Paul Whiteman, born March 28, 1890 and died December 29, 1967 was an American orchestra leader. He was born in Denver Colorado. After starting out as a classical violinist/violist, Whiteman led a jazz-influenced dancing band that became popular in San Francisco in 1918. Whiteman moved his band from California to New York City in 1920. They began recording for Victor Records, which helped Whiteman and his band rise to national prominence. Whiteman was the most well-known band leader in the decade. He recorded for Columbia Records in the 1920s. Whiteman was known as The King of Jazz in the 1920s and 1930s (see: Jazz royalty). Many of the music that Whiteman’s band played have not been considered “true jazz” by subsequent generations. Some people reject these notions and consider Whiteman’s music an interesting addition to jazz history. In 1926, he recorded Hoagy Cartmichael singing and playing Washboard Blues with his orchestra. [1] Although jazz fans today consider improvisation essential, Whiteman believed that music could be improved if it was scored well. Revisionists today might be able to look back
