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African American Women Play Musical Instruments: Early All-Women Bands

Names, Links, and Lists of African American women who play or played musical instruments.

The Dixie Sweathearts

Dixie Sweethearts – (Travalanche)

Harlem Play Girls

THE INTERNATIONAL SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM ⋆ Swing On

Sarah McLawler and the Syncoettes

Colored Women's Bands

  • April 7, 1897, Uncle Tom's Cabin Company, The Colored Girls Band, was at the Bowersock Opera House in Lawrence, KS. The band was also named the Creole Girl's Band. SOURCES: Lawrence Daily Journal and Evening Tribune, 07 April 1897, p.4; Hastings Evening Record (Nebraska), 01 November 1900, p.4.
  • September 31, 1908, the Colored Girls Band from Gouldtown, NJ, was one of the bands that perform during the unveiling of the tea burning monument at Greenwich, NJ. SOURCE: "Monument dedication held at Greenwich," Woodbury Daily Times, 01 October 1908, p.4.
  • June 5, 1911, the Bigbee Colored Girls' Band, organized by G. A. Bigbee, had their new uniforms on display at Robinson and Marshall's in Topeka, KS. SOURCES: "Give concerts on a float," The Topeka Daily State Journal, 26 June 1911, p.7; "Short stories of Topeka Happenings," The Topeka Daily Capital, 5 June 1911, p.8.
  • June 9, 1928, the Bandana Girls, An All-Colored Girls' Band from New York City, played at Alfarata Park in Altoona, PA. SOURCE: Altoona Mirror, 06 June 1928, p.18.
  • October 6, 1928, Johnny Spikes Eight Piece All Colored Girl Band played at the Liberty in Bend, OR. SOURCE: The Bend Bulletin, 03 October 1928, p.8.
  • April 9, 1932, Earl and his Dixie Sweethearts played at the Crystal Ballroom in Fargo, ND. SOURCE: "The Girl orchestras to play at Crystal dance," The Fargo Forum, 07 April 1932, p.5.

 

Negro Girls' Bands

  • August 15, 1933, State Industrial School for Negro Girls Band at Tipton played at the Missouri State Fair in the Administration Building in Sedalia, MO. SOURCE: The Sedalia Democrat, 14 August 1933, front page.
  • July 11, 1935, the Negro Girls' Brass Band of Piney Woods, MS, received proceeds from the Des Moines Women in History Pageant for the band to attend the National Association of Colored Women meeting in Cleveland, OH. SOURCE: "Women in History Pageant given here," Des Moines Tribune, 12 July 1935, p.26.

Negro Women's Bands

  • April 14, 1935, May Brady and Her Chicago Creolians played at the Frog Hop Sunday dance in St. Joseph, MO. SOURCE: "Will play at the Frog Hop Sunday night," The St. Joseph News-Press, 12 April 1935, p.6.
  • December 7, 1936, the Harlem Play Girls, All Negro Dance Band, from Minneapolis, MN, played at the Negro dance at Griffis Pleasure Garden in Paris, TX. SOURCE: The Paris News, 06 December 1936, p.11.
  • June 1, 1944, Will Henry and His 16 Prairie View Coeds played at the Cole High School Gym in Corpus Christi, TX. SOURCE: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 28 May 1944, p.2.
  • January 22, 1949, Sarah McLawler and Her Syncoettes played at Emerson's Grill in Philadelphia, PA. SOURCE: E. B. Brea. "Encores and Echoes," The Afro-American (Baltimore, MD), 22 January 1949, p.7.