"Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians," an intimate portrait of an American legend known as "the man who taught America how to sing" is now available in paperback. The biography is accompanied by a compact disc with 28 selections recorded by the Pennsylvanians over a 40-year period. Highlights include Adam Geibel and Tom Waring's "Sleep," recorded in 1928; Cole Porter's "Love for Sale;" Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes;" the traditional "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "Dry Bones;" Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's "September Song;" and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's "Some Enchanted Evening."
Written by Virginia Waring, his wife of 30 years, the book chronicles both the bandleader's many achievements and his shortcomings with candor and affection. Her biography traces Waring's childhood in Tyrone, his rise to fame as a bandleader, the development and promotion of the Waring Blendor, leadership of Shawnee Press, concert tours, radio and television programs, and his legacy in music and popular culture.
The newly available paperback edition of the book, first published in 1997, is available from the University of Illinois Press and can be ordered by calling (800) 621-2736 or by orders@press.uchicago.edu via e-mail. The paperback costs $29.95.
For almost seven decades, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians entertained audiences throughout the world on stage, radio, television, records and in motion pictures. Waring served his alma mater, Penn State, as a trustee and Distinguished Alumnus and conducted his world-famous workshops here in his later years. In 1984, he designated Penn State to house his collection of archives and memorabilia.
The collection, known as Fred Waring's America, is part of The Special Collections Library of the University Libraries. It is located in 313 Pattee Library and is accessible during regular business hours. Information about the collection can be found at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/waring/ or by calling (814) 863-2911. Research inquires are encouraged, and many materials are available for use by music educators, researchers and community groups. For information, call Eileen Akin at (814) 863 2911.