"Whoopee" John Wilfahrt
John Anthony Wilfahrt, (May 11, 1893 – June 15, 1961), the eldest son of John Wilfahrt and Barbara Portner, was a professional polka musician who recorded with Vocalion and from 1934, Decca. He went by the moniker "Whoopee John." He was inducted into the International Polka Association's Hall of Fame in 1976. Wilfahrt was born in New Ulm, Minnesota and got his start playing the concertina at local gatherings and concerts in and around his community. In the 1920s Whoopee John and his band relocated to Saint Paul, Minnesota where they became regulars at live shows and on the radio. Wilfahrt first began recording commercially in the 1920s and signed with the newly formed U.S. division of Decca Records in 1934 as the label's second act. (The first act signed to the label was Bing Crosby.) "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt and his band enjoyed popularity through the 1940s and 50s on the polka circuit. Over the course of his professional career Wilfahrt recorded nearly 1,000 songs, the most popular being “Mariechen Waltz” and “Clarinet Polka.” He died in 1961 at age 68 years of a heart attack. |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 11, 1893, Died June 15, 1961
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, concertina, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-46 of 46 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | C6525 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Grandmother’s laendler no. 5 | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6526 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Snow flower polka | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6527 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Golden days polka | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6528 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | The jolly crowd | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6529 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Aunt Ellen’s polka | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6530 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Katrina polka | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | C6531 | 10-in. | 11/2/1930 | Village tavern polka | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | XC6532 | 12-in. | 11/2/1930 | Jolly hunter’s waltz | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | XC6533 | 12-in. | 11/2/1930 | Merry go ‘round | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | MP702 | 10-in. | 1/28/1930 | En el nolino (At the mill) (Marcha) | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Brunswick | MP703 | 10-in. | 1/28/1930 | Dudes march | John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Decca | 93799 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | No! No! polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93800 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Repeat polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93801 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Evergreen polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93802 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Unita polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93803 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Bass polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93804 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Half schottische | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93805 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Twin city schottische | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93806 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Borghild reinlaendler | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93807 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Blue eyes polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader | ||
Decca | 93808 | 10-in. | 11/18/1941 | Jenny polka | Whoopee John Wilfahrt Concertina Orchestra | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wilfahrt, "Whoopee" John," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105018.
Wilfahrt, "Whoopee" John. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105018.
"Wilfahrt, "Whoopee" John." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Whoopee John
Discogs: "Whoopee" John Wilfahrt
Grove: "Whoopee" John Wilfahrt
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Wilfahrt, "Whoopee" John, 1892 or 1893-1961 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85198887
Wikidata: Whoopee John - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q15485696
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/48207179
MusicBrainz: Whoopee John - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/da6a7f2d-80cf-4c1c-9657-e93c3c834d2c
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