Paul Whiteman began his musical career as a viola player for the San  Francisco Symphony. He enlisted in the Navy during World War I, and his  musical abilities resulted in the Navy putting him in charge of his own  band. After the war he moved to New York in 1920, where he recorded his  first hit, Whispering/The Japanese Sandman. It sold more than two  million copies, making Whiteman was an instant star. In 1924 he  introduced the George Gershwin  classic Rhapsody in Blue, which became the band's signature song.  Whiteman had the foresight to hire some of the best jazz musicians of  the era, including Red Nichols, Frankie Trumbauer, Tommy Dorsey and Bix Beiderbecke. Bing Crosby  got his start with Whiteman in 1929, in a trio called the Rhythm Boys.  Whiteman's band continued its run into the 1930s, but toward the end of  the decade their popularity began to wane, and in the early 1940s  Whiteman took a job as musical director for the American Broadcasting  Co., a position he kept into the '60s. He would put together his band  every so often during that period, and in the early 1960s they even  managed to secure engagements in Las Vegas, after which Whiteman  retired.

Date of Birth  28 March  1890, Denver, Colorado, USA

Date of Death  29 December  1967, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA   (heart attack)