Whangdoodle Entertainers

The Whangdoodle Entertainers, sometimes referred to as the Whangdoodle Trio, Whangdoodle Quartet, Whangdoodle Quintet, Whangdoodle Orchestra, and Whangdoodle Ensemble[lower-alpha 1] was an American jazz and ragtime band formed in Seattle, Washington. They routinely performed throughout the Seattle area from approximately 1907–1925.

Whangdoodle Entertainers
The Whangdoodle Entertainers in 1914.
The Whangdoodle Entertainers in 1914. From left to right, C.A. Hughes, F. R. "Ace" Brooks, H. T. Hollie, Frank D. Waldron, Coty J. Jones.
Background information
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Years active1907–1925

The Entertainers (trio, quartet, quintet, orchestra, or ensemble)

Although members of the group rotated, along with the name[1][2] of the group, the manager was "Ace" Brooks of Seattle, Washington.[1]

The first mention of the Whangdoodle Four occurs in a newspaper announcement in The Seattle Republican at the end of 1907.[3] A brief 1909 article in the Freeman: An Illustrated Colored Newspaper lists the members of the Whangdoodle Trio as P. G. Lowery, first mandolin; F.R. Brooks, manager, second mandolin; J.P. Faulkner, tenor, cello; F.E. Lowry, baritone, harp, guitar; and H.E. Mables, bass.[4]

A photo of the Whangdoodle Entertainers, from The Freeman newspaper, 1914, lists the members as C.A. Hughes, H.T. Hollie, F.D. Waldron, F.R. Brooks, and Coddy J. Jones.[5] The Whangdoodle Entertainers performed ragtime, string band music, and jazz.[6]

Members
Newspaper advertisement with a headline, photo of a boat, and information about an excursion by boat to the Hood Canal.
An advertisement from The Seattle Star, July 9, 1920, advertising an excursion featuring music from "Brooke's Whangdoodle Entertainers and Jazz Orchestra".
  • F.R., Frank "Ace" Brooks: Popular musician, vocalist, and comedian who toured the country. Manager of the Whangdoodle Entertainers.[7][8][1] Before forming the Whangdoodlers, Brooks performed with the Sherrah Quartette[9] which was part of a circus sideshow in 1900 and 1901 under P.G. Lowery's management.[10] A note in the February 16, 1901 edition of The Freeman states, "F.R. Brooks, better known as the "Easy going ace," keeps the house in a continuous uproar all the time he is on the stage. He is naturally one of the funniest comedians in the business."[11]
  • Coddy (Coty) J. Jones
  • P. G. Lowery: A touring musician, entrepreneur, and band leader, who was referred to as, "The world's greatest colored cornet soloist."[12]
  • C.A. Hughes
  • H.T. Hollie
  • J.P. Faulkner
  • F.E. Lowry
  • H.E. Mables
  • Frank D. Waldron: (1890-1955) A jazz cornetist, alto saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and music teacher who lived in Seattle, Washington.[13]

Notes
  1. Variations on Whangdoodle used in the press included Whang Doodle, Wang Doodle, Wangdoodle, and Whangdoodlers. Modern sources sometimes misspell this as Wang Doodle.

References
  1. "The Stage". The Freeman. September 11, 1909.
  2. "Advertisement: Pantages Theater". The Oregonian. August 26, 1908.
  3. "Personal and Social". The Seattle Republican. Vol. XIV, no. 31. Seattle, WA. December 27, 1907. p. 8. ISSN 2157-3271. OCLC 942694229. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Chronicling America « Library of Congress.
  4. "The Stage, F.R. (Ace) Brooks". The Freeman. December 25, 1909.
  5. "Whangdoodle Ensemble, Seattle". The Freeman. January 3, 1914.
  6. Armbruster, Kurt (2011). Before Seattle Rocked: A City and Its Music. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 69–71. ISBN 978-0-295-99113-9.
  7. "Chicago". The Freeman: An Illustrated Colored Newspaper. July 20, 1901.
  8. "Column 1 page 5". The Freeman. January 9, 1904.
  9. A souvenir of the Season of 1900 Adam Forpaugh and Sells Brothers. 1900. p. 51.
  10. Abbott, Lynn (2007). Ragged but right : black traveling shows, "coon songs," and the dark pathway to blues and jazz. Doug Seroff (1st ed.). Jackson. ISBN 978-1-60473-148-4. OCLC 226379028.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. "Notes from W.I. Swain's Original Nashville Students". The Freeman. February 16, 1901.
  12. Watkins, Clifford E. (2003). Showman. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-61703-445-9.
  13. "Frank Waldron". burning ambulance. June 29, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
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