Fred Waring sits uneasily within any jazz designation, despite drawing freely on improvisational techniques to build a broad following. At eighteen he already directed a dance-oriented banjo ensemble; after studying at Penn State he organized Fred Waring’s Collegians, a group that later took the name the Pennsylvanians and made Detroit its base. The unit cut numerous sides throughout the 1920s and achieved modest commercial traction. Appearances in the 1929 motion picture Syncopation and the 1930 Broadway revue The New Yorkers quickly elevated the ensemble to national prominence. During the 1930s the band grew steadily more pop-oriented and streamlined while maintaining an active presence on radio and in motion pictures. A 1937 feature with Dick Powell, a showcase at the 1940 World’s Fair, a 1945 Broadway engagement, and a 1948 animated film kept the group in the public eye; two pop singles charted in 1947 and 1949. In 1949 the Pennsylvanians became the first ensemble to receive its own network television program. Between 1950 and 1970 Waring expanded into a multifaceted enterprise that encompassed sundry businesses, instructional workshops for choral directors, publishing divisions, a periodical, real-estate holdings, and an overarching corporate structure. Honored in 1982 with the Congressional Gold Medal for his service to American music, Waring maintained a performance schedule until his death on July 29, 1984.
