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Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, Whiteman produced recordings that were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz". His most popular recordings include "Whispering", "Valencia", "Three O'Clock in the Morning", "In a Little Spanish Town", and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers". Whiteman led a usually large ensemble and explored many styles of music, such as blending symphonic music and jazz, as in his debut of Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including "Wang Wang Blues", "Mississippi Mud", "Rhapsody in Blue", "Wonderful One", "Hot Lips (He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz)", "Mississippi Suite", "Grand Canyon Suite", and "Trav'lin' Light". He co-wrote the 1925 jazz classic "Flamin' Mamie". His popularity faded in the swing music era of the mid-1930s, and by the 1940s he was semi-retired from music. He experienced a revival and had a comeback in the 1950s with his own network television series, Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue, which ran for three seasons on ABC. He also hosted the 1954 ABC talent contest show On the Boardwalk with Paul Whiteman. Whiteman's place in the history of early jazz is somewhat controversial. Detractors suggest that his ornately orchestrated music was jazz in name only, lacking the genre's improvisational and emotional depth, and co-opted the innovations of black musicians. Defenders note that Whiteman's fondness for jazz was genuine. He worked with black musicians as much as was feasible during an era of racial segregation. His bands included many of the era's most esteemed white musicians, and his groups handled jazz admirably as part of a larger repertoire. Critic Scott Yanow declares that Whiteman's orchestra "did play very good jazz...His superior dance band used some of the most technically skilled musicians of the era in a versatile show that included everything from pop tunes and waltzes to semi-classical works and jazz. [...] Many of his recordings (particularly those with Beiderbecke) have been reissued numerous times and are more rewarding than his detractors would lead one to believe." In his autobiography, Duke Ellington declared, "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." |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 28, 1891 (Denver), Died December 29, 1967 (Doylestown)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1954
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, director, composer, violin, songwriter, conductor, other, arranger, session supervisor, speaker, viola
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 859 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | CVE-30174 | 12-in. | 4/21/1927 | Rhapsody in blue | George Gershwin ; Paul Whiteman Concert Orchestra | Orchestra and piano soloist | leader | |
Victor | BVE-24390 | 10-in. | 2/7/1928 | The Japanese sandman | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | B-24390 | 10-in. | 8/9/1920 | The Japanese sandman | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | BVE-24391 | 10-in. | 2/7/1928 | Avalon | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | C-24391 | 12-in. | 8/9/1920 | Avalon | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, violin | |
Victor | BVE-24392 | 10-in. | 9/22/1927 | Wang wang blues | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | B-24392 | 10-in. | 8/9/1920 | Wang-wang blues | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | BVE-24393 | 10-in. | 2/7/1928 | Whispering | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | B-24393 | 10-in. | 8/9/1920 | Whispering | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | C-24394 | 12-in. | 8/19/1920 | Best ever medley | Ambassador Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24400 | 10-in. | 8/23/1920 | Anytime, anyday, anywhere | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24545 | 10-in. | 11/3/1920 | Honolulu eyes | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band, with whistling | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | C-24545 | 12-in. | 10/22/1920 | Honolulu eyes | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24546 | 10-in. | 10/22/1920 | Darling | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | C-24556 | 12-in. | 10/28/1920 | Grieving for you | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | C-24557 | 12-in. | 10/28/1920 | My wonder girl | Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman | Jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, violin | |
Victor | C-24560 | 12-in. | 11/3/1920 | Just snap your fingers at care | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | C-24582 | 12-in. | 11/26/1920 | Caresses | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24583 | 10-in. | 11/26/1920 | 12th Street rag | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24807 | 10-in. | 12/29/1920 | Rosie | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Victor | B-24808 | 10-in. | 12/29/1920 | I never knew (I could love anybody like I'm loving you) | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, viola, leader | |
Victor | B-24821 | 10-in. | 1/27/1921 | Do you ever think of me? | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | B-24822 | 10-in. | 1/27/1921 | Bright eyes | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | B-24836 | 10-in. | 2/1/1921 | Love bird | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | B-24863 | 10-in. | 2/17/1921 | My mammy | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with piano duet | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Whiteman, Paul," accessed September 3, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104378.
Whiteman, Paul. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104378.
"Whiteman, Paul." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Paul Whiteman
Discogs: Paul Whiteman
Allmusic: Paul Whiteman
Apple Music: Paul Whiteman
Grove: Paul Whiteman
IMDb: Paul Whiteman
Britannica: Paul Whiteman
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Whiteman, Paul, 1890-1967 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83176688
Wikidata: Paul Whiteman - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q470182
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/71579725
MusicBrainz: Paul Whiteman - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b8d920dd-fbd5-477f-9456-1a470b223ff7
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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