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Paul Whiteman
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Paul Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral leader. He was born in Denver, Colorado. After a start as a classical violinist and violist, Whiteman then led a jazz-influenced dance band, which became locally popular in San Francisco, California in 1918. In 1920 he moved his band to New York City where they started making recordings for Victor Records which propelled Whiteman and his band to national prominence. Whiteman became the most popular band leader of the decade.
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Paul Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral leader. He was born in Denver, Colorado. After a start as a classical violinist and violist, Whiteman then led a jazz-influenced dance band, which became locally popular in San Francisco, California in 1918. In 1920 he moved his band to New York City where they started making recordings for Victor Records which propelled Whiteman and his band to national prominence. Whiteman became the most popular band leader of the decade. In May, 1928, he signed with Columbia Records, only to return to Victor September, 1931, where he stayed until March, 1937. Paul Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including "Wang Wang Blues", "Mississippi Mud", "Rhapsody in Blue", "Wonderful One", "Hot Lips", "Mississippi Suite", and "Grand Canyon Suite".
"The King of Jazz"
In the 1920s, Whiteman was dubbed by the media as The King of Jazz (see: Jazz royalty) because his jazz orchestra was the most popular during the 1920s, the Jazz Age. Paul Whiteman had the most commercially successful and most popular jazz band or orchestra of the 1920s. For this reason, the media dubbed him the "Jazz King". In a 1928 Fox Newsreel, for instance, he is referred to as "Jazz King" by Fox. He emphasized the way he had approached the already well-established style of music while organizing its composition and style in his own fashion. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing "Washboard Blues" to the accompaniment of his orchestra in 1927.
While today most fans of jazz consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the music could be improved by orchestrating the best of it, with formal arrangements. In a time when most dance bands consisted of six to 10 men, Whiteman led a much larger and more imposing group, numbering as many as 35 musicians. Whiteman's recordings were critically popular and commercially successful, and his more respectable brand of jazz music was often the first jazz of any form that some people heard.
Career
For more than 30 years, Paul Whiteman, referred to as "Pops", sought out and encouraged musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers, and entertainers who looked promising. In 1924 Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered by Whiteman's orchestra with George Gershwin at the piano. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire was Grand Canyon Suite, by Ferde Grofé.
Paul Whiteman hired many of the best jazz musicians for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, Mike Pingitore, Gussie Mueller, Wilbur Hall (billed by Whiteman as "Willie Hall"), Jack Teagarden, and Bunny Berigan. He'd also encouraged upcoming African American musical talents, but due to the racial tension of that time, he never succeeded in recruiting any. In late 1926 he signed three candidates for his orchestra: Bing Crosby, Al Rinker, and Harry Barris. Whiteman billed the singing trio as his Rhythm Boys. Crosby's prominence in the Rhythm Boys helped launch his career as one of the most successful singers of the 20th century. Paul Robeson and Billie Holiday also recorded with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1928 and 1942 respectively.
Paul Whiteman had twenty-eight number one records during the 1920s and thirty-two during his career. At the height of his popularity, eight out of the top ten sheet music sales slots were by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
His recording of José Padilla’s Valencia (Padilla/Boyer/Charles/Grey) topped the charts for eleven-weeks, beginning March 30, 1926, becoming the no.1 record of 1926.
Paul Whiteman signed Mildred Bailey in 1929 (although she didn't record with Whiteman until 1931). It has been reported in a couple of recent books that Whiteman wanted to hire black musicians back in the late 1920s, but he was talked out of it by his management and record company.
Jazz musician and leader of the Mound City Blue Blowers Red McKenzie and cabaret singer Ramona Davies (billed as "Ramona and her Grand Piano") joined the Whiteman group in 1932. The King's Jesters were also with Paul Whiteman in 1931.
In 1933, Whiteman had a #2 hit on the Billboard charts with the song, "Willow Weep for Me".
In 1934, Paul Whiteman had his last two no.1 hits, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", with vocals by Bob Lawrence, which was no.1 for six weeks, and "Wagon Wheels", which was no.1 for one week, his final no.1 recording. From 1920 to 1934, Paul Whiteman had 32 no.1 recordings. From 1920 to 1929, Paul Whiteman had 28 no.1 records. By contrast, during the same period, the 1920s Jazz Age, Louis Armstrong had none.
In 1942, Paul Whiteman began recording for Capitol Records, cofounded by songwriters Buddy G. DeSylva and Johnny Mercer and music store owner Glenn Wallichs. Whiteman and His Orchestra's recordings of "I Found A New Baby" and "The General Jumped At Dawn" was the label's first single release.
Movie Appearance
In 1930 "Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra" starred in the first feature-length movie musical filmed entirely in Technicolor, King of Jazz. The film was technically ahead of its time, with many dazzling camera effects complementing the Whiteman music. Whiteman appeared as himself, and good-naturedly kidded his weight and his dancing skills. A highlight was a concert rendition of Rhapsody in Blue. Unfortunately, by the time King of Jazz was released to theaters, audiences had seen too many "all-singing, all-dancing" musicals, and much of the moviegoing public stayed away. The expensive film didn't show a profit until 1933, when it was successfully reissued to cash in on the popularity of 42nd Street and its elaborate production numbers.
Musical Director for ABC Radio Network
In the 1940s and 1950s, after he had disbanded his orchestra, Whiteman worked as a music director for the ABC Radio Network. He also hosted several television programs and continued to appear as guest conductor for many concerts. His manner on stage was disarming; he signed off each program with something casual like, "Well, that just about slaps the cap on the old milk bottle for tonight."
Compositions by Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman composed the standard "Wonderful One" in 1922 with Ferde Grofe and Dorothy Terris (also known as Theodora Morse), this composition based on or adapted from a theme by film director Marshall Neilan. The songwriting credit is assigned as music composed by Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofe, and Marshall Neilan, with lyrics by Dorothy Terriss. "(My) Wonderful One" is a song that was recorded by Gertrude Moody, Edward Miller, Martha Pryor, Mel Torme, Doris Day, Woody Herman, Helen Moretti, John McCormack who released it as Victor 961, and Pete Bontsema in 1923. Jan Garber and His Orchestra, and Ira Sullivan with Tony Castellano also recorded the song. Henry Burr recorded it in 1924 and Glenn Miller and his Orchestra in 1940. On the sheet music published in 1922 by Leo Feist it is described as a "Waltz Song" and "Paul Whiteman's Sensational Waltz Hit" and is dedicated "To Julie". "Wonderful One" appeared in the following movies: The Chump Champ (1950), Little 'Tinker (1948), Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), Sufferin' Cats (1943), Design for Scandal (1941), Strike Up the Band (1940), and Westward Passage (1932).
In 1924, Paul Whiteman composed "When the One You Love Loves You" with Abel Baer and lyricist Cliff Friend. Paul Whiteman recorded the song on December 24, 1924 in New York with Franklyn Baur on vocals and released it as Victor 19553-B backed with "I'll See You in My Dreams". The song is described as "A Sentimental Waltz Ballad" on the sheet music, published in 1924. Singer and composer Morton Downey, Sr., the father of the talkshow host, recorded the song in 1925 and released it as Brunswick 2887. Eva Shirley sang the song in Ed Wynn's Grab Bag, a Broadway musical which opened in 1924 at the Globe. Leo Feist published the sheet music for the Shirley version in 1924 featuring Eva Shirley on the cover.
Paul Whiteman composed "Flamin' Mamie" in 1925 with Fred Rose, one of the top hits of 1925, which was recorded by the Harry Reser Band, Merritt Brunies and the Friars Inn Orchestra, Billy Jones amd Ernest Hare, the Six Black Diamonds in 1926 on Banner, the Toll House Jazz Band, Aileen Stanley in 1925 with Billy "Uke" Carpenter on the ukulele, Hank Penny in 1938, Turk Murphy, the Frisco Syncopators, the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Bob Schulz and His Frisco Jazz Band, and the Coon-Sanders Nighthawk Orchestra led by Carleton Coon and Joe Sanders with Joe Sanders on vocals. The lyrics describe Mamie as a Roaring Twenties vamp: "Flamin' Mamie, a sure-fire vamp/When it comes to lovin'/She's a human oven/Come on you futuristic papas/She's the hottest thing he's seen since the Chicago fire."
Paul Whiteman also composed "Charlestonette" in 1925 with Fred Rose which was published by Leo Feist. The song was released as Victor 19785 backed with "Ida-I Do" in 1925. Ben Selvin's Dance Orchestra and Bennie Krueger and His Orchestra also recorded the song in 1925.
In Louis Armstrong & Paul Whiteman: Two Kings of Jazz (2004), Joshua Berrett wrote that "Whiteman Stomp" was credited to Fats Waller, Alphonso Trent, and Paul Whiteman. Jo Trent is also credited as a co-auther in other sources. The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra first recorded "Whiteman Stomp" on May 11, 1927 and released it as Columbia 1059-D. The Fletcher Henderson recording lists the songwriters as "Fats Waller/Jo Trent/Paul Whiteman". Paul Whiteman recorded the song on August 11, 1927 and released it as Victor 21119.
"Then and Now", released in 1955 on Coral, is listed as composed by "Jacobs/Whiteman/Merrill". The song was released as a 45 inch single in 1955 as Coral 61336 backed with "Mississippi Mud".
Paul Whiteman also co-wrote the popular song "My Fantasy" with Leo Edwards and Jack Meskill, which is a musical adaptation of the Polovetsian Dances theme from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra recorded "My Fantasy" in 1939.
Major Recordings
- Whispering, 1920, no.1 for 11 weeks, the no.2 hit of 1920, 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee
- The Japanese Sandman, 1920, no.1 for 2 weeks
- Wang Wang Blues, 1921, no.1 for 6 weeks, on the soundtrack to the 1996 Academy Award-winning movie The English Patient
- Hot Lips (He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz), 1922, no.1 for 6 weeks, featured in the Oprah Winfrey movie The Color Purple (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg
- My Mammy, 1921, no.1 for 5 weeks
- Cherie, 1921, no.1 for 6 weeks
- Say It With Music, 1921, no.1 for 5 weeks
- Grieving For You-Feather Your Nest, no.26 hit of 1921
- Do It Again, 1922, no.1 for 2 weeks
- Three O'Clock in the Morning, 1922, no.1 for 8 weeks
- Stumbling, 1922, no.1 for 6 weeks
- Play that "Song of India" Again, 1921, no.1 for 5 weeks, music adapted by Paul Whiteman from the Chanson Indoue theme by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov from the opera Sadko (1898) with lyrics by Leo Wood and Irving Bibo
- Bright Eyes, the no.13 hit of 1921
- Wonderful One, 1922, music composed by Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofe, with lyrics by Theodora Morse
- I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise, 1923, no.1 for 1 week
- Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, 1923, no.1 for 7 weeks
- Bambalina, 1923, no.1 for 1 week
- Linger Awhile, 1924, no.1 for 4 weeks
- What'll I Do, 1924, no.1 for 5 weeks
- Somebody Loves Me, 1924, no.1 for 5 weeks
- Nuthin' But, 1923, co-written by Ferde Grofe and Henry Busse
- Rhapsody in Blue, 1924, arranged by Ferde Grofe, with George Gershwin on piano
- Rhapsody in Blue, 1927, "electrical" version, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee
- When the One You Love Loves You, 1924, composed by Paul Whiteman
- All Alone, 1925, no.1 for 3 weeks
- I'm Coming, Virginia
- Whiteman Stomp, 1927
- Washboard Blues, 1927, with Hoagy Carmichael on vocals and piano
- Chiquita, no.36 hit of 1928
- Concerto in F
- When It's Sleepy Time Down South, 1931, vocal by Mildred Bailey and the King's Jesters
- Grand Canyon Suite, 1932
- Mississippi Suite
- It's Only a Paper Moon, 1933, with Peggy Healy on vocals. The Paul Whiteman recording, Victor 24400, was used in the 1973 movie Paper Moon
- San
- From Monday On, 1928, with Bing Crosby, the Rhythm Boys, and Jack Fulton on vocals and Bix Beiderbecke on cornet
- Mississippi Mud, 1928, with Bing Crosby and Bix Beiderbecke
- Metropolis: A Blue Fantasy, 1928, composed by Ferde Grofe, with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet
- Ol' Man River, 1928, first, fast version, with Bing Crosby on vocals, no.1 for 1 week. This recording was Bing Crosby's first number one record as a vocalist. Crosby would have 41 no.1 hits during his career.
- Ol' Man River, 1928, second, slow version, with Paul Robeson on vocals, Grammy Hall of Fame inductee
- Birth of the Blues, 1926, no.1 for 4 weeks
- Valencia, no.1 for 11 weeks in 1926, the no.1 record of 1926
- Three Shades of Blue: Indigo/Alice Blue/Heliotrope, 1927, composed and arranged by Ferde Grofe
- Charlestonette, 1925, composed by Paul Whiteman with Fred Rose
- My Blue Heaven, 1927, no.1 for 1 week
- In a Little Spanish Town, 1927, no.1 for 8 weeks
- Among My Souvenirs, 1928, no.1 for 4 weeks
- Ramona, 1928, with Bix Beiderbecke, no.1 for 3 weeks
- Together, 1928, with Jack Fulton on vocals, no.1 for 2 weeks. Dinah Shore later recorded this song, first recorded by Paul Whiteman, in 1944, a release which became a hit. Connie Francis also recorded the song in 1961, reaching no.1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was also recorded by Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards in 1928, Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest in 1944, and Tony Pasror and His Orchestra on a V-Disc.
- My Angel, 1928, with Bix Beiderbecke, no.1 for 6 weeks
- Great Day, 1929, no.1 for 2 weeks
- Body and Soul, 1930, no.1 for 6 weeks
- Rise 'N' Shine, 1932, featuring Ramona Davies and her Grand Piano
- All of Me, 1932, no.1 for 3 weeks
- Willow Weep for Me, 1933, no.2 chart hit
- Sun Spots, 1934, with Frankie Trumbauer
- You're the Top, no.21 hit of 1934
- Fare-Thee-Well to Harlem, 1934, with vocals by Johnny Mercer and Jack Teagarden
- My Fantasy, 1939, Paul Whiteman co-wrote the song "My Fantasy", an adaptation by Paul Whiteman of the Polovetsian Dances theme from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin, credited to "Paul Whiteman/Leo Edwards/Jack Meskill". Artie Shaw recorded "My Fantasy" in 1940.
- Trav'lin' Light, 1942, with Billie Holiday on vocals
- Then and Now, 1955
- The Night is Young (And You're So Beautiful), 1956, with Tommy Dorsey
- It's the Dreamer in Me, 1956, with Jimmy Dorsey
Marriages and Death
In 1931, Whiteman married motion picture actress Margaret Livingston following his divorce from Mildred Vanderhoff that same year. The marriage to Livingston lasted until his death. He had been married to Vanderhoff since 1922. He was married earlier to Nellie Stack in 1908 and Miss Jimmy Smith until 1922.
Paul Whiteman died at the age of 77 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on December 29, 1967.
Legacy
The Paul Whiteman Orchestra introduced many jazz standards in the 1920s, including "Hot Lips", which was in the Steven Spielberg movie The Color Purple (1985), "Mississippi Mud", "From Monday On", co-written and sung by Bing Crosby with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, "Nuthin' But", "Grand Canyon Suite" and "Mississippi Suite" composed by Ferde Grofe, "Rhapsody in Blue", composed by George Gershwin who played piano on the Paul Whiteman recording in 1924, "Wonderful One" (1923), and "Wang Wang Blues" (1920), covered by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Joe "King" Oliver's Dixie Syncopators in 1926 and many of the Big Bands. "Hot Lips" was recorded by Ted Lewis and His Jazz Band, Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers Orchestra (1937), Specht's Jazz Outfit, the Cotton Pickers (1922), and Django Reinhardt Et Le Quintette Du Hot Club De France.
Herb Alpert and Al Hirt were influenced by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, particularly the solo work of trumpeter Henry Busse, especially his solo on "Rhapsody in Blue".
Duke Ellington wrote in his autobiography: "Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity."
Honors
In 1974, the Paul Whiteman recording of "Rhapsody in Blue", released in 1927 in the "electrical" version by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra and arranged by Paul Whiteman Orchestra pianist Ferde Grofe, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Paul Whiteman had commissioned George Gershwin to compose the classic jazz standard. The 1920s classic was originally recorded on June 10, 1924 in New York as the "acoustical" version and was released as Victor 55225-A and B, on both sides of the 78 release. George Gershwin played the piano himself with the orchestra on both sessions.
In 1998, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra's recording of "Whispering", released on Victor as Victor 18690-A in 1920, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2006, the Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra 1928 recording of "Ol' Man River" with Paul Robeson on vocals was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song was recorded on March 1, 1928 in New York and released as Victor 35912-A. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra had recorded an earlier version on January 11, 1928 that featured Bing Crosby on vocals.
Paul Whiteman was awarded two Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6157 Hollywood Boulevard and for Radio at 1601 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
In 1993, Paul Whiteman was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Quotations
"Jazz is the folk music of the machine age."
"Jazz tickles your muscles, symphonies stretch your soul."
"Jazz came to America three hundred years ago in chains."
See also
Ramona (vocalist)
External links
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