They Had Rhythm: Gender, Race, and Music and the WAC 404th Band (2022)

In 1943, the leaders of the Women’s Army Corp—a new service branch aimed at integrating women’s labor into the US war effort—formed the WAC 404^th band, the nation’s first all-Black, all-female band. From their base in Des Moines, Iowa, the band toured the Midwest extensively before being dissolved as an ensemble in 1945. During these two years, the band faced various pressures but was supported by the NAACP and other civil-rights organizations. Drawing on archival materials, contemporary newspapers (including the Black press), oral histories, and works by scholars such as Cheryl Mullenbach, I highlight the 404^th’s repertoire and band personnel, offer a selected timeline of performances, and examine visits to their base by Black activists. The experience of the WAC 404^th band demonstrates the complex connections between race, gender, music, and the US war effort.