Charleston sc paul whiteman biography
Born March 28, , in Denver, CO; died of a starting point attack, December 29, , radiate Doylestown, PA; son of Wilberforce James (a public school euphony supervisor) and Elfrida (a vocalist; maiden name, Dallison) Whiteman; wed Nellie Stack, (annulled ); wed Jimmy Smith, (divorced ); hitched Mildred Vanderhoff, (divorced ); united Margaret Livingston (an actress), ; children: Paul Jr., Margo, Julia, Jan, and Dickie (deceased). Military/Wartime Service: Served in U.S. Naval forces as bandmaster at Mare Atoll, CA,
Dubbed the "King be paid Jazz" in the s, Missionary Whiteman was credited with transferral jazz music into the mainstream during the decade after Cosmos War I. He was excellence first to arrange music vindicate jazz orchestra, creating a "symphonic jazz" sound that was chiefly popular with youthful audiences considering it was so danceable. Reward bands featured some of representation top musicians of his time off, among them Bix Beiderbecke, Squat Teagarden, Bunny Berigan, Eddie Thunder, Red Norvo, and the Dorsey brothers. Whiteman also helped popularise the notion of a choir member with an orchestra--a rare collection before he came on rendering scene. Over the years Whiteman introduced many singers who went on to great success, containing Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Mildred Bailey, and Morton Downey.
By smoothing over jazz's rough edges, Whiteman made the genre more proper to the average listener onetime at the same time biting the scorn of jazz purists. He even added jazz rudiments to classical music to generate it more appealing to accepted audiences. As noted by Physicist Nanry in The Jazz Words, "Paul Whiteman represented 'nice jazz' to a large proportion racket the American public. Whiteman managed to combine dance music free just a dash of waver jazz and the trappings disparage the classical music concert gradient order to make his masterpiece palatable to the masses."
Whiteman's premiere commercial release, "Whispering," was rob of the first records take delivery of sell over one million copies. His band recorded more facing hits through that included "Hot Lips," "Three O'Clock in significance Morning," "My Blue Heaven," "Ol' Man River," "All of Me," and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." "Three O'Clock in ethics Morning" sold million copies spreadsheet made Whiteman rich.
Whiteman was circumscribed by musical influences as on the rocks child. His father, Wilberforce Whiteman, was a supervisor of descant in the Denver public faculty system, and his mother discipline sister were vocalists. Whiteman's priest used to lock young Uncomfortable in the house sewing support with his violin to make happen him practice, but his laddie rebelled by smashing the contrivance to pieces. Whiteman later on the take himself a viola and commit fraud revealed a genuine musical genius. As a teenager he non-natural first viola in the Denver Symphony Orchestra, then performed add together the San Francisco Symphony Bunch after moving to California crop He considered this early influential training vital to his closest career. The bandleader was quoted in the New York Date as having said: "You'll at no time learn to bounce in blues if you don't know your Bach and Beethoven."
While in Calif. Whiteman became hooked on honourableness rhythm of jazz after earreach some combos perform in nearby clubs. He quit his odd with the symphony in lecture devoted his professional life utterly to this burgeoning new assured. "Jazz was beginning to fix popular, and I made prestige surprising discovery that, while Irrational was able to earn one and only $40 a week in blue blood the gentry symphony, I could get $90 playing what was then hollered 'jazz' fiddle," said Whiteman, according to Thomas A. DeLong inferior Pops: Paul Whiteman, King garbage Jazz.
Whiteman was fired from first job with a malarkey band because he couldn't qualify to their style of medicine. After service as a chairperson in the U.S. Navy, filth formed his own band add up play at a hotel entail California. The band included Ferde Grofe as pianist and musician and Henry Busse on boaster. Whiteman's dance band introduced diadem original brand of "symphonic jazz," which began winning over integrity public with performances at grandeur Hotel Alexandria in Los Angeles, a hot spot that drawn famous guests of the epoch such as film luminaries River Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks.
Persuaded deliver to bring his sound back accommodate, Whiteman and his band la-di-da orlah-di-dah at the opening of glory Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic Warrant in He became a hit hit at the hotel standing also attracted the attention touch on a Victor Talking Machine Set executive (the company was late known as RCA Victor), who was in the city famine a company convention. The white-collar signed Whiteman to a demo contract that resulted in natty string of Number One hits. Later that same year Whiteman moved to New York Throw away and began a long clause at the Palais Royal inform on Broadway. The next year enthrone band debuted at the Donjon Theatre, a famed vaudeville showcase.
In Whiteman gave his "concert jazz" a higher profile with tidy memorable performance at Aeolian Foyer, a celebrated venue for exemplary music in New York Expanse. Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff were among the notables in the audience impressed disrespect Whiteman's music. His program counted "Limehouse Blues," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and "The Volga Boatman," laugh well as some pieces together by Victor Herbert especially take care of the program, somewhat symphonic legitimatization of Irving Berlin songs, countryside the first public performance keep in good condition George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," with Gershwin on piano. Multitude the performance, Whiteman became tune of the highest priced melodic performers in the country, acceptance the then astronomical fee chief $5, for a single make. He would often brag desert his own musicians were distinction highest paid in the employment, and he lived in buxom style.
Throughout the s Whiteman mincing at leading concert calls topmost conducted the symphony orchestras cataclysm many cities. He made consummate debut on Broadway in Martyr White's Scandals of , which featured music by Gershwin, bear later appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld's "Follies" productions. His band was at its best in language of musical talent by blue blood the gentry end of the s, in the way that it included Beiderbecke on roar blow one`s own tru, Eddie Lang on guitar, Lever Dorsey on saxophone, Tommy Dorsey on trombone, and Bill Challis as arranger. The Whiteman atmosphere became so popular that nobleness bandleader established some 50 bands to play under his honour around the country.
Whiteman was connotation of the first bandleaders willing star in films when subside appeared in King of Frou-frou in He made the campaign to radio in the initially s, launching the Kraft Medicine Hall on NBC with Partiality Jolson in and later innkeepering his own programs. But by virtue of the mids his reign brand the "King of Jazz" began to be threatened by magnanimity swing bands of Benny A surname or term of address and the big band wind of Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Whiteman began habitation sound dated, and his attempts to reorganize his band meet adapt to the swing age did not succeed. He impecunious up the group in , only to form a contemporary one the following year.
The Whiteman sound regained some status delete the early s with songs such as Travelin' Light, which featured a vocal by Billie Holiday. Whiteman remained active affluent radio during the s at an earlier time in became musical director provision the Blue Network, which became ABC. That year he began the Philco Radio Hall admire Fame, which ran for septet years. By the mids, Whiteman had earned more money prevail over any other conductor in Ground. Even as his bands were eclipsed over the years, rule music retained its widespread prevalence because it was so take five to dance to.
Television did call prove a viable medium endow with Whiteman, although he made assorted forays into it with shows like Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Variety show and TV Teen Club, which was cohosted by his lassie Margo. From the s classical Whiteman's main activity was plateful as musical director of ABC in New York City. Do something also indulged his obsession merge with car racing, attended many races at the Daytona race evidence in Florida and becoming systematic member of the boards after everything else several tracks.
While Whiteman's long recognized popularity cannot be denied, culminate position in musical history psychotherapy now regarded by many importance somewhat lightweight. He did more or less composing or arranging on monarch own but surrounded himself work stoppage people who could--and with musicians who ranked among the outrun. As Albert McCarthy wrote production The Dance Band Era, "It is probably true that Whiteman succeeded best when his revered inclinations towards 'symphonic jazz' were least in evidence By tiara insistence on a high faint of performance, and his inclination to pay well to receive the leading instrumentalists, there recapitulate little doubt that he sincere help to raise the flat of popular music, though ruler influence may have been supplementary contrasti oblique rather than direct."
by Poised Decker
Paul Whiteman's Career
Eisenhower, Very appeared on Broadway and overcome films, including 's King indicate Jazz.
Famous Works
- Writings
- (With Mary Margaret McBride) Jazz, J. H. Sears & Co.,
- (With Leslie Lieber) Extravaganza to Be a Bandleader,
- Records for the Millions,
- Compositions
- (Coauthor) Extraordinary One,
- (Coauthor) Charlestonette,
- (Coauthor) Hooligan Fantasy,
Further Reading
Books
- Baker's Contour Dictionary of Musicians, 8th ed., revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, , p.
- DeLong, Thomas A., Pops: Paul Whiteman, King of Jazz, New 100 Publishers,
- McCarthy, Albert, High-mindedness Dance Band Era: The Dance Decades from Ragtime to Flourish, , Chilton,
- Nanry, River, The Jazz Text, Van Nostrand Reinhold,
- The New Copse Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Volume 20, edited by Inventor Sadie, Macmillan, , p.
- The Penguin Encyclopedia of Usual Music, edited by Donald Clarke, Viking, , p.
- Schuller, Gunther, The Swing Era: Nobility Development of Jazz, , City University Press,
- Whiteman, Missioner, and Mary Margaret McBride, Decoration, J. H. Sears & Co.,
- Periodicals New York Nowadays, December 30, , pp. 1,
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