Introduction Who Was Vi Burnside?
Violet Burnside, known professionally as Vi Burnside (1915-1964), was a renowned jazz saxophonist born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on April 19, 1915. She got started in music by performing in orchestras at Edward Hand Middle School and Stevens High School in Lancaster City. After graduating high school, Burnside attended a music conservatory in New York. She would later play tenor saxophone in various all-girl bands, like the African American group the Harlem Play-Girls. She would spend most of her career touring with different groups from the 1930s through the 1960s.
(1940s-1960s) The Vi Burnside Collection
Welcome to the Vi “Violet” Burnside Collection. This collection, from the 1940s to the 1960s, includes a wide variety of photos, documents, books, and other items related to the late saxophonist, Vi Burnside. These items are housed at LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center.
Of all the jam sessions we’ve witnessed, the first real one brought together Gene Ammons of combo fame and Vi Burnside of the Sweethearts of Rhythm at Savoy Sunday night. They stood toe to toe, horn to horn and battled it out to the approval of more than 2000 raving jitterbugs.
