Sullivan expands her topic from women’s military bands, the subject of her Bands of Sisters, to virtually all band types encountered in the US: professional, town, vaudeville, school, drum and bugle corps, jazz, and rock as well as military (in the last chapter she extends the discussion to a military band in Mexico). The arrangement is mostly chronological, and the chapters span the 140 years from the late 19th century (starting with Helen May Butler’s various ensembles) to the 21st century (rock bands in the Twin Cities)…. [O]f special merit are contributions by Gayle Murchison and Jeananne Nichols. Murchison writes about the ‘intersectionality of race and gender in jazz,’ as seen through the life and recordings of Mary Lou Williams’s Girl Stars, while untangling a web of connections among members of the jazz world. Nichols details the US WAF Band history, drawing on many primary documents, interviews, and recent theory. Coauthors Dawn Farmer and David Rickels also make effective use of extensive primary sources in bringing to life the stories of pathbreaking band directors Lillian Williams Linsey and Gladys Stone Wright, who served as role models and left lasting legacies in the band world.

Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.

Choice Reviews

This collection presents a sweeping 140-year story of successful all-women's bands in the United States and Mexico and fills many gaps in our inherited musical histories. Taken together, these essays present a powerful story of resilience, showing that in creating these musical ensembles, women also created an empowering space for their own gendered agency. It would be useful in a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses on gender and music, gender studies, historical musicology and ethnomusicology.

Ellen Koskoff, University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music

A thrilling journey through the history of women’s bands in the USA. Feminist theory is interwoven with compensatory history, to reveal a web of power and constraint versus liberation and resistance in the gendered musical world. Threading it all together is the Editor’s exciting introduction. Highly recommended.

Lucy Green, UCL Institute of Education, London

Women’s Bands in America is a comprehensive and clear ‘must-read’ source for anyone interested in the history of American bands. Jill Sullivan and her contributors have filled the void of women’s mostly forgotten contributions to American bands, and indeed their contributions to music and our culture in general. Understanding these unique contributions is necessary to fully comprehend the role of bands in our society. Bravo to all of the authors, and especially Dr. Sullivan, for telling these amazing stories!

Steven N. Kelly, Florida State University

Women’s Bands in America provides a fascinating, well-researched and compelling history of women forming bands dating back to 1876. Kudos to Jill Sullivan et. al. for recognizing the women whose talents and accomplishments might otherwise never have been brought to light. I am amazed and empowered by the life stories herein!

Paula A. Crider, Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas