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Conversation with Former Members of the Band
In this onstage conversation, members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm discuss the history of women in jazz and the legacy of the Sweethearts. Founded in 1937, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the nation’s first, integrated, female big band. The Sweethearts travelled nationwide in a customized tour bus. The band confronted dual biases of gender and race and excelled during a period in history when the majority of African Americans lived in the South under Jim Crow laws.