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Major T.O.B.A. stars included Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
The T.O.B.A., also known as the Toby Time, had theaters in all the major cities in the North and South and in many small cities as well. (Time was a common term for vaudeville circuits). Performers said the initials stood for Tough on Black Artists or Tough on Black Asses because of the owners' strict ways with payment and discipline.
The most prestigious black theaters in Harlem, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. were not part of the circuit, but booked acts independently. The T.O.B.A. was considered less prestigious. Many black performers, such as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson performed in white vaudeville, often in blackface.