Paul Godwin

Paul Godwin (b. Pinchas Goldfein) was born on 28 March 1902 in Sosnowitz (Russian Empire; now Poland). Early recordings on the POLYPHON label gave the name "Tanz-Orchester Goldfein". He studied the violin at the Warsaw Conservatory under Stanisław Barcewicz.[1]

At the age of 20 he formed his own dance band in Berlin. Between 1926 and 1933 his orchestra Tanz-Orchester Paul Godwin recorded a many records for European labels, namely Berliner Gramophone. The band also backed many singers recording at the time and performed in various styles including foxtrots, waltzes, tangos, polkas. With his full orchestra as well as the "Paul Godwin-Trio" or "Paul Godwin Quartet", he occasionally performed classical pieces. Due to their broad repertoire, his orchestra recorded under various monikers including Tanz-Orchester Godwin, Paul Godwin's Jazz Symphoniker, Paul Godwin-Ensemble, Paul Godwin and sein Weekend-Orchester etc. In 1929–1933 he pivoted to film soundtracks, providing soundtracks for many UFA motion pictures.

Paul Godwin and his orchestras experienced wide in Europe at the time; reports have estimated that he sold nine million records between 1923 and 1933.

In early 1933 Paul Godwin moved to the Netherlands where he remained for the rest of his life. After the war Godwin formed a classical violin trio with which he performed until the 1970s. He died on 9 December 1982 in Driebergen in the Netherlands.

• Article by Hans Lang in German
• Short biographiy with a few images