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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 26-50 of 859 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-24864 10-in. 2/17/1921 Humming Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-24893 10-in. 2/25/1921 Make believe Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-24895 10-in. 3/2/1921 Some little bird Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with whistling leader  
Victor B-25000 10-in. 3/4/1921 Underneath Hawaiian skies Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor C-25005 12-in. 3/16/1921 All for you Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25006 10-in. 3/16/1921 Down around the 'Sip 'Sip 'Sippy shore Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25025 10-in. 4/4/1921 Moonlight Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25026 10-in. 4/4/1921 My man Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25049 10-in. 4/21/1921 Cherie Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25307 10-in. 5/18/1921 Cho-Cho-San Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor BVE-25307 10-in. 8/25/1926 Cho-Cho-San Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band director  
Victor B-25308 10-in. 5/18/1921 Oh me! Oh my! Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25309 10-in. 5/18/1921 You're the sweetest girl Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25322 10-in. 5/31/1921 Song of India Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor BVE-25322 10-in. 8/26/1926 Song of India Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band director  
Victor B-25323 10-in. 5/31/1921 Learn to smile Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25349 10-in. 6/16/1921 In a boat Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25350 10-in. 6/16/1921 Sweetheart Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25470 10-in. 8/23/1921 Sweet lady Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25471 10-in. 8/23/1921 Say it with music Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25476 10-in. 8/30/1921 South Sea isles Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25568 10-in. 9/23/1921 Second hand Rose Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25569 10-in. 9/23/1921 Have you forgotten Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25634 10-in. 10/5/1921 Canadian capers Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
Victor B-25635 10-in. 10/5/1921 Gypsy blues Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band leader  
(Results 26-50 of 859 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Whiteman, Paul," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104378.

Whiteman, Paul. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104378.

"Whiteman, Paul." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104378

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