Darlings of Rhythm
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The Darlings of Rhythm was an African American, all-female swing band from the 1940s.[1]
The Darlings were often compared with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, another African American all-girl swing band. The Darlings were darker skinned than the Sweethearts.[2] Toby Butler, a white member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, was rumored to have left the band and joined the Darlings in the mid-1940s, when racial segregation made playing in mixed bands illegal. This rumor was confirmed in 1946 when she was arrested while performing in Georgia.[3]
Members of the Darlings changed over time, and included the following:
- Clarence Love (leader)
- Jean Ray Lee (trumpeter)
- Thelma Lewis (trumpeter)
- Helen Taborn (vocalist)[3]
- Frann Gaddison (saxophonist)
- Jessie Turner (trombonist)
- Josephine Boyd (alto saxophonist)
- Margaret "Padjo" Backstrom (tenor saxophonist)
- Henrietta Fontaine (drummer)
- Lula Roberts (saxophonist)
- Vi Wilson (bass)
- Hettie Smith (drummer)
- Gurthalee Clark (reeds)
- Ann Cooper (trumpeter)