From 1938 to 1946, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm graced the stage as the
first racially integrated all-female jazz band to tour nationally. Their popularity came
during World War II, when many male jazz artists were serving overseas, leaving an
opportunity for women to shine their talents at home. Over time, the group attracted
some of the country’s strongest female jazz instrumentalists of the era.
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was a racially mixed sixteen-piece all-women
Swing orchestra. The word ‘International’ denoted its diverse ethnic makeup, including
African American, Latin, Asian, Jewish, Hawaiian, White and Native American
women. There were also several lesbians in the band, including Tiny Davis, whose
independent music career and partnership with Ruby Lucas were later the subject of the
documentary Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin’ Women.
The venues where they performed were predominantly, if not only, for black audiences.
Critic Leonard Feather wrote, “if you are white, whatever your age, chances are you
have never heard of the Sweethearts.” Nevertheless, the Sweethearts swiftly rose to
fame, as evidenced by one Howard Theater show in 1941 when the band set a box
office record of 35,000 patrons in one week.
Despite their success, a few impediments remained. According to pianist Johnnie Mae
Rice, because of the Jim Crow laws in the southern states, the band “practically lived on
the bus, using it for music rehearsals and regular school classes”. Segregation laws
barred them from using certain restaurants and hotels.
Saxophonist Roz Cron said, “We white girls were supposed to say 'My mother was
black and my father was white' because that was the way it was in the South. Well, I
swore to the sheriff in El Paso that that's what I was. 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 gel. So, I spent my night in jail.” Because of
situations like this, the band members took precautions. For example, the white women
in the band wore dark makeup on stage to avoid arrest.
In March 2011, six of the surviving members of the band donated memorabilia from their
touring years to the National Museum of American History at the kick-off event of
the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Appreciation Month. The band members received a
standing ovation from attendees.
In 2012, the compilation album International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women’s
Band of the 1940s was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in
the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant.” And in May 2021, the Urban One Honors ceremony recognized the band for
their contributions as a symbol of success over adversity.
Music: From 1945, The Sweethearts of Rhythm with “She’s Crazy with the Heat!”
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