Count & Harriet, Lindyhoppers

The Count & Harriet were part of the Six Swingsters, which was Willie Jones’ dance troupe traveling with Irvin C. Miller’s Brownskin Models when they were engaged to play at John Warner’s Plaza Theater and to perform in “Pitch a Boogie Woogie.”

Harriet Drayton & Count duBarry were finalists in the 1945 Harvest Moon Ball at Madison Square Gardens. But Bobby White, who manages and writes most of the content for swongover.com, says this about this particular Count: “Most likely a fake name, perhaps alluding to the husband of Madame du Barry, who famously had only married the French count for the noble title that would allow her to live with the King Louis XV as his official courtesan. We like to imagine that perhaps Harriet’s partner didn’t want to compete in the ball and came up with a clever way of saying so.)

Jones said that “half of my people got tired of traveling and went back to New York.” Jones’ dancing partner, Pearl, and another couple, Jessie & Blue, were the ones who left.

Jessica Cookley dancing with James “Blue” Outlaw and Willie Jones and a dancer named Pearl Edwards were also finalists in the 1945 Harvest Moon Ball at the Apollo.

Another Count: A noted swing dancer from the period, Walter Johnson, went by two nicknames, “Count” and “Lefty.”  But the pairing of Count duBarry with Harriet Drayton sure sounds like the couple who tear it up in “Pitch.”

Swungover.com is an amazing and ongoing history of swing dancing–with lots of great video. 

• • • 

–April 24, 2024

Sources

Jones, Willie. Personal interview. Philadelphia, Pa. xx July 1987 ??

1945 Harvest Moon Ball. Swungover.com. 16 March 2022.