African American female big bands

In a time where you had big bands like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, etc., all the male bands black and white, I never even considered that their may be female bands especially african-american female bands.

I stumbled upon "The International Sweethearts of Rhythm an African American female swing band that was popular in the late 1930's to sometime around 1949 while searching for information on another artist (who I will talk about in a different blog).

The band originated at Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi, a boarding school founded by Lawrence C. Jones in 1909 to care for poor and orphaned black children.

While researching this band, I found out that their where others among them Lil Hardin Armstrong's All Girl Band (that name may sound familiar because Lil Hardin was married to Louis Armstrong). The following I will have to research but in the meantime, I have made you aware so CHECK them out for yourselves. Ada Leonards All American Girls, Beryl Booker Trio, Darlings of Rhythm, Eddie Durhams All Stars, Hip Chicks and the Singing Rays of Rhythm.