probably best female aggregation of the Big Band era
."
founded the Piney Woods Country Life School
in Piney Woods, Mississippi
, for poor
and African American
children in 1910. In the early 1920s, he supported the school by sending an all-girl vocal group on the road. Following that success, in 1937 he formed the Swinging Rays of Rhythm, an all-girl band led by Consuela Carter. The band toured extensively throughout the East raising money for the school. In 1941 several girls in the band fled the school's bus when they found out that some of them would not graduate because they had been touring with the band instead of sitting in class.
and Jo Jones
), Willie May Wong (sax), Edna Williams and thirteen others, including Helen Jones Woods
, who was the daughter of the Piney Wood School's founder. Soon Anna Mae Winburn
was appointed band leader. She had led the Cotton Club Boys
in North Omaha, Nebraska
, which featured the famous guitarist Charlie Christian
until the band was "raided" by Fletcher Henderson
.
The first composer for the band was Eddie Durham
, with Jesse Stone
taking over in 1941. New members included trumpeter-vocalist Ernestine "Tiny" Davis and saxist Vi Burnside. The new 16-piece International Sweethearts of Rhythm featured a strong brass section, heavy percussion, and a deep rhythmic sense, along with many of the best female musicians of the day. At one Howard Theater show, the band set a new box office record of 35,000 patrons in one week of 1941.
and Earl Hines
and selling out massive venues including Chicago's Rhumboogie Club
. During World War II
, letter-writing campaigns from overseas African American soldiers demanded them, and in 1945 the band embarked on a six-month European tour, making them the first black women to travel with the USO.
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm made two coast-to-coast tours in their bus. As a racially mixed band, they defied the Jim Crow laws
of the South. The white women in the band wore dark makeup on stage to avoid arrest. Despite being stars around the country, when the band traveled in the South all of the members ate and slept in the bus because of the segregation laws that prevented them from using restaurants and hotels.
. There has also been considerable scholarship conducted regarding the "International" aspect of their name and the effect it had on the band's acceptance among African Americans and whites in the South. According to one authority the band consisted of "Willie Mae Wong, the band's Chinese saxophonist; Alma Cortez; Mexican clarinet player; Nina de La Cruz, Indian saxophonist, and; Nova Lee McGee, Hawaiian trumpet player." The first white musicians joined in 1943. There were also several lesbian
s in the band, including Tiny Davis, whose sexuality was later the subject of Schiller and Weiss' Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin' Women.
In 2004 the Kit McClure
Band
released The Sweethearts Project on Redhot Records. It is a tribute album recorded entirely with an all-female band using only songs the Sweethearts recorded.
The following album is a compilation of many of the live radio appearances they made.
Tracks: Bugle Call Rag, Galvanizing, Sweet Georgia Brown, Central Avenue Boogie, Lady Be Good, Gin Mill Special, Honeysuckle Rose, Diggin’ Dykes, Slightly Frankie, One O’Clock Jump, Tuxedo Junction, Jump Children, She’s Crazy With The Heat, That Man Of Mine, Vi Vigor, Don’t Get It Twisted
There are also a few tracks available on Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions 1943-1946 on Hindsight Records. A 2004 DVD called The Swing Era: Sarah Vaughan features Vaughan, along with little-seen material from the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. During the 1940s the band featured some of the best female musicians of the day. They played swing and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
on a national circuit that included the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Regal Theater
Regal Theater, South Side (Chicago)
The Regal Theater, located in the heart of Bronzeville, was an important night club and music venue in Chicago.Part of the Balaban and Katz chain, the lavishly decorated venue, with plush carpeting and velvet drapes featured some of the most celebrated black entertainers in America.The Regal also...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and the Howard Theater in Washington, DC After a performance in Chicago in 1943, the Chicago Defender
Chicago Defender
The Chicago Defender is a Chicago based newspaper founded in 1905 by an African American for primarily African American readers.In just three years from 1919–1922 the Defender also attracted the writing talents of Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks....
announced the band was, "One of the hottest stage shows that ever raised the roof of the theater!" More recently, they have been labeled "the most prominent and probably best female aggregation of the Big Band era
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
."
Early years
Laurence C. JonesLaurence C. Jones
Laurence Clifton Jones , was the founder and long-time president of Piney Woods Country Life School in the United States state of Mississippi. A noted educational innovator, Jones spent his adult life supporting the educational advancement of rural African American students in the segregated...
founded the Piney Woods Country Life School
Piney Woods Country Life School
The Piney Woods Country Life School is a co-educational independent historically African-American boarding school for grades 9-12 in Piney Woods, Mississippi. It is one of four remaining historically African-American boarding schools in the United States...
in Piney Woods, Mississippi
Piney Woods, Mississippi
Piney Woods is an unincorporated community in Rankin County, Mississippi . It is the site of the Piney Woods Country Life School, a historically African-American boarding school established in 1909....
, for poor
Poor
Poor is an adjective related to a state of poverty, low quality or pity.People with the surname Poor:* Charles Henry Poor, a US Navy officer* Charles Lane Poor, an astronomer* Edward Erie Poor, a vice president of the National Park Bank...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
children in 1910. In the early 1920s, he supported the school by sending an all-girl vocal group on the road. Following that success, in 1937 he formed the Swinging Rays of Rhythm, an all-girl band led by Consuela Carter. The band toured extensively throughout the East raising money for the school. In 1941 several girls in the band fled the school's bus when they found out that some of them would not graduate because they had been touring with the band instead of sitting in class.
Leaving Piney Woods
Shortly thereafter the band settled in Arlington, Virginia, where there was a wealthy Virginian who provided support for them. Members from different races, including Latina, Asian, Caucasian, Black, Indian and Puerto Rican, lent the band an "international" flavor, and the name International Sweethearts of Rhythm was given to the group. Composed of 14- to 19-year-olds, the band included Pauline Braddy (tutored on drums by Sid CatlettSid Catlett
Sidney Catlett , was a swinging jazz drummer often referred to as "Big Sid Catlett" because of his large frame.-Biography:...
and Jo Jones
Jo Jones
Jo Jones was an American jazz drummer.Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones...
), Willie May Wong (sax), Edna Williams and thirteen others, including Helen Jones Woods
Helen Jones Woods
Helen Jones Woods is a jazz and swing trombone player most renowned for her performances with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She was inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame in 2007.-About:...
, who was the daughter of the Piney Wood School's founder. Soon Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...
was appointed band leader. She had led the Cotton Club Boys
Cotton Club Boys
The Cotton Club Boys was a territory band based in North Omaha, Nebraska in the 1930s. It was initially fronted by Anna Mae Winburn.-About:Personnel in the swing band included a variety of players. Trumpets players included Lloyd Hunter, Park King, Willie Long and Raymond Byron. The reed section...
in North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
, which featured the famous guitarist Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
until the band was "raided" by Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
.
The first composer for the band was Eddie Durham
Eddie Durham
Eddie Durham was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer and musical arranger of the swing music medium born in San Marcos, Texas, probably best known for his work with musicians like Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Andy Kirk, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, among others...
, with Jesse Stone
Jesse Stone
Jesse Stone was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres...
taking over in 1941. New members included trumpeter-vocalist Ernestine "Tiny" Davis and saxist Vi Burnside. The new 16-piece International Sweethearts of Rhythm featured a strong brass section, heavy percussion, and a deep rhythmic sense, along with many of the best female musicians of the day. At one Howard Theater show, the band set a new box office record of 35,000 patrons in one week of 1941.
Popularity
After Stone left in 1943, he was replaced by Maurice King, who later arranged for Gladys Knight and the Detroit Spinners. In 1944 the band was named "America's #1 All-Girl Orchestra" by Downbeat magazine. At this point, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm enjoyed an enormous following among the African-American audiences playing "battle-of-the-bands" concerts against bands led by Fletcher HendersonFletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
and Earl Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
and selling out massive venues including Chicago's Rhumboogie Club
Rhumboogie Café
The Rhumboogie Café, also referred to as the Rhumboogie Club, was an important, but short-lived nightclub at 343 East 55th Street, Chicago....
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, letter-writing campaigns from overseas African American soldiers demanded them, and in 1945 the band embarked on a six-month European tour, making them the first black women to travel with the USO.
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm made two coast-to-coast tours in their bus. As a racially mixed band, they defied the Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
of the South. The white women in the band wore dark makeup on stage to avoid arrest. Despite being stars around the country, when the band traveled in the South all of the members ate and slept in the bus because of the segregation laws that prevented them from using restaurants and hotels.
Folding
Tiny Davis had to turn down the opportunity to tour again with the band in 1946. This, along with other lineup changes, led to the band folding in 1949.Legacy
Despite the impact of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm being repeatedly ignored in popular histories of jazz, the band enjoyed a resurgence in popularity among feminists in the 1960s and 70s. The band was among the first marketed as women's musicWomen's music
Women's music is the music by women, for women, and about women . The genre emerged as a musical expression of the second-wave feminist movement as well as the labor, civil rights, and peace movements...
. There has also been considerable scholarship conducted regarding the "International" aspect of their name and the effect it had on the band's acceptance among African Americans and whites in the South. According to one authority the band consisted of "Willie Mae Wong, the band's Chinese saxophonist; Alma Cortez; Mexican clarinet player; Nina de La Cruz, Indian saxophonist, and; Nova Lee McGee, Hawaiian trumpet player." The first white musicians joined in 1943. There were also several lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s in the band, including Tiny Davis, whose sexuality was later the subject of Schiller and Weiss' Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin' Women.
In 2004 the Kit McClure
Kit McClure
Kit McClure is a jazz musician and bandleader of the big band Kit McClure Band and founder of the Women in Jazz Project. In 2004, she started a project to revive interest in the all-female big band, International Sweethearts of Rhythm...
Band
Kit McClure Band
The Kit McClure Band is an all-female big band and jazz combo begun by Kit McClure in 1982 at The Ritz in New York City. It eventually caught the attention of Cab Calloway and was signed to Island Records, where it toured with Robert Palmer for two years, playing to sold-out crowds at Radio City...
released The Sweethearts Project on Redhot Records. It is a tribute album recorded entirely with an all-female band using only songs the Sweethearts recorded.
Lineup
The lineup of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm changed throughout the band's career.- Anna Mae WinburnAnna Mae WinburnAnna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...
- Band leader, singer, piano, guitar - Tiny Davis - Trumpet and vocalist
- Evelyn McGee - Vocalist
- Pauline Braddy - Drums
- Selma Lee Williams - Tenor saxophone
- Vi Burnside - Tenor saxophone
- Rosalind Roz Cron - Alto saxophone ‡
- Willie Mae Wong - Baritone saxophone †
- Helen Saine - baritone and alto saxophone
- Irene Grishan - Tenor saxophone
- Ione Grishan - Alto saxophone
- Ernestine "Tiny" Davis - Trumpet
- Helen Jones - Trombone
- Carline Ray - Double bass
- Lucille Dixon RobertsonLucille Dixon RobertsonLucille Dixon Robertson was a jazz double-bassist.She grew up in New York City and she successfully auditioned for the All City High School Orchestra. She studied under Fred Zimmerman of the New York Philharmonic for 15 years....
- Double bass - Toby Butler - Trumpet
- Edna Williams - Trumpet, arranger
- Eddie DurhamEddie DurhamEddie Durham was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer and musical arranger of the swing music medium born in San Marcos, Texas, probably best known for his work with musicians like Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Andy Kirk, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, among others...
- Arranger - Jesse StoneJesse StoneJesse Stone was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres...
- Arranger - Johnnie Mae Rice †
- † Members of the charter 1937 band
- ‡ One of the first white Sweethearts
Discography
The band only formally recorded four commercial songs during their existence.- International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s
(Rosetta Records RR 1312)
Track listing
- "Galvanizing" (Maurice King)
- "Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie, Pinkard, Casey)
- "Central Avenue Boogie" (Buck ClaytonBuck ClaytonBuck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
) - "Bugle Call RagBugle Call Rag"Bugle Call Rag" is a jazz standard written by Jack Pettis, Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel. It was first recorded by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in 1922 as "Bugle Call Blues", although later renditions as well as the published sheet music and the song's copyright all used the title "Bugle Call Rag"...
" (Meyers, Pettis, Schoebel) - "She's Crazy with the Heat" (Maurice King)
- "Jump Children" (Sweethearts and King)
- "Vi Vigor" (Maurice King)
- "Lady Be Good" (George and Ira Gershwin)
- "Gin Mill Special" (Erskine HawkinsErskine HawkinsErskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is most remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson...
) - "Honeysuckle RoseHoneysuckle Rose (song)"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
" (Razaf and WallerFats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
) - "That Man of Ine" (Maurice King)
- "Diggin’ Dykes" (Vi Burnside)
- "Don't Get It Twisted" (Maurice King)
- "Tuxedo Junction" (Dash, Johnson, Hawkins, Feyne)
- "Slightly Frantic (Maurice King)
- "One O'Clock Jump" (Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
)
The following album is a compilation of many of the live radio appearances they made.
- Hot Licks 1944-1946: Rare recordings from one of the best American all-girl bands of the Swing era
Tracks: Bugle Call Rag, Galvanizing, Sweet Georgia Brown, Central Avenue Boogie, Lady Be Good, Gin Mill Special, Honeysuckle Rose, Diggin’ Dykes, Slightly Frankie, One O’Clock Jump, Tuxedo Junction, Jump Children, She’s Crazy With The Heat, That Man Of Mine, Vi Vigor, Don’t Get It Twisted
There are also a few tracks available on Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions 1943-1946 on Hindsight Records. A 2004 DVD called The Swing Era: Sarah Vaughan features Vaughan, along with little-seen material from the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
Filmography
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm featured in several short films and one feature length film. They were:- Harlem Jam Session (1946 Associated Artists Productions - Soundie)
- How About That Jive (1947 Associated Artists Productions - Soundie)
- International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1946 Associated Artists Productions - Soundie)
- Jump Children (1946 Alexander Productions - Soundie)
- That Man of Mine (1946 Alexander Productions - Soundie)
- That Man of Mine (1946 Alexander Productions - feature film)
- Harlem Carnival (1949)
See also
- Music in Omaha
- International Sweethearts of Rhythm (film) - Documentary released in 1986 about the band directed by Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss.
External links
- Promotional photo, circa 1946.
- Band photo
- Concert poster
- Band promotional photo
- Profile of Carline Ray (of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm) by Arnold Jay Smith (www.jazz.com)
