Waring's Pennsylvanians

Waring's Pennsylvanians was a band and choral group which was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s but continued to exist and sing until Fred Waring's death in 1984.

The group was formed in 1918 as a band at Pennsylvania State University by the brothers Fred and Tom Waring, and their friends Freddy Buck and Poley McClintock.

They began playing at colleges, fraternity parties, proms, etc. and later went on to play in theaters.

They had a big hit in 1925 with the song "Collegiate ", probably their best known song. Other popular novelty songs were "I've Never Seen a Straight Banana" and "I Wonder How I Look When I'm Asleep".

They became very popular and by the end of the 1920s were very much in demand. In 1929 they starred in a sound film called Syncopation, released by RKO Radio Pictures. Later, they became more famous as a choral group.

From their beginnings through 1932, they were one of Victor's better selling orchestras, but ceased recording after November, 1932; they thought they were competing against their radio show and would not record again until 1942. They didn't break up; they continued to be popular on radio and were pioneers in broadcast television.

From 1948 to 1954 The Fred Waring Show appeared weekly on CBS Television, sponsored by General Electric. The group remained in business until Fred Waring's death in 1984.

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