Peggy Gilbert (January 17, 1905 – February 12, 2007), born Margaret Fern Knechtges,[1] was an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader.

[2] During this period, she appeared in films, toured Alaska with a USO troupe, and began to be an advocate for women musicians.

The group performed on TV and at jazz festivals, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and in the 1980 Rose Parade.

She and her brother Oral Lloyd Knechtges, who was born in 1900, were always encouraged to listen to music, and they lived a very comfortable life.

In addition, her parents did not tolerate prejudice, and they "learned right from the beginning to treat everyone with respect and consideration, regardless of race or ethnicity."

[4]: 4 At age seven, Gilbert landed her first professional job as a dancer for the touring group of the Scottish cultural ambassador Sir Henry Lauder.

From a young age, Gilbert was aware of the injustice that came along with gender preference, and she learned that she would have to work hard in order to achieve what she wanted.

For example, although her brother Orval encouraged her in her studies, she realized that people treated him differently; she was very aware of the fact that she was "just a girl.

"[4]: 7 Gilbert attended Sioux City High School where she took secretarial courses, as well as weekly piano lessons.

At this time, she self-taught herself the alto saxophone, as she was told it was not suitable for young women, and joined the Musicians Union in Sioux City.

[4]: 18–20 When Gilbert's father died in November 1927, she decided she needed to start a career in the entertainment business in order to support her mother and grandmother.

In 1928, the family moved to Los Angeles but had to return to Sioux City to help a suddenly widowed Orval.

The move to Los Angeles, and the promise of fame, prompted Gilbert to adopt her mother's maiden name because "Knechtges" (kuh-NET-chiz) was too difficult to pronounce.

The band at this point consisted of Kathleen McArtor on drums, Bunny Hart on guitar, Mable Hicks on trumpet, Caryl Agnew on piano, and Gilbert on saxophone.

"[4]: 78 In 1937, the band played at the Zenda Dance Café in Los Angeles five nights a week and appeared in the Second Hollywood Swing Concert at The Palomar.

"[4]: 79  In January 1938, Gilbert and her band returned to the Zenda Ballroom, where their two-week contract ended up extending to two years.

In 1939, Gilbert and her band continued to be featured in many clubs and events, including the New Hollywood Café and the 15th Annual Policemen's Ball in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gilbert experienced this discrimination throughout her career, as "she encountered incredulity, outright rejection and auditions at which band members were asked to lift their skirts to prove they had good legs.

Although "All-woman bands had been abundant in the '20s and '30s, yet musicians who played in the groups of the '40s were regarded as temporary war-time phenomena: Rosie the Riveter with a trumpet.

"[7] Despite the growing competition, Gilbert refused to make her shows risqué, and she avoided being a "glamour girl" bandleader.

In 1944, Gilbert did a six-month tour of Alaska with the United Service Organization (USO) with Thelma White, an actress and comedian.

[6]: 247 In October 1944, before she left for Alaska, Gilbert met Kay Boley, and the two instantly became close, lifelong friends.

When Gilbert and her husband got a divorce, she and Kay moved in together and continued out their lives as loving partners and supportive friends.

This band, called The Jacks and Jills, included Gilbert's brother Orval on drums and continued to perform until the 1950s.

With this section of her life coming to a close, it was clear that "her skill as a saxophonist and bandleader, combined with business acumen, flexibility, and good humor, allowed her to make a living and support her family throughout the depression and war years.

Gilbert founded a senior citizen Dixieland jazz group, The Dixie Belles, in the early 1970s, and they immediately had great success and began to perform regularly.

The band at this time consisted of Gilbert on saxophone, Natalie Robin on clarinet, Marnie Wells on trumpet, Jerrie Thill on drums, Georgia Shilling on piano, and Pearl Powers on bass.

In March 1986, Jeannie Pool produced a luncheon and concert in order to make a "Tribute to the Pioneer Women Musicians of Los Angeles."

The program honored 106 women musicians that performed in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, and Peggy Gilbert and The Dixie Belles made appearances.

They band continued to appear on television throughout the early- to mid-1990s, including shows such as ABC-TV World News Saturday and Ellen.