Here to tell us more is Cathy Hughes. Willie Mae Wong (aka Rabbit) played baritone and alto saxophones: Music became my life. [14] About the group's self-titled recording, Lewis Porter wrote, "The sixteen recordings here reveal the dynamic blues playing and driving riffs for which the band was noted, as captured in Armed Forces Radio Service broadcasts of 1945 and 1946. clipping, Four women in the saxophone section of the "Sweethearts" performing, undated. The band began at the Piney Woods Country Life School, established in 1909 to train black children in central Mississippi . Labeling themselves as international provided the group a social space that allowed the band to rest somewhat outside the Southern racial structure. International Sweethearts of Rhythm - amazon.com and charts that offered riffs and repeated passages for head arrangements to emerge. Another is that despite the prejudice of the time, these musicians experienced a freedom that then was rare for women, and that helped shape their lives. It's always a pleasure to listen to you and to talk to you, particularly today. Wong served as band treasurer and reporter, mailing correspondence home: . (1983) offers the most complete narrative. International Sweethearts of Rhythm Musician - All About Jazz It is a tribute album recorded entirely with an all-female band using only songs the Sweethearts recorded.[30]. As of November 2019, there are no reviews or scores collected on Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic. Four members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, ca. 99. Black and white photoprint, Sweethearts of Rhythm Triumph newspaper clippings, Millye, a member of the "Sweethearts" Black-and-white photoprint, International Sweethearts of Rhythm imprint under photograph. Nevertheless, noteworthy new personnel were hired, such as tenor saxophonist Geneva Perry and Julliard graduate Carline Ray. [6], The original members of the band had met in Mississippi in 1938 at the Piney Woods Country Life School, a school for poor and African American children. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was a racially mixed sixteen-piece all-women Swing orchestra. One website states that the film was shown "at over 100 festivals worldwide". is an excellent video documentary blending historical imagery, music and interviews celebrating the panoply of all-women ensembles. It became very popular at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem and on records. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, 1937-49 Pauline Braddy was a founding member and drummer for the life of the band. Rosalind Roz Cron was a gifted alto saxophonist. black and white advertisement, Member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. [8]:159 Two of Stone's professionals were trumpeter Ernestine "Tiny" Davis and saxophonist Vi Burnside. And so that was strictly against the law. As a result, the members of the band faced constant harassment from law enforcement agencies. 1944. An African American, she is best known for having directed the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an all-female big band that was perhaps one of the few - and one of the most - racially integrated dance-bands of the . "They said, 'Those girls play like men. And my father came to pick her up. Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in My mother told me that in life you have to find something that, when you're doing it, you could have a fever of 104 degrees, you could be cramping so terribly that you would be doubled over. Author Marilyn Nelson and illustrator Jerry Pinkey bring the band's hidden history to the surface with their vivid collaboration, Sweethearts of Rhythm. The band is being honored, among others, at the Urban One Honors ceremony, which airs tomorrow night on TVOne and Cleo TV. Accuracy and availability may vary. During World War II, an all-female swing band called The International Sweethearts of Rhythm blew their hornsand America's minds. The Pioneering Legacy Of The International Sweethearts of Rhythm "[5], That initial footage was from a short film called Jump Children, obtained from the film collection of David Chertok. She was often compared favorably to Lester Young but was not derivative. Carline Ray, a pioneering jazz instrumentalist and vocalist who joined the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm in the 1940s, later performed with Erskine Hawkins and Mary . black-and-white photoprint. Noteworthy (male) professionals were hired as music directors and arrangers imparting polish, professionalism and panache. It was a means of being with the orchestra. How are you going to sit through it? Let's start there, OK? While women had been recognized as singers in popular American culture, rarely were they recognized as instrumentalists, much less as brass aficionados. "[28] A publicity poster for the band's September 1940 performance in Emporia, Virginia included the text "America's Greatest Female Band, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, In Whose Veins Flow the Blood of Many Races: Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Negro". International Sweethearts of Rhythm - Smithsonian American Women's History They'd have to put on makeup and pass as Black so that they would not be arrested. Composed of 14- to 19-year-olds, the band included Pauline Braddy (tutored on drums by Sid Catlett and Jo Jones), Willie Mae Wong (sax), Edna Williams and thirteen others, including Helen Jones Woods, who was the daughter of the Piney Wood School's founder. Setting attendance records exceeding 35,000, a sixth daily show was added. The Christian-oriented co-educational school offered a full spectrum of training, from typing to carpentry and still does. Black-and-white photoprint, International Sweethearts of Rhythm, pianist. On stage she was poised, charming and glamorous, directing the band and singing fine blues in the Jimmy Rushing manner. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm held a strong allegiance to the Count Basie sound, possibly a result of Durhams coaching and arranging. Cron always took pride in having been the first Caucasian bandmember hired. Newspaper clipping, Member of International Sweethearts of Rhythm playing accordion. as had saxophonist Betty Rozner who also joined. [1] The original members of the Sweethearts were all students, who were African American or mixed raced, during the 1930s. She commends the: They were soon playing USO-Shows. [7][13] Winburn led the band until her retirement. White segregationists were disturbed by the groups challenge to the social and cultural norms that required the races remain separate. The Jackson Advocate commended McGhee: found the demeanor of non-white audiences a noteworthy contrast: had done similar arranging and directing for the Count Basie, Jimmy Lunceford, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and Ida Ray Hutton orchestras. Their transportation culminated in a massive Hi-way Pullman trailer and caravan sleeping twenty-two, justifying the astounding expenditure of $15,000 for Big Bertha.. The comprehensive 258-page book includes a bibliography, appendices, footnotes, index and photos. Stormy Weather: The Music and Lives of a Century of Jazzwomen (1984) by Linda Dahl is a deft summary of the topic and the orchestra. In 1943, two white women joined the ensemble, making it an interracial band performing in the Deep South during Jim Crow. Explore International Sweethearts of Rhythm's discography including top tracks, albums, and reviews. Kim, for over a decade, did all of Beyonce's performances, all of her music. They were all children of mixed parents; the rest were Afro-American. 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 1970s. Format: DVD. Bear in mind that amidst all this excitement and heady acclaim, the teens aged 14-19 were living in a work-study situation. She commends the: . [40] Channel 4 was credited with production assistance for the film. Profiles of some key musicians may be instructive. Subscriptions from $10.83/month. Stone later became a noteworthy figure in Rhythm & Blues and early Rock music, mentoring Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Laverne Baker and his songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bill Haley. They made brief excursions into Mexico and Canada, further justifying the moniker International. During one grueling stretch they were booked for sixty back-to-back one-nighters through Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, playing for 4,000 in Memphis, Tennessee. Toggle the beta version of the artist page. Schiller and Weiss retained control of the project and began showing the finished film in late 1986. Cron always took pride in having been the first Caucasian bandmember hired. [21] They also performed at the eighth Cavalcade of Jazz concert on June 1, 1952 when Anna Mae Winburn was leading. Record cover and phonograph record? After 1944, her muscular tenor saxophone voice was a structural armature that supported the ensemble. But larger post-war social and cultural trends doomed the orchestra. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm were a successful band that included African American, Chinese American, Mexican American, American Indian, and Puerto Rican members. Although the band faced discrimination in the. [18] The band enjoyed a large following among African-American audiences. While women had been recognized as singers in popular American culture, rarely were they recognized as instrumentalists, much less as brass aficionados. Black-and-white photoprint, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm in performance. She migrated from Ada Leonards All-American Girl Orchestra in 1944, learned alto phrasing, and was assigned to leading the saxes. Her dubious, or perhaps malfeasant financial management left neither the promised Social Security benefits nor equity in the Arlington home. [15] The International Sweethearts of Rhythm record compilation (1984) was followed two years later by a documentary short film directed and produced by Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss,[14] "at the onset of the third-wave feminist movement". thanks to years of playing experience, the band achieved a polished sound and became known for its tight section work and rhythmic bounce.. Anna Mae Winburn was hired in early 1942. "Largest Jazz Cavalcade in History To Feature Nation's Top Entertainers", International Sweethearts of Rhythm: America's Hottest All-Girl Band, "Film Festival Vibrates With Musical Accents", "International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1986): Release Info", "The stories and artifacts of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm added to the Smithsonian collections", "Library of Congress's National Recording Registry adds new picks", "The Pioneering Legacy Of The International Sweethearts of Rhythm", "Linked Jazz Interview with Zena Latto, 2015", "The International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hot Licks 1944-1946", Video of a conversation with six band members as part of the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Appreciation Month events, 2011, Profile of Carline Ray (of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm), "Women in Jazz" by Sherrie Tucker at PBS.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Sweethearts_of_Rhythm&oldid=1150848262, Lorraine Brown tenor and baritone saxophone, Ester Louise Cooke trumpet and trombone, Geneva Frances Perry alto and tenor saxophone, Helen Saine baritone and alto saxophone, Edna Williams trumpet, accordion, singer, arranger, "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Bernie, Pinkard, Casey), "She's Crazy with the Heat" (Maurice King), "Tuxedo Junction" (Dash, Johnson, Hawkins, Feyne), This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 13:00. HUGHES: He went and got his bus. [45], In early 1991, the film was included in a segment called "Sisters in Jazz" which was part of a tour titled "Passion, Politics, and Popcorn" that represented selections from the 1989 and 1990 New York International Festival of Lesbian and Gay Films that played in 12 cities across the United States. I played with white gloves. (1982) by Sally Placksin provides a clear view of the orchestra. Profile: Jazz big band, formed in 1939 from a swing band started at the Piney Woods (Mississippi) Country Life School. MARTIN: Why do you think that we don't know more about them? The band toured throughout the eastern U.S. to raise money for the school. A veteran of USO touring she had played for more than three years in the Ada Leonard All-American Girl Orchestraas had saxophonist Betty Rozner who also joined. Durham ran his own wartime All-Girl ensembles before and after his engagement with the Sweethearts. The Jackson Advocate commended McGhee: . . Over time, the group attracted some of the countrys strongest female jazz instrumentalists of the era. MARTIN: Oh, my. The choreographed horn-waving, for instance, was his innovation. In a nutshell, they were an all-girl(women), racially mixed swing band that started out playing to raise money for the Mississippi Country Day School and highlighted their run by playing the Opera House in Nuremburg, Germany shortly after World War II on a USO tour. Carline Ray, an Enduring Pioneer Woman of Jazz, Dies at 88 ., In late 1942, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm shattered the box office records set by Louis Armstrong and Count Basie in Chicago at the Regal Theater. One of the groups standout performers was trumpeter Ernestine Carroll, better known as Tiny Davis, who was affectionately referred to as the female Louis Armstrong. For instance, the Bama State Collegians swing band was affiliated with the Alabama State Teachers College. Black-and-white photoprint. After the war the ensemble had some success but succumbed to shifting musical tastes, departure of key personnel and the fatigue of years on the road. [7] Segregation laws prevented them from using certain restaurants and hotels. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the first integrated all-women's band in the United States. African Americans feared retribution from white political and economic elites if they were identified as supporting the band. America's 'Sweethearts': An All-Girl Band That Broke Racial - NPR Ironically, the International Sweethearts gained a strong following precisely because racial segregation led to a series of small, segregated clubs and theaters across the South that provided opportunities to perform. But let me say this to you. [1] 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, D.C.[2][3] 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! MARTIN: That was Cathy Hughes, chair of the Urban One media company and the daughter of Helen Jones Woods, a founding member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. HUGHES: The clubs stopped booking them, and they were forgotten. During two stints in 1941-42, he was deeply impressed by their dedication, motivation and discipline: We started at ten in the morning and quit at nine at night. He admired their excellent stage presentation, dramatic lighting effects and seven sets of stage gowns. Sadie D. Whitehead, member of the Sweethearts of Rhythm-Piney Woods Band, trumpeter. 92. . . [32], In May 2021, the Urban One Honors ceremony recognized the band for their contributions as a symbol of success over adversity.[33]. was a gifted alto saxophonist. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was an interracial, all-female jazz band active for 12 years, from 1937 to 1949. The administration took music education seriously but kept genders separated and backed more than one all-male Swing band. The program is worth noting because once a USO show was approved by military censors it had to remain fixed unless modified by written resubmission. served as music director of the orchestra in 1942-43. MARTIN: The International Sweethearts of Rhythm reached the height of their acclaim in the 1940s as the nation's first racially integrated all-women's jazz band. [8]:6 Critic Leonard Feather wrote, "if you are white, whatever your age, chances are you have never heard of the Sweethearts[]". The band performed at the Apollo Theater in 1943. One of the groups standout performers was trumpeter Ernestine Carroll, better known as Tiny Davis, who was affectionately referred to as the female Louis Armstrong. backed by determination of purpose and a high spirit that goes beyond . They just called her the next day and told her her services were no longer needed or wanted was the term that they used. And forgive me, I just - I do want to offer my condolences because your mom died last year from COVID, and I'm so sorry. Viola Vi Burnside was the heart and soul of the orchestra. . [7] Included in this interview were nine of the original members as well as six of the band's later members (four were Caucasian). 27.6M . Over time, the group attracted some of the countrys strongest female jazz instrumentalists of the era. MARTIN: What a story. American Women in Jazz: 1900 to the Present (1982) by Sally Placksin provides a clear view of the orchestra. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm held a strong allegiance to the Count Basie sound, possibly a result of Durhams coaching and arranging. Even in the 1970s, they remained one of a handful of racially integrated all-female bands. While Schiller and Weiss were doing research for Schiller's directorial debut film Before Stonewall (1985), they came across archival footage of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Just a few years after the group was founded, the Sweethearts were able to become a professional touring band. All rights reserved. Rhythm and Blues increasingly replaced jazz as the major popular music among the young people who had previously been the Sweethearts audience. Well, I swore to the sheriff in El Paso that that's what I was. Like Durham, Stone wrote music that carefully integrated the more professional players with the less professional ones and charts that offered riffs and repeated passages for head arrangements to emerge. They gave concerts for GIs in Paris broadcast on Armed Forces Radio and entertained troops across occupied Germany. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm were a racially and ethnically mixed swing band, all of whose members were women. A towering figure in the Southwestern Swing territories, he was a veteran Kansas City impresario and arranger who pioneered Jazz on the radio in the Midwest. The film made its television debut on December 29, 1986 on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. International Sweethearts Of Rhythm | Discography | Discogs [8]:161 The sixteen piece International Sweethearts of Rhythm included a brass section, heavy percussion, and a deep rhythmic sense, along with many of the best female musicians of the day. But he went through my wallet and there was a photo of my mother and father sitting before our little house in New England with the picket fence, and it just didn't jell. "[9] The legal dispute between the parties ended in 1990.[9]. By mid 1941 the retooled band was generating $3000 per month. Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss (Director) Rated: NR. The orchestra made high-spirited appearances in 1944-45 on the program Jubilee, aiming to entertain African American troops and performances were recorded in Los Angeles and Paris, the latter on the second day of the tour (see Media links). Then he took the school's marching band and named them The Sweethearts, and they would play dances. A documentary film about the International Sweethearts of Rhythm was made most likely. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with that. Sherrie Tuckers landmark book, Swing Shift: All-Girl Bands of the 1940s (2000) digs deep. We played the Olympia Theater in Paris and the program was broadcast. Tiny Davis made records and co-ran the all-female Helldivers Band, touring Latin America for the U.S. State Department and operating a Chicago nightclub for decades. The "Sweethearts" saxophone section in performance, September, 1944. It wasnt just another school subject. Meredith HolmgrenCurator, American Women's Music, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. Do you find this information helpful? And here on stage, you have Black women, you have white women, you have Spanish women, you have Asian women. They were soon playing USO-Shows. As such they became popular with a new generation of black and white women who saw them as symbols of success in an era of blatant racism and sexism. we live at the finest hotels. You know, what they had to put up with as women and as a mixed, but mostly black group.
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