Ann Dupont

Ann Dupont (January 2, 1915 – April 29, 1998) was an American jazz musician (clarinetist, bandleader, singer) who was known as the "Queen of the Clarinet" in the swing era and also "the female Artie Shaw."

Ann Dupont was born Ann Bata on January 2, 1915, in Universal, Pennsylvania, to Alexander and Rosalie Bata. Shortly after she was born, the family moved to Florida, where she was raised.

DuPont showed musical aptitude at an early age and began studying clarinet (and also violin) at age nine. She then played with women's bands in Florida and Louisiana before declaring in 1939 that she only wanted to play with men.

In the summer of 1939, Dupont founded a jazz ensemble with a total of thirteen male musicians, which included noted clarinetists Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman. The group she called "Ann DuPont and her Music Men" performed frequently in hotels and clubs in the New York area. Downbeat magazine lauded her as a talented clarinetist with a "wild, uninhibited style" who led a striking band. 

In 1943, her Billboard profile noted that she had received an honorary "Doctorate of Solid Jive" from the College of the City of New York, an honor only once before bestowed on Benny Goodman.

Also in 1943, she broke up her big band to work in a quartet with three male musicians (pianist, bassist, and guitarist).

In 1945, DuPont accompanied the vocal ensemble The Four Blues, an African-American vocal group, on "The Things You want the Most of All/Oh Daddy, Please Bring That Suitcase In".

During the Second World War, her group played in concerts on the lawn of the Congress Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, where she met her future husband, lieutenant George Maki. After their marriage in April 1945, they relocated to Fairport Harbor, Ohio, where DuPont continued to perform before becoming a successful real estate broker.

DuPont was a member of both the local musician's union and New York's famed Local 802, American Federation of Musicians.

DuPont married navy lieutenant George William Maki (1914–1999) on April 28, 1945, after which they settled in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. They had met in Cape May, New Jersey, where DuPont was performing with her ensemble.

DuPont died on April 29, 1998, at the age of 83. She is buried at Riverside Cemetery, Painesville, Ohio.