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Sax Appeal tells the story of Ivy Benson, the famous wartime leader of an all-female jazz and swing band. Battling the dangers and privations of wartime touring, male opposition and the constant loss of her 'girls' to American Servicemen, she formed a professional band which entertained successfully for over forty years.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Big Bands
Chapter 2. Changing Times-The 1930s
Chapter 3. Ivy
Chapter 4. Early War
Chapter 5. ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association)
Chapter 6. Battle of the Saxes
Chapter 7. The Wartime 'Girls'
Chapter 8. Overpaid, Oversexed and Over Here
Chapter 9. Living Through History
Chapter 10. The Shock of Berlin-the first post-war tour.
Chapter 11. The Post-war Band
Chapter 12. On the Road
Chapter 13. Ivy the Woman
Chapter 14. Pop go the Big Bands
Chapter 15. Silver Lady
Chapter 16. Memories
Chapter 17. Legacy
About the author
Born in the north of England, Janet Tennant spent many years lecturing and traveling in Europe and beyond. She worked in private companies, public organizations and charities to study and improve workplace relationships. Meeting so many people she knows that there is a unique story in everyone's life and that many factors affect what we become. Fascinated by such life stories she has written biographies, particularly of women in the arts and music. Her last book, Mistress and Muse, highly acclaimed by music critics, was the story of Ursula, poet, librettist and lover of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. This book looks at quite a different musical woman, the indomitable Ivy Benson who led a band of all-female musicians.
