Women's Bands in America

In the first comprehensive exploration of women’s bands in American history, contributors trace women's emerging roles in town, immigrant, family, school, suffrage, military, swing, and rock bands, as well as society at large. Contributors bring together a series of disciplines in this unique work, including musicology, American history, women's studies, and history of education.

Jill M. Sullivan is associate professor of Music Education at Arizona State University and author of Bands of Sisters:U.S. Women's Military Bands during World War II (Scarecrow Press, 2011)

Chapter 1: Introduction Jill M. Sullivan Chapter 2: Helen May Butler and Her Ladies' Military Band: Being Professional during the Golden Age of Bands Brian Meyers Chapter 3: Town Bands, 1870-1920 Sondra Wieland Howe Chapter 4: "An Attraction of Unusual Merit," Women's Bands on the Vaudeville Stage Joanna Ross Hersey Chapter 5: All-Female School Bands: Separate Spheres and Gender Equality Jill M. Sullivan Amy Spears Chapter 6: Legacies of Leadership: Lillian Williams Linsey and Gladys Stone Wright Dawn M. Farmer David A. Rickels Chapter 7: A Survey of All-Female Drum and Bugle Corps featuring "The Hormel Girls" Danelle D. Larson Chapter 8: Mary Lou Williams's Girl Stars and the Politics of Negotiation: Jazz, Gender, and Jim Crow Gayle Murchison Chapter 9: Parading Women: Objectification and Commodification of Women's Military Bands during WW II Jill M. Sullivan Chapter 10: Into the Wild Blue Yonder: A History of the US WAF Band 1949-1961 Jeananne Nichols Chapter 11: Rockin' it L