In the 1920s and early 1930s Whiteman became widely known as The King of Jazz (see: Jazz royalty). Much of what his band played hasn't been considered "true" jazz by later generations. Others reject these notions, and regard Whiteman's music as an interesting development in jazz history. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing Washboard Blues to the accompaniment of his orchestra in 1926.[1]
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. Modern revisionists might look back and say "that wasn't the True Jazz", but his notions 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 appreciated jazz musicians and 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. Whiteman gave them constant chances to improvise, paid them top salaries and encouraged them to make small band jam recordings on the side.
Paul Whiteman was primarily responsible for revolutionizing the dance orchestra and dance music after World War I. Prior to that time, dances were played by military bands, string ensembles, or small combinations. Working in 1918-19 with arranger Ferde Grofé and in parallel with fellow San Francisco bandleader Art Hickman, Whiteman introduced the saxophone section as a musical unit of equal weight with the brass. This set a standard for instrumentation that defined the dance orchestra, and remains in big bands to this day. Before Whiteman, musical arrangements were very cut-and-dried, with much repetition. Whiteman and Grofé introduced arrangements that instead of repeating, changed keys, textures and rhythms over their course, much like symphonic music. This innovation, combined with the jazz elements mentioned above, plus his insistence on using top notch, concert-calibre musicians, made Paul Whiteman's orchestra a vanguard force that changed the face of popular music in the 1920s.
Whiteman was also one of the greatest of all talent scouts. 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.
Three Little Words
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase
To hear those three little words
That's all I'd live for the rest of my days.
And what I feel in heart they tell sincerely,
No other words can tell it half so clearly.
Three little words, eight little letters
The lyrics of "Three Little Words" by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra express the profound desire to hear the simple yet powerful phrase "I love you." The singer yearns for these three words, believing that their utterance would be enough to sustain them for the rest of their days. The significance of these words lies in their ability to convey deep feelings of love and affection that cannot be expressed through any other means. The singer is convinced that no other combination of words can match the clarity and sincerity of this concise expression of love. The song emphasizes the transformative and essential nature of those three little words, highlighting their ability to communicate emotions that go far beyond what mere words can convey.
Line by Line Meaning
Three little words
Just three simple words
Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase
I would give anything to hear that amazing phrase
To hear those three little words
Just to listen to those three words
That's all I'd live for the rest of my days.
Those words are all I need to live a fulfilling life forever.
And what I feel in heart they tell sincerely,
They sincerely convey what I feel in my heart.
No other words can tell it half so clearly.
No other words can express it as clearly.
Three little words, eight little letters
Just three words, consisting of eight letters
Which simply mean I love you
These words simply convey my love for you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick3183
I want an album full of songs like this
Boston Blackie
If I had the time I'd look into Fletcher Henderson and Cab Calloway. Swing was just around the corner in 1930 and really took off when Benny Goodman started playing it for mainstream audiences in 1935.
lilmike55912
so many versions but this is the best!
vinylsingleman
It went to #1....unusual because white singers were singing for a black orchestra leader, which was still considered taboo at the time. Was a groundbreaking milestone for integration as well, although it is likely many record buyers didn't know the Duke was black.
Thomas .Hennessey
They would know that Duke and his orchestra were black because theyperformed the song on screenin the film Check and Double Check. They might not have known the Rhythm Boys were white because the film shows black singers. The concern about integration was so bad that both Barney Bigard and Juan Tizol had their faces darkened with makeup for the scene.
tuxguys
Immediately after the vocals by the Rhythm Boys (including Bing Crosby, I understand), the Ellington Band goes from 2-beat to "swing"-feel...
Does anyone know of an earlier musical example of a band swinging (4-to-the-bar)?
I don't.
dancebandleader
+tuxguys maybe Jean Goldkette's "Clenentine'
Howard Carmichael
The best song on the planet
Caddyjay
Bing Crosby did not have a cameo in the biopic, "Three Little Words" but Rhythm Boy Harry Barris did!
Paddy Lee
Some movie trivia: Bing has a cameo appearance in the Ruby & Kalmar biopic "Three Little Words".