Other notable all-women bands: Historic and current
Note: historic bands were, for the most part, all-white
or all-black, hence the two different columns
Historic black women bands
Historic white women bands
Current bands with founding dates
The Harlem Playgirls, 1930s
Lil Hardin Armstrong's All-woman band
The Dixie Sweethearts
Eddie Durham's All-Star Girl Orchestra
The Prairie View College Co-Eds, 1940s
Many women also led all-male bands:
Lil Hardin Armstrong, trumpeter-singer Valaida Snow, and white sax player
L'Ana Webster
A few of the all-women bands in other countries: In Cuba, Concepcion Castro's All-woman Anacoma Orchestra; in Japan, Harumi Miyagama's 14 piece all-woman swing band; in England, The Rhythm Girls, The Boston Belles, Marie and her Orchestra
The Bluebells, 1920s
Bobbie Grice's Fourteen Bricktops
The Bon John Girls, 1930s
Babe Egan and Her Hollywood Redheads
The Ingenues
Rita Rio's All-girl Band
Ina Ray Hutton and her Melodears, 1930s-40s
Ada Leonard's All-American Girl Orchestra, 1940s
Peggy Gilbert and her All-Girl Band,
see below for a new book about her!
Two of the more commercial bands had their own weekly radio programs:
The Hormel Girls, 1940s- '50s (sponsored by Hormel) and Phil Spitalney and his All-Girl Orchestra, 1934-1955
“A joyful celebration of one woman's extraordinary life.”
—Leonard Maltin
Pool profiles the life of this multi-talented saxophone player, arranger, bandleader, and advocate for women instrumental musicians. Based on oral interviews and Gilbert's collection of photographs, news clippings, and other memorabilia, this book includes material not previously available on all-women bands from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, and highlights the contributions of Gilbert and other notable West Coast female jazz musicians.
Jeannie Gayle Pool Ph.D. is a musicologist, composer, documentary filmmaker, and producer. An expert on music for motion pictures, she is a consultant for Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Music Department.
Left Header photo by Carol Georgia Right header photo by Pete Wolbrette
