This association formed the circuit on which black performers were able to travel and perform in the 1920 United States.
There is a T.O.B.A. break step which is very commonly danced.
And many of the most visible swing band leaders and musicians worked on this tour, including: Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie.
More information can be found on Wikipedia at Theatre Owners Booking Association.
There’s also a history of T.O.B.A from Musical Geography as well as an overview of some of the black women who were on the circuit.
Reflections from Thomas C Fleming can be found on the Museum of the City of San Francisco’s site. Some of the places with TOBA theaters he recalled, “In Chicago, it would be on State Street or Michigan Avenue, the main streets for blacks. In New York City it was Lenox Avenue. In Philadelphia it was Pearl Street. There were also TOBA houses in Baltimore, Washington, DC, St. Louis, Kansas City, and I believe Memphis. The world-famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem was a member of the chain. “
If you’d like to read more about T.O.B.A there’s a book by Michelle R. Scott titled “T.O.B.A. TIme”
