Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians

Biography

Fred Waring, born Fredrick Malcolm Waring on June 9, 1900, in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, developed an early interest in music, playing banjo and forming a band during his teenage years that performed at fraternity parties, proms, and dances.[1][2][3] He attended Penn State University studying architectural engineering and aspired to join the Penn State Glee Club but was repeatedly rejected due to tensions with director Dr. Clarence Robinson and campus politics, though he briefly participated in a Christmas tour playing the musical saw.[1][2][4] The success of his Banjo Orchestra, initially formed in 1918 as the Collegians with his brother Tom Waring, Freddy Buck, and Poley McClintock, led him to drop out and tour full-time, renaming it Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians.[1][3][4][7]

The group rose to fame in the Big Band Era through radio broadcasts starting in 1933 with the Old Gold Cigarette Show, becoming one of the first coast-to-coast programs and selling millions of records with hits like 'Sleep,' 'Battle Hymn of the Republic,' 'White Christmas,' and novelty songs such as 'Collegiate' and 'I've Never Seen a Straight Banana.'[2][3][4] Waring pioneered popular choral music, recruiting Robert Shaw to train singers and blending dance band elements with glee club-style arrangements of popular hits, Broadway tunes, patriotic songs, and holiday numbers; he composed over 200 songs including 'My America' and 'I Hear Music.'[2][4] During World War II, they performed at war bond rallies, and Waring centered operations at the Shawnee Inn in the 1940s-1950s, adapting in the 1960s-1970s with the Young Pennsylvanians for contemporary arrangements.[4]

Waring's legacy as 'the man who taught America how to sing' extended beyond music; he invented the Waring Blendor in 1937, led Shawnee Press, hosted radio and TV shows until 1957, and recorded late-career albums with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in 1964.[2][4][5] He died on July 29, 1984, after sustaining a major musical organization for 67 years.[2][4][5]

Fun Facts

• Waring was rejected three times from the Penn State Glee Club despite his great-grandfather founding the college, but joined briefly for a Christmas tour playing the musical saw as a novelty act.[1][2]
• He popularized the Waring Blendor, tinkering with a Hamilton Beach mixer prototype and launching it in 1937 for $29.75, which brought him significant wealth outside music.[2]
• In 1935, Waring co-founded the National Association of Performing Artists (NAPA) with Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman, George Gershwin, and others to fight unauthorized radio play of records, but ultimately lost the effort.[2]
• Waring held office as the 21st Shepherd of The Lambs club (1939-1942) using a hand-picked committee while managing his empire, and attempted (but failed) to allow female Pennsylvanians members in 1942.[2]

Members

• Ernie Newton (from 1935)
• Gordon Berger
• Jack Best
• Stuart Churchill
• Don Craig
• Frank Cunkle
• Fred Waring
• Jack Wilson

Original Members

• Ernie Newton

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dr. Clarence Robinson - Director of Penn State Glee Club; rejected Waring multiple times due to campus politics and jazz associations (Penn State Glee Club activities) [1918-1920s]

Key Collaborators

• Tom Waring - Brother and co-founder of the band (Formed Collegians (later Pennsylvanians)) [1918 onwards]
• Freddy Buck - Co-founder and band member (Formed Collegians (later Pennsylvanians)) [1918 onwards]
• Poley McClintock - Co-founder and band member (Formed Collegians (later Pennsylvanians)) [1918 onwards]
• Robert Shaw - Recruited to train Waring's singers, adding men's choral group (Choral arrangements for Pennsylvanians) [1930s-1940s]
• Pembroke Davenport - Pianist and arranger for the group (Arrangements for Pennsylvanians recordings and shows) [1930s-1980s]
• Bing Crosby - Frequent performance and recording partner; supported NAPA organization (12 Songs of Christmas (1964), America, I Hear You Singing (1964); joint concerts) [1930s-1960s]

Artists Influenced

• Robert Shaw - Trained by Waring; founded own choral group inspired by Waring's methods (Robert Shaw Chorale; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus) [Post-1940s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #big-band, #easy-listening, #jazz