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Often referred to by the black performers as "Tough on Black Artists" (Or "Asses"), the association was generally known as 'Toby Time' (''Time'' was a common term for vaudeville circuits). It booked only black artists into a series of theatres from the East Coast as far west as Oklahoma . It paid less and generally had worse conditions than white Vaudeville . Like white vaudeville, T.O.B.A faded from popularity in the Great Depression . Ethel Waters , Ma Rainey , Bessie Smith , Billie Holiday , Fats Waller , Ella Fitzgerald , Louis Armstrong , a young William Basie (before he became a Count) and a four-year-old Sammy Davis, Jr. , all performed on the T.O.B.A circuit. 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 . SEE ALSO
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