Anna Mae Winburn | |
|---|---|
 Winburn and William D. Alexander in the 1940s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anna Mae Darden |
| Born | August 13, 1913 Port Royal, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | September 30, 1999 (aged 86) Hempstead, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, big band |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1936–1956 |
Anna Mae Winburn (née Darden; August 13, 1913 – September 30, 1999) was an American vocalist and jazz bandleader 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.[1] In 1944, the band was named as the country's favorite all-female orchestra in a DownBeat magazine poll.[2]