Thurman, and second, in 1943, to Ulysses Grant Waldon, Jr. Judy, then known as Julia Mae Hughes, died of lung cancer on January 1, 1975.Įaster married drummer and vibist “Jeep” Stewart (né William Alfred Stewart born around 1920), and after divorcing him, later married James Elias Overton (1922–1986).Įaster has been twice married before, first, in 1936, to Samuel L. Sometime around 1961 Judy married saxophonist and bandleader Percy Caesar Hughes (1922–2015) of Minneapolis. 1915–1985), a pianist and son of Red Perkins. She was married to Frank Perkins (né Frank Shelton Perkins, Jr. Judy sang with groups around Minneapolis. Mattie, Judy, and Easter were also performers. They lived in Elmhurst, New York, among many Harlem transplants and jazz greats.ĭuke Pilgrim, before marrying Anna Mae, had been divorced from Albertha Adams (maiden 1910–2005), a dancer whom he married April 27, 1940, in Harlem, NY. In the divorce proceedings, she testified that Charles abandoned her in June 1934.Īround 1948, Winburn married “Duke” Pilgrim (né Eustace Michael Pilgrim 1921–1970) 1948. In 1947, Anna Mae Winburn was granted a divorce by the Howard County Circuit Court in Kokomo. On January 2, 1930, Anna Mae Darden married Charles Winburn (né Charles Raymond Winburn 1910–1960) in Howard County, Indiana. She was the fourth oldest of 9 siblings – five brothers and three sisters: Lloyd W. Her family moved to Kokomo, Indiana, when she was young. After a performance in Chicago in 1943, the Chicago Defender announced the band was, “One of the hottest stages shows that ever raised the roof of the theater! More recently, they have been labeled “the most prominent and probably best female aggregation of the Big Band era.”Īnna Mae Winburn was born in Port Royal, Tennessee, to Andrew Jackson Darden (1881–1956) and Lula Carnell (maiden 1882–1929), a musical family. Just As Ittin And A Rock writes, Winburn and her band “… played swing and jazz on a national circuit that included the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY, the Regal Theater in Chicago, and the Howard Theater in Washington, DC. Other featured artists were Jerry Wallace, Toni Harper, Roy Brown and His Mighty Men, Louis Jordan, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Josephine Baker. However, those bands never regained the notoriety of the early years.Īnna Mae Winburn and Her Sweethearts performed at the eighth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held also at Wrigley Field which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. Winburn formed other incarnations of the International Sweethearts for the next 10 years, often billing her name before the bands. In the 1986 documentary film International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Winburn reported of her first meeting, “I said ‘What a bunch of cute little girls, but I don’t know whether I could get along with that many women or not.’ “Despite rumors of Betty Carter being groomed to take her place after her marriage, Winburn was the leader of the band until it folded in late 1949. She was reportedly hired for her attractive figure, with the intention of doing little actual composing or singing. Here she is singing at the International Sweethearts of Rhythm concert playing “Jump Children”:Īfter being recommended by Jimmie Jewel, who owned North Omaha’s Dreamland Ballroom, Winburn became the leader of the band in 1941. It was there that she led Eddie Durham’s “All-Girl Orchestra”, which eventually earned her an invite to join the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.Įddie Durham had been the composer for the International Sweethearts of Rhythm for two years before leaving to join Count Basie’s band. Soon she went to Oklahoma City and led bands for a short while. When many of the musicians were lost to the World War II draft, Winburn joined the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She also led the Cotton Club Boys out of Omaha, a group that at one point included the amazing guitarist Charlie Christian. She worked at various clubs in Indiana, including the Chateau Lido in Indianapolis (where she appeared under the pseudonym Anita Door).įrom there she moved to North Omaha, Nebraska, where she sang and played guitar for a variety of territory bands, or groups whose touring activities and popularity were geographically limited to several adjoining states, that were led by Red Perkins.ĭuring that time Winburn was a collaborator of Lloyd Hunter, frequently singing for Lloyd Hunter’s “Serenaders”. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008.
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