Women and Jazz – Transforming a Nation: The International Sweethearts of Rhythm

Formed in 1937, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm was America’s first multiracial, all-female big band. Their music, courage, and determination helped challenge racial and gender barriers in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. The Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) is sponsoring a program on Monday, April 20, at 2:00 in the Clubhouse II Auditorium, where Joann Stevens will share her experience with this remarkable group.

The Sweethearts toured the nation, including the Jim Crow south, and the USO asked them to tour Europe at the end of WWII. A unique aspect of the Sweethearts unity was that the white women in the band willingly passed as African Americans to play with the group in segregated venues. They devised codes to protect each other when southern sheriffs tried to find the white members, and they took pride in playing jazz at levels that equaled or excelled some of the leading male performers of the day.

Despite their success, the Sweethearts received little coverage in mainstream jazz publications and remained mostly unknown to white audiences. After the war, the group enjoyed some continued success but eventually disbanded as musical tastes shifted and years of touring took their toll.

Stevens will share her experience bringing several surviving members of the band together for an onstage presentation at the Smithsonian Institution.  For nearly a decade she directed the global Jazz Appreciation Month initiative for the Smithsonian Institution, working with public and private partners worldwide to promote Jazz as America’s original music in public events each April.

Note: CLL has a new registration process. Residents are asked to register and pay the $5 fee by buying a ticket here. Residents unable to access the website can register beginning April 7 by calling or stopping by the Lifestyle office of either clubhouse, and paying the $5 fee at the door by cash or check to The Center for Lifelong Learning.