Alice Whyte

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Alice Whyte (born December 1, 1922 as Alice Wojtecki in La Crosse , Wisconsin , † June 7, 2015 in North Bethesda, Maryland ) was an American jazz musician ( drums ) and band leader in the 1940s and 1950s.

Career

Whyte learned the violin as his first instrument . Her brother Virgil Whyte , also a drummer, had got her to 'drumming' while she was still in high school and discovered that Alice could also master 'modern rhythms'. Their special way of playing is said to have promoted the idea of ​​founding an all women band. The result was the Musigals . Alice initially belonged to this formation, which he led and later known as America's Musical Sweethearts . The band was composed almost entirely of female musicians from their hometown Racine . Alice Whyte toured with the orchestra through almost all US states and made around 1,500 appearances - in 1944 and 1945 on behalf of the USO . So-called double drum acts of the Whytes from 1943 were popular at the shows : Alice and Virgil played two drums and fought sibling drum battles.

When Virgil Whyte was drafted, she stepped in as the band leader. After the war Alice had her own jazz combo, the Vadel Quartet , alongside Alice Whyte on drums consisting of Lee Savage (piano), Eloise Mullins (saxophone) and Dorothy Reigart (trumpet). The formation played with their own arrangements for about five years in Milwaukee and Rock Islands , among others, and also had regular appearances on WGN-TV, a local broadcaster in Chicago.

Alice Whyte received positive reviews from the press and was occasionally referred to as one of the best female drummers in the country. Alice Whyte represents a large number of jazz and swing musicians in the period around the Second World War , whose story, despite considerable successes, was largely forgotten and has only recently been noticed more strongly. Examples of musicians and / or their bands in this context are Joy Cayler , Tiny Davis , the Darlings of Rhythm or the International Sweethearts of Rhythm .

In the 1950s, Alice opened a fashion store in Racine, which she ran for around three decades. In 1995, on the occasion of a celebration in Racine for the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, she was able to persuade some young musicians to swing the drumsticks again. In the same year, the exhibition “What Are Archives” opened in the National Museum of American History in honor of the all-girl band Whytes . It showed a selection of documents, photos and memorabilia from the Musigals' time from 1942 to 1948.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Alice Wojtecki aka Alice Whyte: Racine Clothier and WW II Drummer
  2. ↑ Alice Whyte . In: The Journal Times . Racine, Wisconsin June 14, 2015, pp. A14 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  3. ↑ Enchanting Sisters Will Appear On Melody Hour At Fort Tonight. In: The Anniston Star . Anniston, Alabama September 29, 1946, pp. 20 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  4. ^ All Girl Band Leaves Today for USO Tour. In: The Journal Times . Racine, Wisconsin August 22, 1944, pp. 9 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  5. ^ Double Drum Act Heads Stage Bill. In: The Huntsville Times . Huntsville, Alabama September 30, 1946, p. 8 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  6. ↑ Vadel Quartet . In: The Daily Times . Davenport, Iowa December 16, 1950 p. 2 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  7. ↑ Girls' Band To Visit Fort . In: The Anniston Star . Anniston, Alabama September 26, 1946, pp. 3 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  8. ^ Tucker, Sherrie .: Swing shift: "all-girl" bands of the 1940s . Duke Univ. Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8223-2485-7 .
  9. ^ Virgil Whyte All-Girl Band featured in exhibition . In: The Journal Times . Racine, Wisconsin April 8, 1995, pp. 18 ( newspapers.com [accessed April 3, 2020]).
  10. ↑ Virgil Whyte "All-Girl" Band Collection - contents · SOVA. Retrieved April 3, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Whyte, Alice
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wojtecki, Alice (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH La Crosse , Wisconsin
DATE OF DEATH June 7, 2015
Place of death North Bethesda, Maryland