Anna Mae Winburn

Anna Mae Winburn (née Darden; August 13, 1913 – September 30, 1999) was an American vocalist and jazzbandleader who flourished beginning in the mid-1930s. An African-American, she is best known for having directed the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an all-female big band that was perhaps one of the few – and one of the most – racially integrated dance-bands of the swing era. In 1944, the band was named as the country’s favorite all-female orchestra in a DownBeatmagazine poll.

Anna Mae Darden was born in Port Royal, Tennessee, to Andrew Jackson Darden (1881–1956) and Lula Carnell (maiden; 1882–1929), a musical family.

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