Hidden Figures of Jazz: The Prairie View CoEds and Other All-Female Swing Orchestras

During the Jazz Golden Age, there were literally dozens of all-female bands and orchestras, touring and playing first-class venues, with talented musicians and abundant listeners and dancers enjoying their sounds. During World War II especially, the ranks of all-female ensembles exploded, as male musicians departed for war zones. Yet, most of these dynamic bands and orchestras are now little-remembered. And, sadly, because they were female, most were never recorded, although I include a few examples in today's post. Now, let's explore some of this nearly-lost history.

What if Jazz History Included the Prairie View CoEds? -This article tells the story of the Prairie View CoEds and places them in the more general story of jazz history. The Prairie View Co-eds were profoundly different than most touring jazz/swing ensembles: in addition to all the musicians being women, the group was not based in a big city jazz hotbed, but at a historically black college; and the members were students who carried a full load of college course work, while also being members of the musicians’ union and playing professional weekend gigs and summer tours. The group toured nationally, and played in some prime venues, such as the Apollo Club. But, although sometimes sharing the same program as Bob Hope or Billie Holliday, no known recordings were ever made of their performances. The group's history is, however, documented by photographs, administrative files, musical instruments, lists of members, performance attire, and other items held by the Prairie View State University archives.

Prairie View A & M University "All-Girl" Band. Location and date unknown.

Ernestine Carroll "Tiny" Davis and the Hell Divers - The continuing impact of the Prairie View CoEds after the group was disbanded, is considerable. One example is trumpeter/vocalist, Tiny Davis. After the International Sweethearts of Rhythm--with whom she had been performing--disbanded in 1949, she formed her own all-female band from some erstwhile members of the Prairie View Co-eds, which she called the Hell Divers. Listen to her Hell Divers play Race Horse in 1949.

The Miller's Tale - Another example is Ernie Mae Miller. In this interview, she tells about her time with the Prairie View CoEds and her musical life after that. A more detailed profile of her life and musical career, including the two albums she recoreded, can be found here. There's also an interesting gallery of photos about her career.

A Gal With a Horn - One outstanding trumpet player with the group, Clora Bryant, went on to have a notable professional career, playing with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. She also became of member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. This playlist contains the entire album of the only solo recording resulting from her career.

The Best of the All-Women Swing Bands - Although "best" is a subjective choice, this article introduces several other leading all-female ensembles of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Included are some recordings of their music.

African American Women Play Musical Instruments: Early All-Women Bands - This site highlights several ensembles made up of African-American women, spanning several decades, before, during, and after the Swing Era. Another list of notable all-female bands and orchestras can be found here.

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1937-1949) - An extensive history and profile of the group, which forced skeptics to admit that women could play hard-swinging Jazz and hot music, just like the guys. In battles-of-the-bands they performed opposite Jimmy Dorsey and once bested the popular Erskine Hawkins Orchestra.  On tour they shattered box office records in Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Miami and Kansas City. There is also a good Wikipedia entry about the band available here and a National Public Radio profile of the group here. For a look at their role as early freedom riders during the Jim Crow era, check out this previous CuppaGo post about that.

International Sweethearts Of Rhythm Live Performance of "Jump Children" - This video shows the group in action! After such a performance in Chicago in 1943, the Chicago Defender newspaper announced the band was, "One of the hottest stage shows that ever raised the roof of the theater!"

Sarah McLawler And the Syncoettes - This is the first part of a two-part profile of this important musician and her ensemble. Read Part Two here. To get a taste of their music, listen to their full-length album, I Can't Stop Loving You.

Lil Hardin and The Creolians and The Harlem Harlicans - Sometimes remembered largely for her sometime marriage to Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin is also one of the foremost female jazz figures in her own right. Among her many accomplishments is leading not just one, but two all-female bands.

Viola Smith and The Coquettes - This profile of Smith follows her entire career. You can also experience her legendary drumming in this short video. For a more intimate introduction to her life and music, here's an interview with Viola Smith on her 100th birthday--she lived to be 108! One of the greatest drummers, male or female, of her times, when people referred to her as "the female Gene Krupa," she replied that actually he was the "male Viola Smith." Throughout her long career, she was an advocate for women musicians.