News & Updates — International Sweethearts of Rhythm

A pioneer woman of jazz, Anna Mae Winburn directed the all-female, racially integrated International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a top attraction in the '40s. Although often looked at as a novelty act, the reality is that the band included top notch musicians whom were not given a fair respect in the male-dominated jazz world. From Indiana, Winburn came from a musically-inclined African-American family. She learned to sing and play piano & guitar. She worked in Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders, a popular Nebraska-based territory band of the swing era that included Preston Love. She also led an all-male band (including Charlie Christian!) in...