June 10, 1900 Fred Waring was born

On this day in 1900, Fred Waring was born.

June 9, 2013: Happy Birthday Les Paul

If you are a guitarist and know what a “lick” or a “trill” is, than you undoubtedly know Les Paul. Les Paul, born in 1915, is the world’s most renown guitarist to date and influenced the work of many of the big names of today. In fact, Les Paul had an influence on guitars as the inventor of the full-body electric guitar. His playing style formula surpassed the guitarists of the day and drove towards innovations, such as the overlay of sound upon sound. In 1934, Paul got involved in radio with an interest in piano, but that changed and he became fascinated with the arena of the guitar. His jazz style drove him to form a band and he got a gig on Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians radio program.

During the 1940’s Paul had opportunity to perform with some of the big names like Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole  People were becoming more familiar with the music man and his variations on the traditional way of play. What was not lost was that Les Paul stepped out from the norm and created instruments that transitioned into the rock and roll realm of instrumental resonance. In the course of his life Les Paul was married twice and had four children, plus one adopted. His second wife, Mary Ford, became a part of his on-air presence when he hosted the Les Paul Show for NBC. Later, he moved the program from radio to television and renamed it the Les Paul and Mary Ford Show. Les Paul died in 2009 from complications with pneumonia.

June 9: Happy Birthday, Fred Waring

What does a famous American iconic blender and a famous bandleader have in common? That will become evident soon.

Fred Waring was born in 1900 and became one of America’s most well-beloved bandleaders and tv/radio personalities.

His band, “Waring Pennsyvanians” performed during the 1920’s for Victor Records and held incredible acclaim on the radio. He later added to the band by promoting glee style singing with the Robert Shaw Chorale through the 1930’s.

One of his signature aspects was that tuxedos were posh as the uniform of the chorale. His band was a huge promoter for war bonds during WWII which travel across the bulk of the contiguous United States.

He became a hotel owner when he purchased an Inn and named it the Shawnee Inn. When approached by an inventor to back a new creation of a food blender,

Waring jumped at the opportunity with the proviso his name be on the consumer device. Radio was not the only venue to have Fred Waring’s talents presented.

By the late 1940’s, Waring signed on with CBS and hosted a program, The Fred Waring Show. The choral style of music stayed put on the program for many years until the adolescent crowd wanted a hipper tone, so he combined chorale with the new music and was a hit for a season.

Waring was also a collector of comics and hosted a number of parties and shows that brought together the great talent of the time in comic art to showcase their creations. Fred Waring passed away in 1984. Thanks to Mr Waring, tuxedos never went out of style.