Original: Webb had already hired singer Charlie Linton to work with the band and was, The New York Times later wrote, "reluctant to sign her... because she was gawky and unkempt, a diamond in the rough."
Simplified: Webb had already hired a singer called Charlie Linton to work with the band. According to The New York Times, Webb was "reluctant to sign her... because she was gawky and unkempt, a diamond in the rough."