International Sweethearts of Rhythm Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Cron, Rosalind
label: Creator
content: International Sweethearts of Rhythm
label: Creator
content: Piney Woods School
label: Creator
content: Moon, Dixie Hardy
label: Creator
content: Hughes, Cathy
label: Names
content: United Service Organizations (U.S.)
label: Names
content: Woods, Helen Jones, 1923-2020
topic: label: Topic
content: Bands (Music) -- 1940-1950
label: Topic
content: Big band music
label: Topic
content: Female (Musical group)
label: Topic
content: Jazz -- 20th century -- United States
label: Topic
content: Musicians
label: Topic
content: Women musicians -- 1930-1950
label: Topic
content: World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated to the Archives Center in 2011 by Rosalind Cron.
creator: label: Creator
content: Cron, Rosalind
label: Creator
content: International Sweethearts of Rhythm
label: Creator
content: Piney Woods School
label: Creator
content: Moon, Dixie Hardy
label: Creator
content: Hughes, Cathy
setName: label: See more items in
content: International Sweethearts of Rhythm Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: The International Sweethearts of Rhythm Collection focuses on the all-female, racially and ethnically diverse big band group that started in 1937 and disbanded in 1949.  The collection contains news clippings, photographs, correspondence, ephemera from USO travels, and newsletters.  Also included are books related to the group, as well as a tribute CD and a 33 rpm vinyl sound recording.
accruals: label: Accruals
content: Additional materials donated by Dixie Hardy Moon in 2012 and Cathy Hughes in 2010.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The International Sweethearts of Rhythm were a racially and ethnically mixed swing band, all of whose members were women. They were organized in 1937 by Laurence Clifton Jones, who started the Piney Woods School near Jackson, Mississippi. He formed the band from students at Piney Woods and the band toured to raise money for the school, performing at fairs, dance halls, churches, and theaters.  In 1939, the band began to tour outside of Mississippi and traveled across the American South and Midwest.  In 1941 they separated from Piney Woods, started out on their own as professional musicians and relocated to Arlington, Virginia.  While in Arlington, the band recruited professional musicians to replace the underage students who stayed in school.  The band's venues included the Apollo Theatre and Savoy Ballroom in New York and the Howard Theatre in Washington DC They performed frequently at military bases and were quite popular during World War II. In response to requests from GIs serving overseas, the Sweethearts undertook a six month tour of Europe starting in July 1945.  The tour was supported by the United Service Organization (USO) Camp Shows.  The band played in Paris, France and throughout Germany, including the cities of Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Munich, and Mannheim. The group disbanded in 1949, but reunited for a reunion in 1980 at the Third Annual Women's Jazz Festival in Kansas City.

Rosalin Cron was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1925 and began playing music at nine years old. She joined the band in 1943 and primarly played the alto saxophone, but was also trained to play the clarinet and flute.  Cron was a part of the overseas tour.  She was with the band until 1946.  Dixie Hardy Moon is the niece of founder Laurence Clifton Jones.  Catherine (Cathy) Hughes, was born in 1947 in Omaha, Nebraska.  She is the granddaughter of founder Laurence Clifton Jones and her mother, Helen Jones Woods (1923-2020), played the trombone with the Sweethearts.  Hughes is considered a media pioneer and founder of Radio One/TV One.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Cubic foot (4 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1933-2010
label: Date
content: bulk 1939-1946
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1218
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Books
label: Type
content: Newspaper clippings
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Publicity photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into three series.

Series 1: Piney Woods School, 1937-1944

Series 2: Rosalind Cron Materials, 1933-2005

Series 3: Dixie Hardy Moon Materials, 1935-1951
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Sara Wheeler, July 2017; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Books -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Newspaper clippings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Publicity photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists mostly of photographs and news clippings documenting the International Sweethearts Band of Rhythm's performances, rehearsals, and travels.   It also includes tribute materials to the band, including books and audio CDs.