Helen Elizabeth Jones Woods (October 9 or November 14, 1923 – July 25, 2020) was an American jazz and swing trombone player renowned for her performances with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
She spent a brief period in an orphanage for white children in Meridian, Mississippi before being adopted by Dr. Laurence and Grace Jones.
[1] In her 1940s heyday, young Helen Elizabeth Jones was in the top female jazz band in the United States.
Helen was one of six surviving members of the band interviewed in the 1986 documentary film International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
[5] Woods was Catholic and a regular attendee at St Benedict the Moor in Omaha.