"Wang Wang Blues" is a 1920 jazz composition written by

Henry Busse Henry Busse Sr. (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was a German-born jazz trumpeter. A 1948 review in ''Billboard'' magazine said that Busse had "a keen sense of musical commercialism". Early life Born May 19, 1894, in Magdeburg, Germany, t ...

Gussie Mueller Gustave "Gussie" Mueller (April 17, 1890 – December 16, 1965) was an early jazz clarinetist. The New Orleans, Louisiana-born Mueller was a top clarinetist with Papa Jack Laine's bands in New Orleans before going to Chicago, Illinois with ...

, and Theron E. "Buster" Johnson, with lyrics by

Leo Wood Leo Wood ''(aka'' Jack Wood; ''né'' Leopold Wood Lantheaume; 2 September 1882 – 2 August 1929) was an American songwriter and lyricist. Career Leo Wood was born in San Francisco to Louis Ferdinand Lantheaume and Hannah Marcuse Wood ''(maiden) ...

. The song was released as a 78 single by

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

and his Orchestra featuring Henry Busse on trumpet. The song is a pop and jazz standard. Wang Wang Blues Paul Whiteman sheet music 1921

Paul Whiteman recorded the song on August 9, 1920, in Camden, New Jersey. The song was released in December 1920 as a Victor 78 single, 18694-B.

Ferde Grofe Ferde AS is a Norwegian toll company owned by Agder, Rogaland and Vestland counties. The company was created on 5 October 2016 is headquartered in Bergen. The company was called Sørvest Bomvegselskap AS until 1 January 2018. All toll roads in No ...

arranged the song. Paul Whiteman recorded and released the song three additional times. The Paul Whiteman recording was No. 1 for 6 weeks on the Billboard pop singles charts.

Personnel

The personnel on the August 9, 1920 recording at the Victor studios in Camden, New Jersey were: Paul Whiteman (violin, leader), Henry Busse (trumpet, 1918–1928), Ferde Grofe (piano, arranger, composer), Theron E. "Buster" Johnson (trombone, 1918–1920), Gus Mueller (clarinet, alto sax), Hale Byers (alto sax), Mike Pingitore (banjo), Sammy Heiss (tuba), and Harold McDonald (drums).

Other recordings

"Wang Wang Blues" is one of the most recorded jazz songs, recorded by

, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington,

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

, Sam Moore and Horace Davis, Gus Van and Joe Schenck in the Ziegfeld Follies, 1921, Fletcher Henderson,

Sam Lanin Samuel Charles Lanin (September 4, 1891 – May 5, 1977) was an American jazz bandleader. Lanin's brothers, Howard and Lester, were also bandleaders, and all of them had sustained careers in music. Lanin was one of ten children born to Benjamin ...

, Benny Goodman,

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wr ...

Lucille Hegamin Lucille Nelson Hegamin (November 29, 1894 – March 1, 1970) was an American singer and entertainer and an early African-American blues recording artist. Life and career Lucille Nelson was born in Macon, Georgia, the daughter of John and Minni ...

, Bennie Krueger, Ted Lewis, Doc Severinsen, Billy Butterfield, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys,

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote '' Shuffle Along'', one of the first B ...

, Mal Hallett,

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the '' The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, te ...

, Art Tatum, Edyie Gorme,

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an American jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet, and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Hackett was a featured soloist o ...

, the Orient Dixieland Jazz Band, the

Ames Brothers The Ames Brothers were a singing quartet, consisting of four siblings from Malden, Massachusetts, who were particularly famous in the 1950s for their traditional pop music hits. Biography The Urick brothers were born in Malden, Massachusetts. ...

, Tim Brymn and His Black Devil Orchestra, the Norfolk Jazz Quartet, Willy Metschke, and Barbara McNair.Wang Wang Blues. Second Hand Songs.
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Media

The song was featured in the 1996 movie ''

The English Patient ''The English Patient'' is a 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book follows four dissimilar people brought together at an Italian villa during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War. The four main characters are: an unrecognisably burn ...

'' in a performance by Benny Goodman.

References

Bibliography

*Paul Whiteman: Pioneer of American Music (Volume 1: 1890–1930), Studies in Jazz, No. 43, by Don Rayno, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003. *Pops: Paul Whiteman, King of Jazz, by Thomas A. DeLong, New Century Publishers, 1983. *Jazz by Paul Whiteman, J. H. Sears, 1926. {{Authority control 1920 songs 1921 singles American jazz songs Songs written by Leo Wood Jazz compositions Songs written by Henry Busse