Paul Whiteman (
March 28, 1890 –
December 29, 1967) was a popular
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.
In the
1920s, Whiteman controversially dubbed himself
The King of Jazz (see:
Jazz royalty). 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 scoring the best of it. At the time he was popular, his recordings were critically popular and commercially successful at the time. Whiteman's music was often the first jazz of any form that some people heard.
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."
Whiteman commissioned
George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered by Whiteman's Orchestra with Gershwin at the piano in
1924. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire:
Grand Canyon Suite, by
Ferde Grofé (much of which was used in the score of
A Christmas Story).
Whiteman hired many of the best white
jazz men for his band, including
Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, Mike Pingitore, Gussie Mueller, Wilbur Hall, Jack Teagarden, and
Bunny Berigan. He also signed a young
Bing Crosby in late 1926 and also signed
Mildred Bailey in 1929 (although she didn't make her record with Whiteman until 1931), and
Red McKenzie and
Ramona Davies in 1932, greatly advancing their careers.
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.
For over 30 years, he sought out and encouraged musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers and entertainers who looked promising. It is worth repeating that Whiteman not only premiered
George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in 1924, but commissioned him to write it, much to Gershwin's surprise at the time.
Both
Bing Crosby and
Mildred Bailey got their start singing with the Whiteman Orchestra.
In 1931, Whiteman married motion picture actress
Margaret Livingston.
After he disbanded his Orchestra, in the
1940s and
1950s 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.
Paul Whiteman died at the age of 77 in
Doylestown, Pennsylvania. 
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