The Harlem Playgirls

The Harlem Playgirls were an all girl African American swing band of the late 30s and 40s. Assembled from former members of the Dixie Sweethearts, the band played black vaudeville, night clubs and presentation houses. The front women were Eddie Crump and Baby Briscoe. While the band did indeed gig at Harlem venues like the Apollo Theater, they were actually based out of the Midwest.

To learn more history about the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.

And don’t missmy new bookChain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc