Back in 1909, not far from Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Laurence Clifton
Jones opened a special place for orphans named Piney Woods Country Life
School. Dr. Jones loved music and wanted the children to love it too. In
1939 he started a school band that was just for girls, and he called it
the Sweethearts. The music the girls played was called swing. It had
rhythms and melodies that got people up on their feet to dance. And like
all good music, it told stories about how it feels to be alive. After
the girls left Piney Woods, the band stayed together and performed
around the world. With their enormous talent and joyful music, the
Sweethearts chipped away at racist and sexist barriers wherever they
went.