Paul Whiteman

American bandleader and orchestral director, born 28 March 1890 in Denver, Colorado, USA; died 29 December 1967 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA.

During the 1920s, Whiteman led the most popular American dance band. During this time, he was often referred to as the "King Of Jazz", and this was reflected in his earnings accordingly.

Born the son of an opera singer and of the Director of Music for Denver's public schools, Whiteman studied the viola in school. In 1907, at age 17, he joined the Denver Symphony Orchestra. In 1914, he was hired by the San Francisco Symphony. In 1918, Whiteman enlisted with the U.S. Navy, for which he led 12-piece orchestra, the Mare Island Naval Training Camp Symphony Orchestra (NTCSO).

After discharge from the military, Whiteman formed his own dance band in San Francisco. The orchestra soon became the house band at San Francisco's posh Fairmont Hotel.

In 1920, Whiteman moved his band to New York City and began recording for the Victor label. Over the next couple of years, he expanded his band from 9 musicians to a 35-piece orchestra. The band toured both nationally and internationally. It was in such high demand that Whiteman founded his own booking company. By 1924, the agency managed more than 30 "satellite" orchestras that would perform as Paul Whiteman bands.

In the late 1920s, Whiteman's orchestra appeared on numerous radio shows. Whiteman himself became a musical director for the Blue Radio network, the later ABC. He hosted numerous radio shows throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1942, Whiteman briefly headed a new orchestra that recorded for Capitol Records.

Between 1949 to 1954, Whiteman appeared on ABC-TV out of Philadelphia as the host of "Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club."