Hundreds of musical groups have appeared in at least one film from 1929 through 1970. This is a reference book devoted to these groups. Most entries include a brief description of the musical group, a list of the main singers or performers and, when available, a list of the songs performed in each film. One appendix lists popular British groups appearing in at least a single film; another lists groups that, while neither singers nor instrumentalists, made significant contributions to music in film (e.g., dance duos, acrobats, skaters, synchronized swimmers…). Filmographies are included for each entry.

During the reign of silent movies, music was always present to underscore the onscreen action. Of course, it did not come from the screen itself unless it was one of the early, unsuccessful experiments in sound, of which there were many. In the often shabby nickelodeon “theaters” (usually storefronts) the music may have been produced by a tinny piano. As the great art of silent films matured, the music could be played by full orchestras in magnificent movie palaces.

Films usually reflect the era in which they are made and the 1920s was, after all, the Jazz Age. So even though they were silent, such motion pictures as Jazz Cinderella, The Jazz Girl, The Jazz Hounds, Jazz Mad, Jazzland and Jazzmania were seen in theaters. There may have been jazz bands pictured in them but their music was soundless and was interpreted off-screen.